Astrocartography Crossings
Potent manifestation portals
In my astrocartography practice I analyse all the details, but in this article I’d like to focus on the beautiful simplicity that is astrocartography line crossings. These are where two different astrocartography lines cross, meaning that in the relocation chart two planets will be conjunct angles (The AC, IC, DC or MC). This is very significant because whenever a planet is conjunct an angle, it’s energy is bought to the forefront of the chart owner’s life to project outward in an intense way.
Having two planets conjunct angles at an astrocartography crossing will therefore be particularly potent. Most people have several different crossing spots to choose from on their global astrocartography map, these crossings act as a charged energetic portal for manifestation, making real tangible things happen in your life.
When I have looked at charts of famous people or prominent successful career astrologers, I have noticed that nearly all of them have at least one “angular” planet conjunct their AC, IC, DC or MC, it almost seems a requirement for visible achievement. Not that this should necessarily be one’s goal in life, as the liminal cadent spaces such as the 3rd house, 9th house and 12th house have so much to offer too in terms of spiritual inner enrichment.
However if you want external things to happen, then it seems that having angular planets is a must. I have noticed that angular planets seem to take over and their energy becomes the dominant theme in the person’s life.
If you aren’t one of those people born with planets conjunct angles in your natal chart (I’m not) you can also consider tight aspects to the angles from planets in your chart for a weaker version of the same effect.
I personally have an exact sextile from my 8th house Mars-Sun conjunction to my MC which means that the energies of the Sun and Mars (drive and inspiration) could become visible and strong in my life, when it comes to my career, even though my Sun is dimmed and hidden in the twilight zone of the 8th house. You can also use the lot of fortune as a second ascendant and look to see if any planets are directly opposite or at 90 degrees from it, these planets will also be more apparent in your life. In my chart Mercury the traditional ruler of astrology is directly opposite my lot of fortune.
Planets that aren’t actually conjunct the angles by degree but are in the angular houses (the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th) also get some extra strength and visibility, albeit weaker than a planet closely conjunct an angle. The planets in these houses may play a key role in your life. For example I have an angular Mercury and Venus in my natal chart and I’m an astrologer and wannabe artist. Mercury is stronger for me as it’s tightly opposite my lot of fortune too, whereas Venus remains a theme, but less dominant; I almost studied fine art at university, and I have a special interest in love and relationship astrology.
Conjunctions and aspects to the Sun are also important to consider for manifestation and visibility purposes as they act in a similar way to conjunctions to the angles, because the Sun represents visibility, soul purpose, and one’s potential to command respect and have a clear direction and purpose in life. I won’t be focusing on Sun conjunctions in this article though, as astrocartography does not affect aspects to the Sun at all, they remain the same wherever you go, as do all inter planetary aspects. It’s only the aspects to angles that change with a new location.
One of the most powerful things you can do if you don’t have angular planets in your chart, or you would like to have softer more supportive planets angular instead of harsh ones, is to use astrocartography and simply move to somewhere you do (or use remote activation to connect with that place instead). This is the whole premise of astrocartography, a technology first created by Jim lewis in the 1970s that enables us to see illustrated as lines on a map the places where planets were angular at your exact time of birth.
As an aside, interestingly both Jim Lewis and my astrocartography teacher Helena Woods have Venus in Gemini in their natal charts conjunct my North Node in Gemini. North Node synastry conjunctions with another person’s Venus or Jupiter signify an increase of good fortune for both parties, and astrocartography has indeed bought me good fortune.
Back to crossings, most people will have at least a few, but it depends on the arrangement of the planets in your birth chart, you will also usually have the same combination of two planets repeating in different parts of the world. For example I have a Saturn Venus crossing in both California and Ireland.
Several of my crossings have played a significant part in the story of my life, sometimes without even ever visiting them! That’s how powerful they are, that they can manifest occurrences or people in your life remotely from across the globe. The strongest in my opinion is a Sun crossing, as the Sun symbolises one’s soul and life direction; what you want to become. I previously worked on an ambitious self sufficiency, sustainability and landcare project with someone from my Sun MC Ceres DC crossing.
This Ceres Sun crossing also repeats for me in Quingdao Shandong China, as Sun IC and Ceres AC. Although I’ve never been to China I did live 615kms away on Jeju Island Korea which is within range, where I had some of the most significant experiences of my life and lived for three years. Jeju island is a magical enchanted place with a rich tradition of shamanism, ancestral rites and immersive appreciation for nature.
Shandong peninsular on my Ceres AC Sun IC crossing is also where Quanzhen Taoism originates from, this tradition includes Taoist Neidan or internal alchemy which my meditation and astrology teacher practices — the meditation routine he prescribes is a significant part of my daily life and spiritual development. Kunyu mountain and Taiqing temple on Lao mountain near Quingdao is at the ancient heart of Taoism dating back over two thousand years. When I was eighteen I made a dear friend at a reiki healing circle who introduced me to Taoism, leading to an initiation into the Tao, I had mostly forgotten about it until I encountered my current teacher over twenty years later, I feel like the initiation could have stayed with me spiritually and been a foreshadowing for my work with my teacher now.
I find Taoism perfectly fitting for my Ceres AC Sun IC crossing because of the emphasis on nature (Ceres, Goddess of the earth) and ancestors (the IC). I have been instructed to spend much more time outdoors in order to enhance my intuition, to practice nature walk meditations, and to make daily offerings to my ancestors and spirits of the home and land (the IC also pertains to the home and land, as well as to ancestors). Nature immersion that enhances connection to spirit is a very concentrated theme for me in this location, as Quingdao is also on a Ceres-Sun paran on my map, and Kunyu mountain is on a beneficial Mercury-Venus paran.
It can be helpful to travel to the closest supportive paran to a crossing, even where the crossing is not exact, as crossings can be felt up to 1000kms away, whereas parans have a narrower orb of influence of about 110kms.
When I lived on my Ceres-Sun paran in Sydney I felt very closely connected to nature in a city surrounded by stunning national parks, with a lush rainforest reserve just five minutes away. I also worked preparing food for a small ethical health food company there, which could be related to the Sun-Ceres paran too, as Ceres pertains to food, nature and environmental sustainability. Sydney is also on my Moon local space line, and the Moon rules cooking in traditional astrology. I have my moon in domicile in Cancer in the 9th house so working with food overseas is an unsurprising thing for me to have ended up doing, although now I live in Brisbane on my Sun (10th house and MC ruler) trine line I’m instead doing something spiritually meaningful that feels like a vocation aligned with my soul purpose, rather than a job.
Another significant crossing for me has been my Jupiter IC Ceres DC. When I was younger I spent six months living in the Amazon rainforest near this crossing in Ecuador studying bird calls and learning about sustainable agriculture for my university dissertation (academic study is fitting for a Jupiter crossing). This crossing repeats as my Jupiter MC Ceres AC in Sumatra Indonesia/Singapore, and my Jupiter AC and Ceres IC in Cameroon, these two places have not been apparent in my life so far, I have yet to see what the future holds. I did get fascinated by the Bwiti shamanistic spiritual tradition from neighbouring Gabon when I was doing an astrocartography reading for a client interested in that region, and my interest in astrology was sparked by a comment from a Singaporean.
One of my most supportive crossings is my Mercury IC Venus DC near lake Quinghai on the Quinghai-Tibetan Plateau which is also near my Jupiter MC Venus DC in Mongolia. I’ve never visited this region, but I do have a friend who is a Tibetan Buddhist and talks to me in detail about their religion so it could be significant that this tradition reached me even with no seeking or effort on my part. Maybe something to explore in the future.
Finally, my very first astrocartography clients are from my Venus AC exalted Saturn IC crossing near Los Angeles California, and my astrocartography teacher Helena Woods is also from Southern California. I have also visited Ireland on my Saturn AC and Venus MC crossing, when my best friend from university moved there to study permaculture. Saturn (like Ceres) is associated with the earth and agriculture so despite having Saturn almost exactly on my AC there, this trip was very pleasant —Ireland is so pretty, and there was an agricultural theme to absorb the Saturnine energies. My friend was very Saturnine in the sense of conserving resources, not making pollution and living simply.
Another example from a public figure’s chart is the astrologer Alan Oken, he was from New York but lived in Bali on his Venus MC line. However, in an interview with Chris Brennan of The Astrology Podcast, he states that he has a large audience in China, with many students and clients there. Just north of Hong Kong is his Venus MC Ceres AC and Mars AC crossing. He also has a Jupiter IC and Uranus AC crossing in Tibet, in the same interview he states that he became an astrologer because a Tibetan monk came to him in a vision while he was meditating and told him to do so!
Looking at the chart of someone who wasn’t an astrologer, Albert Einstein has his Moon MC and Jupiter AC crossing about 650km away from Princeton NJ where he based his academic career after emigrating to the USA. His Jupiter is in Pisces making that Jupiter AC placement particularly powerful for him.
I have seen crossings show up time and time again as very significant on the maps of my clients, friends and family. It’s uncanny how the astrocartography often confirms someone’s obsession with a seemingly far flung and random place which they have no apparent cultural or geographical connection to, to me this supports the idea that we may have had past incarnations or soul ties with certain areas and traditions.
What has been your own experience of astrocartography crossings? Please let me know in the comments.