Astrology Curriculum Design: Freeing Creativity, Cultivating Competence, and Fostering Inner and Outer Security
Hi Everyone,
As you know from my post Project Astrology Is Back, I want to integrate computer programming into an astrology curriculum and also incorporate a more comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach beyond just astrology and programming. During the last few days, a design for just such a program has begun to shape itself. I am really pleased with it and am working on the content for the first part. At this time, I’d like to share the concept.
The program is designed around modules. At the core of each module is a programming task, called a magnet, surrounded by four disciplines. The disciplines are astronomy, astrology, math, and programming. Each of these disciplines is fundamental to astrology in some way. We’ll look at how next, then take a more detailed view of the structure. For now, here is a mindmap of a module.
Reasons for Including the Non-Astrology Disciplines
Let’s look at astronomy first.
The reason for including astronomy is because the roots of astrology are in that discipline in two ways: 1) the planets we rely on in astrology travel through the sky and 2) our imaginations are stimulated when we look up at the stars, allowing us to tell the stories of our individual and collective lives and experiences.
Most people reading this article will already have a strong relationship with the powerful imaginative side of life and easily connect with astrology through that avenue, so let’s focus on the technical side. The wheel we use in astrology is a 2D version of the Earth-sky relationship. This connection means that if we want to understand the wheel, we need to understand astronomy. It also means that when we understand the astronomy underlying the wheel, our relationship with astrology will be much more stable and we will feel much more confident in our practice of and relationship with astrology as well as with ourselves as astrologers.
Math also matters to astrology. Without it, we could not create the wheel, calculate charts, or determine the aspects between planets. While computers do all of these calculations for us today, we create a better foundation in and for ourselves and in our practice if we learn how to do these calculations. Knowing what’s going on under the hood, even when we progress to having computers do it, can help to clarify subtle or not so subtle confusions.
Consider a baby. Likely few if any adults believe that the best approach to helping a baby walk is to bypass crawling. We intuitively understand that crawling is a part of the process. When the baby is allowed to progress through crawling, it builds solid structural foundations for walking. That analogy is how I think about calculating charts. Yeah, it takes time and can scramble our brain, but it provides the foundation for our practice and I believe taking the time to ingrain our understanding and ability of how to do it makes us more grounded, confident, and secure astrologers.
Learning both astronomy and math also set us up for being able to have meaningful and productive conversations with people in other disciplines rather than feeling like we have to hide under a table or fight fiercely without depth of knowledge.
A similar argument in terms of creating a foundation of clarity, security, and competence applies to programming. While, unlike astronomy and math, it is not a direct foundation for astrology, it is a foundation of modern astrology practice in that most astrologers today rely on computer programs to generate their charts. While older astrologers who learned astrology before computers became the norm learned how to calculate charts by hand, many younger astrologers and others who came to it in recent times later in their lives have not learned how to do so. That means many and perhaps most astrologers today rely on computers and would be in a jam if for some reason they couldn’t use a computer and astrology software program.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for computers and for them doing what they’re really great at doing. I’m also for partnering with AI on projects, including astrology projects. And I’m for using the fantastic astrology software programs that others have created. But I’m not for dependency and the fact is, when we don’t know how to do things for ourselves, we become dependent on others. That’s what happened to me and what I learned is that when we’re dependent, we have no freedom or flexibility to innovate and create and adapt.
I want astrologers to have the freedom to innovate and create what they are called to and astrology to continue to evolve because we have taken the time to structure the foundations of sound practice, freedom, and innovation into how we learn astrology.
What follows is a more detailed look at the curriculum design I am presenting here.
A Closer Look at the Curriculum Design
Modules
Modules are the core of the curriculum. As mentioned above, they are comprised of a core magnet surrounded by the supporting disciplines of astronomy, astrology, math, and programming. The idea of modules is that the material covered in each discipline is driven by a magnet task. In other words, a magnet task is defined and then the content for each discipline is written and/or recorded to support the successful completion of the magnet task. There are two keys for this design to work.
First, the success of the curriculum design depends on choosing a magnet task that is approporiate for the knowledge level assumed for the module. The first module, for example, would require beginner-level content across disciplines and for the magnet task itself. More advanced modules would include a more advanced magnet with correspondingly more advanced content for each discipline.
Second, each module needs to be designed or constructed such that it serves as a solid foundation for the next module. This structure ensures the development of sound knowledge and skill which in turn fosters confidence and inner security.
In terms of creating the content, once the appropriate level is detemined and the magnet task chosen, the course content can be created, crafted so that it provides depth of understanding of the discipline and depth and context regarding the magnet task. Working on the practical application of the content learned via the magnet task, in turn, reinforces what was covered in each discipline. It should be noted that in actual practice, consideration of discipline content may shape the magnet task.
Below is a mindmap for the planned content for module 1. While not completely clear if you don’t already know some Python, the magnet task is to write code that recognizes and prints planet names and groups of planets. Strings, lists, and tuples are how you do that. Print means to run and render the code. For our astrology software program, we’ll need to be able to access and print individual planets and groups of planets, so this task lays down an essential first foundation.
The content for the supporting astrology and astronomy lessons are on the definition, history, and classification of planets from the perspective of each discipline. This knowledge not only provides breadth and depth to our practical programming task, but also practical understanding: knowing how planets are classified may influence how we choose to write our code.
The math lesson covers variables, sets, and elements. These are essential math foundations and lead naturally into the concepts covered in the Python lesson that will enable us to write our first code - writing single planet names and groups of planet names in a way that Python can understand.
Clusters
The modules are grouped into clusters, with three modules per cluster. Each cluster builds towards a programming project, called a target, which brings together and implements everything learned in the cluster. (See Graphic 3 below.)
Ideally, each programming project will build towards the final program so that, when we have completed the curriculum, we will have a complete, fully functional, high quality astrology software program: that, as opposed to learning everything and then having to build the program from scratch.
Branches
The clusters are grouped into branches, with three clusters per branch. Like the clusters, each branch builds towards a programming project that integrates everything learned and created so far. Graphic 4 below shows a single branch culminating in a Goal project with the astrology software program placed as an attractor at the top of the structure.
If more branches are needed, those can be added, with three branches constituting the next tier, which could be called a trunk. I have not sketched out the design that far. LIke the previous tiers, though, we can envision each trunk, composed of up to three branches, culminating in another project level. Each project at each level would serve as pieces of the final astrology software program.
A Closer Look at the Programming Language
The programming language I have in mind for the curriculum is Python. Python is a solid foundational programming language that is beginner friendly and well-suited for building an astrology software program. Technically, it is considered a high-level programming language, meaning it is designed so that humans can more easily understand and use it.
There are two other language levels - low-level and mid-level. The language levels differentiate computer languages based on how directly they interact with a computer’s hardware. The more directly they interact, or speak in the computer’s language, the harder they are for humans to understand and work with.
Low-level languages are written in the computer’s language and are the hardest for humans to master. Mid-level languages incorporate both computer-speak and human-speak. High-level languages are the easiest for humans to understand and master as they are written primarily in human-speak. That means that when we write code in high-level programming languages, we are not speaking directly to the hardware. We are, instead, speaking to a translater of some sort. The details of that, however, are a little beyond my current knowledge.
Next Up for Pass It On Astrology
The next step will be to write and record the videos for the curriculum. At this stage, I am at the beginning of the learning path myself in all disciplines other than astrology. That means that I will be creating the curriculum as I learn what is needed. However, sketching out this modular-based curriculum structure feels like an important milestone and I wanted to share it and also mark the moment for myself.
As you saw above, I have been able to sketch out the first module and will sketch out the others as I learn what is needed. Preliminary work on the first module is indicating that this multi-disciplinary, modular approach will work well. I will share the finished module as able according to time and timing constraints brought on by health considerations and other projects in the works.
Regarding other projects, one is the transferring of article series from Astrology Journal to here. That’s going to take longer than anticipated because it has become clear I will be revising each article before posting it here. They will be much better articles as a result, so it will be worth the time, effort, and, on your end, wait. Also, I still need and plan to write the final decans article. Usually, when this kind of delay happens, it’s because there’s a piece of the puzzle that’s missing that I don’t yet know about. At some point, it will reveal itself.
So, all in good time and thank you for your support.
Keep the inner flame bright🔥
Updates
January 24, 2025
I fixed a small grammar mistake
I took out the word “not” from the sentence, “Knowing what’s going on under the hood, even when we progress to
nothaving computers do it, can help to clarify subtle or not so subtle confusions.”
January 25, 2025
In the second paragraph, I took out the reference to Graphic 1 as it was redundant given the final sentence.
In the paragraph talking about the benefits of learning how to calculate charts, for consistency I changed the word “one’s” to “our”.
I changed the sentence that begins “First, the success of the curriculum is in…”, to First, the success of the curriculum depends on…”
I changed the word “sky” to stars in this sentence: “…our imaginations are stimulated when we look up at the
skystars…”
January 29, 2025
I replaced the Cluster graphic with a slightly tweaked design (improved spacing).
February 6, 2025
I added a reference and link to my article, Project Astrology Is Back, in the first sentence of the article.