We compleat-ly welcome astrologer and teacher Rod Suskin, beaming in from Cape Town to chat with host Jenn Zahrt! Rod was Jenn’s mentor once upon a time, so join the comfy chat as the two settle in to discuss: books that make you feel like a magician; censorship in South Africa in the 1970s; triplicity rulers of the houses; building astrological foundations; “astrologies” and cultural context; and texts that bring both stability and refreshment. All that, plus: heroic journeys of secret self-published poetry, commentaries that help us understand lost works, and standing on the shoulders of giants!
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Transcripts available upon request.
Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.
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Episode timestamps (conversation recorded Oct. 2023):
00:31 – Rod is well known as an astrologer and sangoma in Cape Town and has been in practice for over 30 years. His interest is in traditional medicine both in the African and European contexts; his interest in medical astrology led him to study the history of medicine and its relationship with cultural belief systems about health and healing. He has lectured regularly at both the University of Cape Town and University of Stellenbosch medical schools on traditional medicine, history of medicine, and integrative medicine. Rod is the author of several books including Cycles of Life and Synastry. Jenn met Rod when they were both pursuing their MA degrees in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology and Culture at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She later attended his school, Rod Suskin School of Astrology!
03:14 – Astrology entered Rod’s life as a preteen, when he went on vacation with his aunt and uncle, and they ran into a friend who was drawing charts by hand! The friend told Rod to buy The Compleat Astrologer by Derek and Julia Parker. (Later, this came to be known as Parkers’ Astrology: The Definitive Guide to Using Astrology in Every Aspect of Your Life.) Rod found himself exposed to the power and accuracy of astrology via this text.
08:39 – Ta-daaa! If Rod could only bring a few books with him on a trip, his first pick would be Ben Dykes’s translation of Book of Astronomy by Guido Bonatti. Even today, Rod returns to this one over and over. It’s also useful for finding footnotes! (Enjoy the side trip to the works of William Lilly, Robert Zoller, and Robert Hand.)
12:09 – Interlude: Join CAELi’s inaugural annual support campaign and snag yourself a Saturn stress-relief ball. (Yes, you read that right!)
12:56 – Rod’s (pretend) second choice is Christian Astrology, Vol. 2 by William Lilly. All the sample charts are wonderful for random astro questions, so it’s a gold mine.
14:17 – Rod’s (true) second choice is John Frawley’s The Real Astrology. This one is like a fresh wind because it has such a clarifying influence. (Runner-up status goes to Frawley’s other books, The Real Astrology Applied and Sports Astrology.)
16:30 – Finally, Rod would bring along The Moment of Astrology: Origins in Divination by Geoffrey Cornelius. This philosophical text covers the concept: Is astrology simply timing, or is it divination?
19:56 – Rod’s recommendations for beginners? His focus is to learn history so that context is understood. Therefore, his choice is the two-volume set A History of Western Astrology by Nicholas Campion.
26:52 – Learn more about Rod’s astrology courses, books, and consultations at https://www.rodsuskin.com/. Check out his regular column in The Mountain Astrologer, “Thinking Like an Astrologer.” And we look forward to learning more about the not-memoir that Rod is now not so secretly writing!
27:47 – Thanks for listening to Within Orb! If you love the show, please help support it at no cost to you: Follow or subscribe wherever you listen, rate it five stars, or write a happy review! And if you’d like to become a CAELi member or support our work with a contribution of any amount, we’d be delighted – thanks!
Show notes by Jen Braun, JJ Boots Productions LLC.
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