Within Orb is our premiere podcast dedicated to exploring the books and texts that have changed our lives, as we grow our astrological practice. Tune in every week to hear our host and founder, Jenn Zahrt, interview a new voice in the field about the books (not always astrological!) that changed how they work with celestial arts.
We hope you enjoy these deep dives into the texts that shape how we think and work with the starry firmament here on Earth
Within Orb is our premiere podcast dedicated to exploring the books and texts that have changed our lives, as we grow our astrological practice. Tune in every other week to hear our host and founder, Jenn Zahrt, interview a new voice in the field about the books (not always astrological!) that changed how they work with celestial arts. You can subscribe via your favorite podcatcher, or head over to our YouTube channel to watch the full conversations via video. We hope you enjoy these deep dives into the texts that shape how we think and work with the starry firmament here on Earth.
Astrologer, teacher, and author Catherine Urban joins host Jenn Zahrt from Ohio! Enjoy this cheerful gabfest covering astrology books and more, including: blending traditional and modern techniques; temperament theory; the building blocks of the universe; kids and family chart patterns; and planetary cycles through the ages. Plus: astrology and costume design, annuals versus perennials, and… our birth charts are not random!
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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 April 2025):
00:12 – Catherine Urban (NCGR-PAA IV, ISAR-CAP) has been immersed in astrology for over 15 years. Her practice is steeped in classical, medieval, natal, and horary technique, centering compassion for human experience. Specializing in solar returns and forecasting, Catherine empowers her clients to become alchemists of their own charts while gaining confidence and clarity on their path. Catherine is an astrology teacher, a mama of two, and the author of Your Astrological Cookbook: The Perfect Recipe for Every Sign. She offers weekly forecasts on Instagram and YouTube!
01:41 – Catherine’s gateway into astrology was the horoscope columns in Teen Beat magazine! But her first astrology book was Astrology: A Cosmic Science by Isabel Hickey.
03:25 – If Catherine could bring only three books to a deserted island, her first pick would be The Great Introduction to the Science of the Judgments of the Stars by Abū Ma’shar. (And in the runner-up category, she mentions Temperament: Astrology’s Forgotten Key by Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum.)
08:45 – Catherine’s second choice would be Saturn and Melancholy: Studies in the History of Natural Philosophy, Religion, and Art by Raymond Klibansky, Erwin Panofsky, and Fritz Saxl.
15:58 – The third title Catherine would bring is The Astrology of Family Dynamics by Erin Sullivan.
21:12 – Interlude: Join the CAELi Support Drive and for only $35, you can enjoy your morning beverage out of a gorgeous CAELi mug!
21:58 – More on children, birth charts, and (birth, chosen, and adoptive) familes!
29:29 – Catherine recommends The Great Introduction by Abū Ma’shar for intermediate students and Cycles of Becoming: The Planetary Pattern of Growth by Alexander Ruperti for beginners.
33:14 – Find Catherine at her website: https://www.catherineurban.com/. On Instagram and YouTube, her handle is @astrocatherine, and on BlueSky it’s @astrocatherine1.
34:44 – 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 and production by Jen Braun of JJ Boots Productions LLC.
Within Orb Episode 92 with Catherine Urban
Within Orb Episode 91 with Frank Clifford
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