has some such point in the latter degrees of Sagittarius. On this basis, some astrologers
find it useful to examine the position of the galactic center in every chart, and, by its
house placement, determine to which area of the native’s life the cosmos is “speak-
ing.” The GC was located at 26°09’ Sagittarius in 1950, at 26°34’ in 1980, and at
26°51’ in 2000.
Sources:
Brau, Jean-Louis, Helen Weaver, and Allan Edmands. Larousse Encyclopedia of Astrology.New
York: New American Library, 1980.
Sedgwick, Philip. The Astrology of Deep Space.Birmingham, MI: Seek-It Publications, 1984.
GALAHAD
Galahad, asteroid 2,082 (the 2,082nd asteroid to be discovered, on October 17, 1960),
is approximately 14 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 5 years. Gala-
had was named after the knight of the Round Table. J. Lee Lehman associates this
asteroid with the challenge of merging action and contemplation, with reminders that
movement through life is a spiritual process. Jacob Schwartz gives the astrological sig-
nificance of Galahad as “a mystical union between human and deity, merging action
with contemplation.”
Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Ultimate Asteroid Book.West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.
GALAXY
Contrary to what one might anticipate, stars are not evenly distributed throughout
the universe. Instead, they cluster together in galaxies (from the Greek gala,meaning
“milk”), which are large groupings containing billions of stars. Our galaxy is called the
Milky Way.
The astrological effects of the fixed stars were the only influences from outside
the solar system considered in traditional astrology. More recently, astrological
researchers have begun to explore the potential astrological significance of galactic as
well as extragalactic phenomena—phenomena such as the galactic center, black
holes, pulsars, and quasars. This area of study is still very much in its infancy, with lit-
tle information immediately applicable to the interpretation of individual natal
charts.
Sources:
Erlewine, Michael, and Margaret Erlewine. Astrophysical Directions.Ann Arbor, MI: Heart Cen-
ter School of Astrology, 1977.
Sedgwick, Philip. The Astrology of Deep Space.Birmingham, MI: Seek-It Publications, 1984.
THEASTROLOGYBOOK [263]
Galaxy