Ethics and the Practice of Astro*Carto*Graphy
PART ONE: Ethical Considerations for Astro*Carto*Graphy
PART TWO: Trademark Information about Astro*Carto*Graphy
©2000 by Karen McCauley for Continuum
NOTE: The following statement was drafted for an ethics seminar for professional astrologers which preceded the ISAR conference, Fall 2000.
Most of the ethical issues for the professional doing Astro*Carto*Graphy
or other types of relocational astrology are the same as those involved in
using and/or interpreting any astrological tools/data. To
call oneself a professional involves behaving as one. For example:
1) Providing the client with clear displays of one's education, astrological training, and related experience, fee schedule, philosophy of client confidentiality, and outline of services offered.
2) Showing respect for the local, state, and national communities and laws by obtaining appropriate business licenses, reporting astrological income, and paying fees/taxes where required.
3) Readily providing the client with other appropriate community resources such as therapists, physicians or other professionals (even other astrologers) when the scope of problems, issues, questions or needed help surpasses one's area of expertise or practice. (Referral out to another astrologer is also strongly recommended when the professional's Neptune is conjunct the Asc, MH, or personal planets of the client.)
4) Knowing oneself and having worked through one's own issues to the extent that one can keep personal needs, beliefs, values, preferences and cultural ideas from contaminating work with the client.
5) Respecting clients' right to form and pursue their own goals/dreams/lessons by limiting the expository content of the session to their expressed interests and areas of concern. To those ends, it is recommended that prior to the first meeting substantial information about clients' current status and interests be gathered by contact or questionnaire.
6) Being responsible in one's choice of words, concepts, and language in relating to the client, always remaining aware of one's elevated status, by virtue of being regarded by the client as "an authority" possessing special or secret information and facility with a mysterious language and body of knowledge beyond the client's comprehension.
7) Demonstrating a reasonable level of respect for the work of fellow professionals by correctly citing others' words we include in our teaching or writing, and refraining from pirating their work in any way (whether by taking credit for ideas not our own or making illegal copies of their writings or software).
8) Regardless of one's professional affiliations or lack of them, maintaining awareness thatreferring to oneself as an astrologer still represents a connection with, and minimally an image contribution to, a larger professional community of practitioners.
Ethical Considerations
The following are some ethical considerations specific to the practice of locational astrology and Astro*Carto*Graphy:
It is unprofessional for an astrologer to make suggestions or interpretations to a client using only a relocation chart or Astro*Carto*Graphy map. These tools were designed to be used as adjuncts to natal, progressed and directed charts, not as a replacement for them.
For example, locations under a Jupiter or Venus line are NOT always good places for a client to visit or relocate to; one must always consider the dynamics of the person's life, ebb, and flow (shown in the charts mentioned above) as well as their stated history, preferences, or inquiries in reference to locality.
While it is true that you take yourself with you wherever you go, it is also true that different components of your personality and life experiences will be emphasized in specific locales and at varying times of your life. Discovering and being able to choose among these varied areas of potential expressions and experiences form the basic reasons for using relocational techniques. We have the choice to intensify or moderate our expression and experience by changing the space within which we live. Relocation techniques honor the spatial dimensions of our life experience while maintaining respect for the traditional temporal components.
Specific to the use of Astro*Carto*Graphy would be the necessity that the professional had sufficient training in astrology basics as well as A*C*G mapping and interpretation skills to achieve the certification (through Jim Lewis and now through Continuum) which grants the right to refer to oneself as an Astro*Carto*Grapher and advertise practice as such.
Those without such certification cannot legally use the trademarked names and techniques of Astro*Carto*Graphy or Cyclo*Carto*Graphy, names such as astrocartography, astrocartographer. Anyone wishing to include such techniques in their computerized programs would need to first arrange for royalty payments to Jim Lewis Slayden Trust.
Furthermore, it is important that Astro*Carto*Graphers and others working with relocation techniques be aware of and respect the guidelines for using these trademarked names. For an explanation of what constitutes correct usage of these terms, see our Trademark Information FAQ.
Official Distributors of A*C*G Products
Sale of Maps Great Britain: Equinox, Robert Currey
Sale of Maps Western Europe: AstroData, Claude Weiss
Sale of Maps: Germany: David Meadows for AstroWelt
Software Distributor: Matrix Software, David Cochrane
(For addresses and contact numbers, see our Products page.)
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How to Contact Continuum
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For testing materials and inquiries contact Karen McCauley:
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CREDITS: This web site was originally created by Donna Cunningham. Though Donna left us on her 75th birthday, July 5, 2017, we will always be grateful for her selfless commitment and immense contributions to the promotion of astrological excellence through her teaching, writing and practice. This background used with permission of Montserrat of The Sacred Feminine. The globe photo used to create the bordered background and elements came from ClipArt.com. The animated globe is by Iband.