For the majority of my life, I lived in a 2-kilometre radius just west of Manly, on the northern beaches of Sydney. This was apart from the three years travelling overseas, leaving Australia when I was nineteen (a year in North America, a year in the Middle East and a year in Europe) Then for another three years subsequently down in Adelaide, studying politics and philosophy at the university there. About 2011, I was provided with the opportunity to move to Bega, on the far south coast of NSW, specifically to live at Bend (bend.org.au), an eco-neighbourhood and have done so happily ever since. The community is based on permaculture, and we decide everything by consensus. One of my tasks each year is to acquire sufficient numbers of Moon Planting Calendars!

What sparked your interest in the field of astrology?

Whilst living in Henley Beach in Adelaide, I met a young woman who was studying with Bernadette Brady at the time. On her kitchen table lay an ephemeris and having endured a rigorous mathematical education, I considered a fascinating book and one of obvious importance. I found the glyphs fascinating and all those columns of numbers; mind-blowing. Years later, around mid-2002, whilst living back in Sydney, I enrolled in an evening class at the local community college run by Molly Talbot on Introductory Astrology. After reading my own natal report and appreciating what was described at such detail, I considered the subject worthy of a more detailed investigation. In reading that report, I came to accept my attributes in a much more generous fashion. Since then, I have increasingly embraced the astrological paradigm and allows it to guide and fortify my life, pretty much.

Please tell us about specific astrology teachers or books that have had an impact on your astrological knowledge and practice.

Perhaps it was my secondary education at an all-boy’s school during the early eighties that conditioned my character to question the integrity and authority of those who stood out the front, such that I have never really felt at ease with the teachers/ student relationship per se. Nonetheless, I do love the structure and opportunity of what education provides. The syllabus is golden. Nowadays, I do this study in an independent fashion, primarily by either reading or in conversation, but also just through meditation.

My previous enrolments for course work has been provided by Molly Talbot, whom I mentioned earlier, the late Alia Ryder, the late Robert Zoller, Sagari who led me through the FAA Calculation Examination, the School of Traditional Astrology’s Eve Dembowski for the Horary Practitioner’s Course and Wade Cave’s ground-breaking course Astronomy for Astrologers.

In no particular order, a few astrological texts that have shaped my world view have been Ben Dykes two volume translation of Bonatti. (I thought these works were of such importance that I quickly purchased an additional set.) Robert Hand’s Horoscope Symbols, Richard Tarnas’ Cosmos and Psyche and Nicholas Campion’s volumes on The History of Western Astrology. I possess a vast astrological library, having scoured any 2^nd hand bookshops across the continent, primarily Adyar in Sydney when it existed, back in the day. Of late, I have succumbed to the realisation that I will not be able to read, comprehend and retain all of which these books describe, so now mostly rely on remembering medieval astrological aphorisms, be they of the 120 or 146 varieties. Also, invaluable. So much was known and articulated so concisely, so long ago.

I did go to a weekend workshop in 2007 by Richard Tarnas hosted by The Chiron Centre in Melbourne. During the workshop Richard Tarnas was illustrating astrological aspects and music created at the same time. 1968 and Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man for instance. This set me off on a quest to pair up music to my own astrological aspects. Natally, I have Moon applying to Pluto applying to Uranus in the 12^th. Difficult at best, at times. Anyway, what I came up with was the Dirty Three’s track Indian Love Song. If you don’t have this aspect, you probably won’t get it. Or on a lighter note, Itchy and Scratchy’s Sweetness and Light describing my grand water trine.

I also have Astro-Gold on my phone. When out and about and faced with a dilemma or am just wondering what present madness is going on now in the world, I cast the chart for the moment, time and place. Invaluable really.

Presently I’m reading Palden Jenkin’s Power Points in Time. I admire his confidence, capacity for research and his overarching vision.

I understand that the reference to “White Rabbit” in your business name is from a quote found in Alice in Wonderland. Can you please tell us why you chose this name and how it reflects your own personal philosophy and approach to astrology?

I suppose the idea of the White Rabbit works for me on many a level. Rather than complicate it unnecessarily, I will quote directly from Alice in Wonderland where Alice asks the White Rabbit “How long is forever?” and he answers “Sometimes, just one second.” This accords with the horary work that I do. It also segways into what Bernadette Brady was pointing to in her pivotal book “Astrology; a Place in Chaos.” Regarding the evolution of consciousness in relation to sentient beings, potentially, comprehension and awakening is instantaneous. That one second of understanding will last forever and have unfolding consequences. Another seminal work in a similar vein although not astrological, is Joanna Macy’s book on General Systems Theory.

Personally, I understand that in life there are one of three components always present: time, money, and opportunity. It is rare that all three are available at any one time for any one person and if they were, they would invariably be squandered unnecessarily. Astrology has conditioned me to look, investigate, recognise, and respond, if asked. Perceiving and identifying the elements is vital.

You have an interest in traditional techniques, and you specialise in horary astrology in your consultations with clients. Can you please explain what you find so appealing and rewarding about practising this type of astrology?

It was not that I was wanting to emulate the traditional order of astrological learning, from horary upwards. It was for several other reasons. First, when faced with reading natal charts for clients who of their own volition had intentionally provided me with erroneous birth data, I felt incapacitated and dispirited by that. I played rugby as a second rower for all the time that I was at school and potentially, sitting across the table from me might be a daunting experience. I get that.

An individual's astrological data is to be respected; however I felt the lack of trust that was being projected towards me was more injurious to the Tradition itself, so I asked the individual to find another astrologer that they might feel more comfortable with. Around this time, I also suspected that my "bedside manner" with reading natal charts was not sufficient to put the client at their ease and make good on giving them the insight required for making better progress through life. One does not necessarily want to" poke a bruise" and to my detriment, this is what I felt was happening, so I stopped reading natal charts. Having previously been to a talk by John Frawley, organised by Kelly Surtees for the FAA Young Astrologers, I was already acquainted with horary. And then in 2016, a STA residential horary course popped up, at Hepburn Springs, Victoria so I enrolled, and my journey began from there.

As my astrological studies progressed, I did begin to question the principals behind interpreting a chart from a northern hemisphere perspective. Historically, the philosophy that underpins the tradition of astrology was simultaneously evolving in situ with the observation of the northern hemisphere sky. Philosophical concerns such as “generation and corruption” were and continue to be, referenced within and projected onto astrological charts, which are based on a northern hemisphere mindset, The observation of astronomical phenomena can be quite different here in the South. The Moon’s nodes for instance, as my article “Pointing at the Moon” in December 2024 Orbits implied. To quote Bernadette Brady – “the sky is the terrain, the chart but the map.” We need to look to the Heaven’s to orientate ourselves on Earth, otherwise what are we doing as Astrologers?

So, my rationale has been to circumvent this dilemma by entering the stream of astrology before Europeans colonised the southern hemisphere. My relationship and preference for traditional astrology is a “ongoing partial solution”. I personally observe and acknowledge the influence of the outer planets beyond Saturn. My caveat here is that given Pluto was discovered less than a century ago, that it will take some considerable time to delineate, appreciate and absorb the full consequences of Pluto’s complete orbit through the zodiac. Given the regular 3:2 periodic ratio between Neptune and Pluto’s orbits, my gut feeling is that this will not occur for another 400 years, that is two complete Pluto orbits around the Sun, from when it was first discovered. "Patience Skywalker, patience."

Please tell us what a client can expect from a consultation with you?

I’m usually able to answer questions within 72 hours and supply clients with a two-page written response, which also sets out some technical detail about how I came to give my consideration. If need be, I am happy to follow this up with a quick phone call or email if required.

Is there anything else you wish to add?

World Peace is but a full, simultaneous, collective breath away.

Thank you, Robert, for sharing your astrological journey with us.

Specifically, the three celestial cycles are the transit of the moon’s nodes across the equinox points (with specifically the north node approaching 0° Aries), the sun itself approaching the summer solstice point (for the southern hemisphere) at 0° Capricorn, and the monthly opposition of the moon to the sun, all of these culminate at the full moon on the 15^th of December 2024.

The first cycle, that of the nodes is imperative. The reason for this is that it will incidentally add an additional 5° of northerly declination to the position of the moon itself in the northern night sky.

As the moon orbits the earth in its monthly cycle, it traces a simple sine wave in relation to the ecliptic of the sun.

The nodes of the moon describe the point of intersection between the ecliptic of the sun and the orbit of the moon about the earth.

These nodes are 180° apart and comprise of a north and south node. The moon’s nodes progress over time around the zodiac in a retrograde fashion and this takes approximately 18.6 years to do so, where they spend about eighteen months in each of the signs.

(From the north node (0°), which is positioned on the ecliptic, the moon starts separating from the ecliptic, moving north till it reaches the northerly “Bendings” (90°), where it is at its maximum distance from the ecliptic in a northerly direction. Having gone so far north as it can go, the moon then begins to travel south, passing over the south node (180°) on the ecliptic, ultimately arriving at the southern “Bendings” (270°). At this point, the moon pivots once again and starts travelling north, till it reaches the north node (0°/360°) once more. Every time the moon orbits the earth in its monthly cycle, it transits the north and south nodes, as well as the Bendings.)

The second cycle of significance is that of the sun and its approach to the southern hemisphere summer solstice point at 0° Capricorn. At this point of the sun’s annual cycle, it is at its most southerly point in the sky.

When this positioning of the sun is combined here with the third and final cycle of significance, namely the monthly full moon lunation, this positions the moon in direct opposition to the sun.

Given that “the full Moon in summer travels the path of the Sun in winter & the full Moon in winter travels the path of the Sun in summer”, this will position the full moon closest to the sun’s southern hemisphere winter solstice point. In effect, the moon will be as far north as it can be during the sun’s annual cycle.

The effect and consequence of these three celestial cycles all coinciding and combined with each other, is to push the moon northwards to its potential limit. The declination of the full moon, when sighted on the night of the 15^th of December 2024, will be as far north as it possibly can be in its 18.6-year nodal cycle.

In the southern hemisphere the moon will be very low in the northern sky, while in contrast on the same night in the northern hemisphere, the moon will be at its highest elevation.

Given this regular periodical phenomena, it is curious to reflect upon the meaning and delineation applied specifically to the nodes of the moon, from a tropical astrological perspective within a southern hemisphere context. Maybe this needs some additional thought and conversation applied to it, perhaps?

Nonetheless, given fair weather wherever you are on the night, it will be quite spectacular indeed and well worth looking out for.