In the first half, astrologer, author, and publisher Mark Lerner joined Ryan Wrecker (email) to discuss the profound astrological forces shaping our personal lives and the world at large. Lerner began by drawing attention to the upcoming Saturn-Neptune conjunction, a union that occurs roughly every 35 to 36 years. The next exact alignment, he explained, is set for February 20 from Earth's viewpoint, but also December 11 if viewed from the Sun. He contrasted astrology's more familiar geocentric model with a heliocentric view: "Most astrologers do not focus on the Sun's way of looking at the solar system," he noted, pointing out that certain phenomena, such as retrogrades, do not apply to a heliocentric model.
Lerner traced several historical patterns linked by Saturn-Neptune conjunctions. Before the United States declared independence in 1776, a meeting of these planets occurred. Abraham Lincoln and JFK were also born during similar alignments. Lerner then explored Jupiter's powerful resonance, observing that "many presidents have a very strong [connection to] Jupiter, so they become larger than life." He also pointed out Jupiter's current presence in the world of sports, citing the extraordinary athletic feats witnessed earlier this year. Lerner recounted how "if you watched the World Series... you were seeing unbelievable stuff." These moments of outsized achievement, he argued, were a reflection of Jupiter's unique 83-year cycle.
He stressed that "astrology is very, very deep," especially in personal charts that encompass a complex interplay of planets and houses. Lerner referenced the work of Carl Jung, who studied marriage charts, and French researchers who initially tried to disprove astrology but instead found evidence of its patterns in the lives of athletes, surgeons, and writers.
--------------
In the second half, Bonnie Buckner, PhD, spoke about how to harness the power of dreams, both good and bad. She presented nightmares not as something to dread, but as our closest allies. "I call nightmares our best friends, actually," Buckner stated, explaining that they "are giving us a signal that there is something out of balance in our body." This early warning system, she claimed, prompts us to address internal disharmony and steer ourselves back to wellbeing. She shared an anecdote about a client whose nightmare, involving an uncontrolled car hurtling towards a chasm, mirrored their waking exhaustion, leading to a vital rescheduling of work and a return to health.
Buckner urged listeners to place a journal beside their beds, capturing dreams upon waking. She presented dreaming as a lively exchange, not mere mental clearing. "It's a dialog that we can actively engage in," she affirmed. To prepare for more pleasant dreams, she recommended establishing a buffer before sleep. "A lot of people have the habit of doom-scrolling right before going to bed," she observed, noting this "will bring all that into our dream state. So if we want to set the stage for having a good dream... give yourself a little break between phone and going to bed."
Buckner praised the mysterious quality of dreams, contrasting it with the waking world that seeks to explain away every unknown. She celebrated how this adventurous uncertainty propels both individual and collective progress. Dreams, she explained, reconnect us to unexplored territories of the self, awakening us to unexpected capabilities and a vibrant life beyond routine. "People become dull and bored in their lives when there's no more mystery... when we have these mysterious elements in our dreams, it's a way of re-accessing that unknown... of the map of self," she reflected.
