Morgan Drake Eckstein

There are several methods of teaching astrology and chart interpretation.  One of the most popular ways is though the use of keywords. This method of teaching was developed by Margaret Ethelwyn Hone (also known as Peg Hone), and introduced to the public though her book “The Modern Textbook of Astrology” (1950). The idea was so popular that other astrologers started to use it, and the idea has spread to other esoteric fields.

Keywords are a set of words that describe the basic functions and characteristics of an esoteric symbol. In astrology, the symbols are the signs, houses, planets and aspects. Some astrologers use a single word; others use a list. Related to the keywords are the key-phrases. The keywords and phrases vary among astrologers, but there tends to be a consensus in the major traits and energies of the symbols.

As an example, Chic and Sandra Tabitha Cicero (Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition---1995) give the following list of astrological keywords and key-phrases:

Planets: Moon---Emotions; Mercury---Reasoning Powers; Venus---Affection; Sun---Inner Self; Mars---Energy; Jupiter---Expansion; Saturn---The Teacher; Uranus---The Awakener; Neptune---Intuition; Pluto---Transformation

Signs: Aries---Activity (I am); Taurus---Stability (I Have); Gemini Versatility (I Think); Cancer---Devotion (I Feel); Leo---Magnetism (I Will); Virgo---Practicality (I Analyze); Libra: Harmony (I Balance); Scorpio---Intensity (I Desire); Sagittarius---Visualization (I Understand); Capricorn---Ambition (I Use); Aquarius---Imagination (I Know); Pisces---Understanding (I Believe)

Houses: First---Identity; Second---Values; Third---Awareness; Fourth---Security; Fifth---Creativity; Sixth---Duty; Seventh---Cooperation; Eighth---Regeneration; Ninth---Aspiration; Tenth---Honor; Eleventh---Social Consciousness; Twelfth---Subconscious

Aspects: Conjunction---Emphasis; Square---Challenge; Opposition---Perception; Trine---Harmony; Inconjunct---Adaptation; Sextile---Opportunity; Semi-Sextile---Support

Using the keywords, the student astrologer looks at a chart, pulls out various bits, and converts them into sentences.  

For instance, I have my Mercury in my second house. Taking the keywords for Mercury and the second house, “Reasoning Powers” and “Values,” one could say, “The subject uses reason and logic as the basis of their values.” One can modify this with other known factors. For instance, with the second house’s cusp being located in the sign of Cancer, one can expand the statement to include emotions and devotion: “The subject feels strongly about using reason and logic as the basis of one’s values.” Toss in the aspects with other planets, Mercury being square with both the Moon and Neptune in Scorpio (both in the fifth house) and one could end up with a statement along the lines of “The subject’s use of logic as the basis of their moral values conflicts with their creativity which is based on their emotions and intuition.” I will let my friends decide how true that statement is.