--- title: "Deep Dive into Traditional Astrology: An Interview with Jaime Paul Lamb" url: https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/post/deep-dive-into-traditional-astrology-an-interview-with-jaime-paul-lamb/ date: 2024-12-21 modified: 2026-07-03 lang: en author: "Perseus Arcane Academy" description: "Introduction Jaime Paul Lamb is a dedicated scholar and practitioner within the field of astrology, particularly known for his focus on traditional methods. In this interview, we explore his journey..." categories: - "Astrology" - "Interviews" tags: - "angels" - "Astrology" - "Ceremonial Magic" - "demons" image: https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JPL2-by-Stephanie-Lamb-2019-1-759x1024.jpg word_count: 2118 --- # Deep Dive into Traditional Astrology: An Interview with Jaime Paul Lamb ## Introduction Jaime Paul Lamb is a dedicated scholar and practitioner within the field of astrology, particularly known for his focus on traditional methods. In this interview, we explore his journey into astrology, his unique cosmological perspective, and his considered approach to chart interpretation. He shares his insights on Hellenistic astrology, his concept of an "Enchanted Tychonic Georeferential" cosmos, and the importance of the "personal daimon" in his practice. We also discuss the ideas that form the basis of his forthcoming book, which explores the intersection of astrology, Qabalistic magic, and Solomonic demonology. Huge thanks to Jaime for taking the time to answer these questions. If you enjoy this post, then please let us know in the comments and consider sharing it with others. --- ## Interview ![](https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JPL2-by-Stephanie-Lamb-2019-759x1024.jpg) ### Background and Philosophy of Astrology **PAA: Can you share your journey into astrology? What initially drew you to this field?** After having studied the Western esoteric traditions for some time, it dawned on me that astrology was at the root of everything. There’s no effective Solomonic operation, for example, that isn’t made possible without a suitable election. Also, in spagyric alchemy, the herbs are largely chosen for their planetary correspondences and harvested at relatively auspicious moments. It became apparent to me that astrology, being a study of meaningful time, is fundamental to Western occultism – theoretically and practically. So, a number of years ago, I decided to specialize, as most occultists do at some point. I started with modern, psychological astrology – Rudhyar, Hamaker-Zondag, etc. – and took the *American Federation of Astrologers* (AFA) course, mostly because they’re located near me in Arizona. But I have sort of a compulsion to start at the beginning of things, so I registered for Chris Brennan’s seminal course on Hellenistic astrology. From there, I tried to work forward chronologically, studying Ben Dyke’s translations of the medieval, Perso-Arabic astrologers, then I started studying Renaissance astrology with Chris Warnock – particularly, the horary astrology of William Lilly. I tend to practice traditional, pre-Enlightenment astrology, but I still value the psychological perspective in limited contexts. **PAA: In your article "Developing an Astrological Worldview," you discuss the importance of having a coherent cosmology. How do you define your current cosmological perspective?** Having a conception of the cosmos is integral to a serious study of astrology. You should be able to visualize the mechanism and to imagine it in motion. Obviously, before the Copernican Revolution, most people thought of the Earth as a stationary sphere that sat in the middle of the cosmos. The seven planetary spheres enveloped the Earth, like Russian nesting dolls. And the eighth sphere – the sphere of the fixed stars and the zodiac – surrounded everything. This is the Ptolemaic model, which is geocentric. There was a variation on this model that I really like called the Tychonic model, after the Danish Renaissance astronomer/astrologer, Tycho Brahe. His is basically the Ptolemaic model except he has the spheres of Venus and Mercury enveloping that of the Sun, which accounts for retrogradation, etc. When the heliocentric model took hold, it was a nail in the coffin of astrology. This was a major displacement that affected everything, including philosophy. I tend to think of the cosmos as being *georeferential*, not geocentric or heliocentric, per se. That is to say that the Earth is the locus of human consciousness – it is the vantage point from which human beings experience the cosmos. I think that’s pretty clear. So, my personal cosmology is what you might call *Enchanted Tychonic Georeferentialism*. I’ll break that down a bit. It is *Enchanted* because it retains the numinous and magical, the qualitative as well as the quantitative. It is *Tychonic* because that makes sense mechanically, regarding Venus and Mercury, and we give props to Tycho. And, lastly, it is *Georeferential* because I think of the Earth as the center. It’s simple: imagine viewing our solar system from celestial north. You’re looking down at all the planets revolving around the Sun. Now, take the pin out of the Sun and stick it in the Earth, making her the stationary object. All other movements stay exactly the same. That is the georeferential cosmos and it supports and astrological worldview without being contradictory to the modern astronomical evidence. ### Current Work and Approach **PAA: Your forthcoming book, *The Astrological Goetia: The 72 Keys to Angelic and Demonic Astrology* (Inner Traditions, August 12th, 2025), blends astrology with Qabalistic magic and Solomonic demons. What inspired you to explore this intersection?** I had already been involved in Rosicrucianism (SRICF) and the Golden Dawn Tradition (HSGD) for some time before I started to get serious about astrology. I was dabbling – a little irresponsibly, looking back – in the angels of the Shen HaMephorash and the Goetic demons. I knew that 72 was a sexagesimal number, lending itself to astrology, and I learned that each of the angels and demons were associated with a 5° arc-segment of the ecliptic called a *quinary *(360° ÷ 5 = 72). As I began to study astrology in earnest, it dawned on me that each of someone’s natal placements, for example, were under the rulership of a quinarian pair – an angel and a demon. So, a person’s natal Mars, for example, might be in 26° Capricorn. That’s the 60th quinary, which is ruled by the angel Mizrael and the demon Vapula. We read in the *Sepher Raziel HaMalakh* that Mizrael works against persecution and in the *Ars Goetia* that Vapula aids in crafts and professions. We then consider how these significations might color or affect the native’s natal Mars. Obviously, there are many ways to delineate that placement, but I think that illustrates the point. Now, would you believe that no one had ever done that before? Or, if they did, they left no record of the practice. I knew II had to write a book on it. When I pitched it to Inner Traditions, the Acquisitions Editor said, “I can’t believe this isn’t a book already.” It was one of those lucky finds; you get one or two of those in a lifetime. > Traditional astrology is intellectually and philosophically rigorous. And that’s just the beginning. Classically, astrology was in the hands of some of the greatest polymaths in history – for good reason.  > > Jaime Paul Lamb ### Experiences and Connections to Other Disciplines **PAA: How has your training in Hellenistic astrology shaped your current approach to chart interpretation?** Some modern astrological camps, like the AFA, teach a method sometimes called the *12-letter Alphabet*. It’s an extreme example of the late-20th century, over-simplification of the art. According to this method Mars = Aries = the 1st house; Venus = Taurus = the 2nd house; etc. So, the significations of Mars, Aries and the 1st house are blurred and essentially thought of as interchangeable, which is a preposterous notion. Anyway, that is the way a lot of people are introduced to astrology – myself included. It wasn’t until I started studying Hellenistic and other forms of traditional astrology that the depth and scope of the art began to reveal itself. In short, the seven visible planets each have their own archetypal complexes; the signs act almost as adjectives to the planets’ nouns, modifying planetary significations; the houses are the terrestrial domains of human activity, wherein the zodiacally-conditioned planetary significations play out in the life of the native; and the aspects are the dialogic communication between the planets. If that sounds complicated, then you’re understanding correctly. Traditional astrology is intellectually and philosophically rigorous. And that’s just the beginning. Classically, astrology was in the hands of some of the greatest polymaths in history – for good reason.  ### Self-Development and Personal Growth 16. How has studying astrology impacted your personal development and understanding of yourself? There’s a Platonic element to astrology that is informed by a section of Book X of the *Republic* called the “Myth of Er.” It is further developed by the Neoplatonists of late antiquity and involves the preincarnate human soul’s descent through the seven planetary spheres, at each of which the soul takes on planetary accretions corresponding to the significations of the planets. The nativity, being a snapshot of the cosmos at the moment of the soul’s incarnation in the sublunary sphere, acts as what I’ve been calling a *schematic of character*. Depending on the condition of each of the planets at the moment of incarnation, the native is endowed with attributes and characteristics. For example, if Saturn were in good condition in the chart, the native may acquire positive Saturnian significations such as discipline and prudence. If Saturn were in middling condition, the soul would acquire neutral qualities such as structure and circumscription. And if Saturn were in poor condition, the soul would take on negative Saturnian characteristics such as melancholia and isolation. This happens at each of the seven spheres. Consequently, the natal chart tells us the qualitative composition of the native. I have found this to be perhaps the single most valuable astrological insight. People tend to act within the confines of their character in any given situation and, if we could glean that from a nativity, then we can draw inferences that enable the astrologer not only to make predictions but also to inform us as to what sort of mitigation and remediation is necessary, to “balance” the personality. The chart, as a schematic of character, reveals to us the native’s “inventory” and provides us an opportunity for personal development. This has been the basis of my personal astro-theurgical program.  ### Future Plans and Aspirations **PAA: Looking ahead, what innovations or changes do you foresee in the field of astrology over the next decade? ** I definitely see people moving towards a more rigorous, traditional astrology. The age of over simplified Sun sign astrology is rapidly coming to a close. Thanks to translators like Ben Dykes and John Michael Greer, projects like ARHAT and Project Hindsight, critical editions of ancient texts are being rendered in modern languages, making them accessible to today’s astrological community. Consequently, ancient astrological techniques are being reconstructed all the time. We reclaim more and more of the ancient tradition every year it seems. It’s counter to our understanding of progress that systems like astrology would actually become less complex and nuanced over time but, until recently, that’s been the case. My hope is that we restore astrology to its pre-Enlightenment glory while maintaining the best features of the modern, psychologized astrology we’ve inherited from the 19th & 20th century, New Age Theosophical astrologers, like Dane Rudhyar. **PAA: Are there any particular themes or questions that you feel are currently underexplored within the astrological community that you would like to address in your future work?** I have worked on this pretty extensively over the past several years but, in the near future, I intend to do more work around the concept of the “personal daimon,” which can be calculated from the natal chart. This entity acts as a personal *mystagogue* (“expounder of Mysteries”) and *psychopomp* (“guide of the soul”). And it is through the theurgic intercession of this entity that the soul may be purified and relieved of its vices and passions. This, according to the late-Platonist Macrobius’ *Commentary of Scipio’s Dream*, could lead to a phenomenon known as the *Philosophical Death*, whereby the soul is able to rise through the planetary spheres to a henostic union with “the One” without tasting physical death. I feel that this may have been the lost central project of ancient astrology – at least in the Hermetic and Neoplatonic iterations of the art. This doctrine has yet to be sufficiently recovered but I’m working on piecing it back together. **PAA: If you could impart one piece of wisdom from your extensive study of astrology to future generations of astrologers, what would it be?** At the risk of sounding overly technical, I would say to experiment with focusing on the seven visible planets in natal astrology. The outer planets move so slowly that they really only matter in a mundane context. People get so freaked out about their natal Pluto placement, for example. The influences of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (as well as other dwarf planets and asteroids) are negligible in a nativity. You’ve got bigger fish to fry, as they say, in terms of the seven classical planets. I could understand if we’re talking about transits in super tight aspect but, otherwise, the visible planets should tell you everything you need to know in a natal chart. **PAA: This has been a wonderful dive into the depth of astrology. Thank you very much for your time in answering our questions.** --- ## Further Information ##### Jaime Paul Lamb Website [![](https://staging13.perseusarcaneacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/9798888501337.jpg)](https://www.innertraditions.com/the-astrological-goetia) ##### The Astrological Goetia: The 72 Keys to Angelic and Demonic Astrology ---