Interview to Anastasia Diakidi
Vasilios Takos is the representative of the STA (School of Traditional Astrology) in Greece. On the occasion of the registration for the new course, we spoke with Vasilios Takos to get to know both him and the aspects of this ancient yet fascinating science.
A.D. Mr. Takos, my dear teacher, thank you very much for being here for this interview and we will allow others to learn how beautiful astrology and especially your teaching is through STA. First of all, I would like you to tell me a few words about yourself, your studies and how you came to teach astrology.
V.T Thank you for the opportunity to talk about astrology through your interview. Some of the books I read as a child stated that astrology is the one that chooses us and we do not choose it, which I now understand to be absolutely correct. The professions we choose to pursue are an outgrowth of our psyche, our talents, our outlook on life. So while when I was very young it seemed as if I was randomly placed in front of a pile of astrology books, from which I seemed to have chosen one of them by chance; today I realize that this did not really happen by pure chance. So it was at the age of almost 12 that I first came into contact with astrology and I remember being particularly fascinated by drawing up a horoscope by hand, as computers and, much more so, astrological software was not widespread at all. I remember to this day my anticipation of waiting for foreign language astrology books to arrive by mail (as Greek astrology books were scarce on the market) which I ordered through a catalogue when I could afford to spend money from my pocket money. I always had my doubts about astrology and each time I would look for those elements in the various books that would turn me away from it, even though the exact opposite was happening. At a time when I felt like everything was falling apart around me, it was astrology that was able to provide incredibly targeted answers to what I was experiencing. It was the moment when I felt that I wanted to do some studies, without thinking at the time about any later career development, of course.
So I started a course with the wonderful teacher and man Noel Tyl, who helped me to put in order the information I had gathered from the literature I had collected up to that point. It was only a matter of time before I wanted to delve further into astrology and so I turned to Hellenistic Astrology and ancient writers such as Ptolemy, Dorotheus, Hephaestion, Theophilus, Paul, as well as Persian and Arab astrologers, as I was fascinated by the tradition. I thus considered that studying with Chris Brennan would add more information. I felt, however, that there was one piece missing that would help me to be able to describe in detail various situations and that was none other than Horary Astrology, which I learned about through the STA school. Then I turned to Medical Astrology through the same school and at some point I accepted the offer to represent the school in Greece, which I did with pleasure and so I started teaching.
A.D. What a journey! Tell us a few words about Horary astrology. What is it and what questions can one answer?
V.T. Horary is a branch of astrology that deals exclusively with questions that we or our clients may have that can be answered, not by using our natal chart, but by drawing a new chart at the moment of the question and paradoxically this chart aptly reflects the question that the client has in mind. In essence, there is a unique synchronization of the person with the planetary setting and this is captured in the horary chart in an incredibly accurate way. Thus, a Horary chart can answer all kinds of questions, unless the astrologer chooses to exclude some questions due to their sensitive nature. Horary astrology can answer with great accuracy questions about relationships, business issues, investment or financial matters, legal or communication disputes, pregnancy, illness, sales or property purchases, even finding lost items, and much much more. As you can understand, horary astrology can answer all questions in great detail, something that the natal chart is unable to do.
A.D. What is the difference between traditional astrology and modern astrology? What are the points where you found the modern one lacking and turned to the traditional one?
V.T. Both modern and traditional astrology offers valuable insight. Each approach is different and fully respected. Modern astrology has a person-centered approach and treats man as a psychological entity. Through this perspective, it tries to approach man's life as a set of events that have a cause, originating from man or his environment and consequently have the corresponding effects on him. Therefore, he is particularly concerned with the effects of events under a psychological prism, which is extremely interesting. Traditional astrology, on the other hand, treats events as a predetermined course through time, which is difficult to deviate from and its approach has to do purely with everyday life and a more realistic model of approaching events. The major difference between these two models of astrology lies mainly in the fact that modern looks and is a more generalized and abstract approach towards one's life, while traditional is highly targeted with tangible details.
A.D. The ancient Greeks said that "the stars indicate but do not determine". What is your opinion? Do you see astrology as a predictive tool that foreshadows events that will happen or as a fatalistic system that leaves no room for free will?
V.T. Also, Heraclitus said that "εστίν ειμαρμένα πάντα", i.e. that everything is "written" and many other ancients held the same view. My position is somewhere in the middle and I will explain immediately what I mean by that. Horary astrology is an excellent selection tool, which means that it offers us or our clients the opportunity to make better choices. Automatically this means that free will exists, is active and they can follow or reject any astrological advice. The natal chart on the other hand is a compass, which indicates the path that a person will follow, no matter what, as if their path is predetermined. Is man's free will crushed by this? How many times have we seen in a chart that a person's potential is not being realized, but is bound by his past as if something is preventing him from evolving and taking advantage of the opportunities given to him? Sadly, I conclude, our charts indicate the tangle that unfolds through time without our being able to determine its path, and there are few moments when we can overcome ourselves and make the most of our horoscope's potential.
A.D. Studying with you and knowing a little more about ancient literature, I see that the ancients had a more fatalistic model in astrology than we have today, that have based our view of astrology on psychoanalytic theory, on both Freud's and Jung's archetypes. You who have studied more ancient literature, how do you perceive the ancients' idea of astrology?
V.T Indeed, what you have just posed is valid. The ancients understood things through the prism that "destiny is impossible to escape", which of course is a fatalistic model. Things for them are a given and cannot be changed in the sense in which they are treated today by modern astrology. Let us not forget that the ancients through astrology also dealt with the quality of a person's soul and it is not the current prerogative of modern astrology alone, and believe me, their approach was extremely apt. In fact, it is shocking when reading their writings to realize the accuracy in interpreting all these astrological readings in horoscopes. Why didn't the models of this approach prevail? Along the way, some were falsified by astrologers' mistakes and by their misguided attempts to understand certain systems. Other models were attempted to be simplified because of their complexity and others were not given the necessary attention, with the result that many texts have not been translated and have remained in obscurity for a long time. However, it is worth remembering that there can be no astrological "today" if we do not rely on tradition.
A.D. Tell us a little bit about the teaching departments of STA, where you are the representative in Greece. And what is included in the curriculum more or less?
V.T. The professional-level horary astrology courses from the STA school are held twice a year and each course has a duration of 5 months, that is a total of 20 weekly courses. Through these courses, one can learn horary astrology either for personal use or for professional purposes. These horary astrology courses prepare the student for all other levels of astrology, such as natal, electional, medical, or mundane astrology, as they aim not only to fully understand and practice horary astrology with ease but also to gain a deep understanding of astrology in general by coming into contact with the tradition. Through these courses, the student will be able to answer with ease all the questions that he or she may receive from a client or that are of concern to the individual. In addition to being taught the necessary astrological theory, the student will be taught questions about relationships, career, finances, sales, investments, illness, children, entertainment, travel, studies, and anything else that concerns a person daily.
A.D. What's in your plans for the coming year?
V.T. In my plans for next year is to start a new course in natal astrology, the next level after the horary course, so that the student can expand their astrological knowledge and be taught successful prediction systems for a methodical and successful session with their clients.
A.D. In closing, I would like your advice for the aspiring student of astrology. What steps would you advise one to follow and what should one avoid, in your opinion?
V.T. What I would suggest to a student of astrology would be to start with horary astrology and not with natal astrology, a mistake most of us have made. Horary astrology is the lowest level of astrology and comes right after the basic knowledge a student should have about the planetary system. Horary astrology is the discipline that will lay a strong foundation for the student and help them to have a fast and successful journey in the journey of astrology. All subsequent degrees thereafter, such as natal, electional, and mundane, will be easier and the understanding of their principles will be deeper and more effective.
A.D Thank you very much. I hope all goes well with your plans and you have a wonderful year. I thank you for the interesting interview and I wish you every success in all your endeavours!
Since February 2020, Vasilios Takos is the official representative of the STA (School of Traditional Astrology) in Greece, where, in exclusive collaboration with the school, he teaches the STA horary astrology courses in Greek and English.
He is a certified astrologer of the following schools of astrology:
Master's Degree Certification Course by Noel Tyl
Hellenistic Astrology by Chris Brennan
Horary Practitioner STA School by Deborah Houlding
Medical Practitioner STA School by Lee Lehman
And specializes in:
Natal Astrology, Horary Astrology, Psychological Astrology, Traditional Astrology, Selective Astrology, Synastry, Hellenistic Astrology and Medical Astrology.
Vasilios Takos can be found on his website vasiliostakos.gr and on Vasilios Takos - Courses in Horary Astrology | Facebook
For registration and more information see the website
The interview was published in Imaginarium Magazine 11, Decemeber '21
For more check www.imaginariumworld.co.uk/about-6-10
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