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Within Orb

Within Orb

Written by: CAELi Institute
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 WITHIN ORB: A podcast featuring interviews with astrologers about the books that changed their lives and practice. Join host Dr Jenn Zahrt every Monday for a new conversation. Each (roughly) thirty minute episode takes you on a journey across the textual territories of astrological publishing, both historical and future. Along the way, you’ll gather insights into the shifting sands of astrological trends, techniques, and the proliferation of practices and praxis. Each episode ends with the guest’s recommendations of books for beginners. Be careful, your tsundoku pile is about to double, or even quadruple!© 2025 Celestial Arts Education Library Institute. All rights reserved. Art Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 112 | Narayana Montúfar: Holistic Celestial Empowerment

    112 | Narayana Montúfar: Holistic Celestial Empowerment
    Dec 8 2025
    Astrologer and author Narayana Montúfar joins host Jenn Zahrt from the San Francisco Bay Area! Jenn and Narayana chat books (including a new pick!) and more, including: a gem of a response to someone saying they “don’t believe in astrology”; Egyptian culture and cosmology; and interpreting the reversal of the Lunar Nodes. Plus: feeling seen as a Scorpio, the union of feminine and masculine, and stories of the progressed Moon! Narayana Montúfar joins Episode 112 of Within Orb! Visit CAELi’s Within Orb on our new Patreon page! Learn more about the CAELi Institute and check out their latest lab offerings. Visit our bookshop.org page to support CAELi and purchase books mentioned on the show! Become a CAELi member or renew your membership! Love the show? Support our work with a financial contribution or book donation. Follow CAELi on FB, IG, YouTube, and Bluesky. Transcripts available upon request. Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band. ***** Episode timestamps (conversation recorded November 2025): 00:51 – Narayana Montúfar is a Mexican-born, California-based astrologer, writer, and akashic reader who finds inspiration in the symbolic language of the cosmos. She is the author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power and Written in Your Stars: Use Your Saturn Return, Your Pluto Square, and Other Planetary Cycles to Become Your Best Self. Between 2011 and 2023, Narayana was Managing Editor and Senior Astrologer for Astrology.com and Horoscope.com. She now serves as the in-house astrologer for House of Intuition. She's a guest writer for Women's Health, Cosmopolitan, Well + Good, Refinery29, and Parade and has been featured in Vogue, Teen Vogue, PopSugar, Bustle, Brit + Co, The Zoe Report, and more. She was featured as one of Medium.com's Authority Magazine 2020's Strong Female Leaders, Destig Magazine's Top Artists to Collect in 2020, and one of Vogue's 13 Astrologers to Follow in 2021. In her private astrology practice, Narayana's holistic approach seeks to create a positive impact by connecting each client to the uniqueness of their chart and illuminate their path towards the ultimate state of self-empowerment and self-discovery. In her artistic process, she is inspired by the richness of the cosmos as she channels the vibe of what is happening in the sky at certain times in the form of colorful palettes, shapes, and textures. 01:21 – Narayana doesn’t remember the title of the very first astrology book she ever read (it was about Scorpio), but the first memorable one was Planets in Therapy: Predictive Technique and the Art of Counseling by Greg Bogart. 08:17 – If Narayana could bring only three books to a deserted island, her first pick would be Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View by Richard Tarnas. 11:20 – Narayana’s second choice would be Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt by John Anthony West. 16:53 – The third title Narayana would bring is The Lunar Nodes: Your Key to Excellent Chart Interpretation by Judith Hill. 21:32 – For beginners, Narayana recommends Horoscope Symbols by Robert Hand. 23:20 – Interlude: Join the CAELi Support Drive and for only $35, you can enjoy your morning beverage out of a gorgeous CAELi mug! 24:07 – Narayana chats about her book Moon Signs – which is also for beginners! 31:20 – Find Narayana at: https://www.naramon.com/. Her handle on Instagram and Threads is @narayanamontufar, and on YouTube it’s @narayanamontufar1111. 34:51 – Thanks for listening to Within Orb! If you love the show, please help support it at no cost to you: Follow or subscribe wherever you listen, rate it five stars, or write a happy review! And if you’d like to become a CAELi member or support our work with a contribution of any amount, we’d be delighted – thanks! Show notes and production by Jen Braun of JJ Boots Productions LLC.
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    35 mins
  • 111 | Rick Levine: An Asteroid Belt of Books

    111 | Rick Levine: An Asteroid Belt of Books
    Dec 1 2025
    Astrologer, scholar, and author Rick Levine joins host Jenn Zahrt while visiting the United Kingdom (and en route to India)! This fast-paced episode breaks the mold and is packed with both astrology and non-astrology books for everyone. Jenn and Rick tackle a lot of ground, including: how Rick came to write a daily astrology column back in the day; the value of reading beyond astrology; and the title you didn’t know every Capricorn needs. All that, plus: C. G. Jung and the four elements, the thing Jackson Pollock and Bob Dylan have in common, and… what do you call a group of astrologers? Rick Levine joins Episode 111 of Within Orb! Visit CAELi’s Within Orb on our new Patreon page! Learn more about the CAELi Institute and check out their latest lab offerings. Visit our bookshop.org page to support CAELi and purchase books mentioned on the show! Become a CAELi member or renew your membership! Love the show? Support our work with a financial contribution or book donation. Follow CAELi on FB, IG, YouTube, and Bluesky. Transcripts available upon request. Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band. ***** Episode timestamps (conversation recorded November 2025): 00:12 – Rick Levine is a world-renowned astrologer, scholar, and author. As a Founding Trustee of Kepler College, he continues to be a widely respected voice in the global astrology community, giving professional talks and seminars around the world and in the USA. He has a special gift for bridging gaps between astrology and spirituality, science and religion, the head and the heart. Every month, tens of thousands of astrology students from around the world view his teachings on YouTube. For nearly 20 years, Rick authored Tarot.com’s authentic daily horoscopes published on Yahoo, AOL, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, and many other sites. Find Rick at: https://www.ricklevineastrologer.com/. He’s also @ricklevineastrologer on Facebook and Instagram, and @ricklevine on YouTube. You can find his Patreon here. 00:39 – As a teen, the very first astrology book that Rick ever read was My World of Astrology by Sydney Omarr. Next came Sun Signs by Linda Goodman. But the first “real” astrology book Rick read – and the one that changed his life – was The Astrology of Personality: A Re-Formulation of Astrological Concepts and Ideals, in Terms of Contemporary Psychology and Philosophy by Dane Rudhyar. Look out for a special lab on this seminal Rudhyar book hosted by Lars Panaro on CAELi’s virtual campus! 07:33 – If Rick could bring only three books to a deserted island, his first pick would be Astrophysical Directions by Michael Erlewine. (But for decades, Rick would have taken Planets in Transit by Robert Hand.) 10:05 – Rick’s second choice would be the I Ching. (Or maybe Finnegans Wake by James Joyce, along with the companion A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake by Joseph Campbell and Henry Morton Robinson.) 12:38 – Will Rick ever write his book Quantum Astrology? We hope so! But for now, the third title Rick would bring is probably a poetry book. 14:14 – Interlude: Join the CAELi Support Drive and for only $35, you can enjoy your morning beverage out of a gorgeous CAELi mug! 15:00 – The non-astrology books that changed Rick‘s life are many and include the work of Isaac Asimov. Other important books are: The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra, Arthur Young’s The Reflexive Universe: Evolution of Consciousness and The Geometry of Meaning, and Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking by Buckminster Fuller in collaboration with E.J. Applewhite. Rick also mentions that the best book on Pluto is The Dream and the Underworld by James Hillman, and the best one on Chiron is The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden by Robert Johnson. And last but not least, Rick cites Jitterbug Perfume and Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. 19:09 – For beginners, Rick recommends Taking the Quantum Leap by Fred Alan Wolf, The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life by Steven Forrest, Astrology For Yourself by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch, Astrology by Ronald Davison, and Grant Lewi’s Astrology for the Millions and Your Greatest Strength. 26:03 – Thanks for listening to Within Orb! If you love the show, please help support it at no cost to you: Follow or subscribe wherever you listen, rate it five stars, or write a happy review! And if you’d like to become a CAELi member or support our work with a contribution of any amount, we’d be delighted – thanks! Show notes and production by Jen Braun of JJ Boots Productions LLC.
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    27 mins
  • 110 | Chloe Margherita: Bridging the Plants & Stars

    110 | Chloe Margherita: Bridging the Plants & Stars
    Nov 24 2025

    Astrologer and writer Chloe Margherita joins host Jenn Zahrt from Portland, Oregon! Tune in for a fun-filled and info-packed episode that covers: fixed stars; subdivisions of the zodiac; considering Saturn; and the magical properties of plants. Plus: Vesta, a wealth of correspondences, and beauty in translation!

    Chloe Margherita joins Episode 110 of Within Orb!

    Visit CAELi’s Within Orb on our new Patreon page!

    Learn more about the CAELi Institute and check out their latest lab offerings.

    Visit our bookshop.org page to support CAELi and purchase books mentioned on the show!

    Become a CAELi member or renew your membership!

    Love the show? Support our work with a financial contribution or book donation.

    Follow CAELi on FB, IG, YouTube, and Bluesky.

    Transcripts available upon request.

    Song “Wake Up” used with permission by The E-Block Band.

    *****

    Episode timestamps (conversation recorded November 2025):

    00:12 – Chloe Margherita is a writer, astrologer and spiritual practitioner in Portland, Oregon. Her work focuses on bringing the heavens down to earth using art, the decans, the fixed stars, herbalism and ritual practice.

    01:24 – The very first astrology book that Chloe ever read was The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest.

    02:42 – If Chloe could bring only three books to a deserted island, her first pick would be Astronomica by Marcus Manilius. (And dive into Episode 2, Sasha Ravitch: Fixed Stars & the Cosmological Wheel Beyond Saturn!)

    07:20 – Chloe’s second choice would be Mathesis by Julius Firmicus Maternus.

    15:15 – Interlude: Join the CAELi Support Drive and for only $35, you can enjoy your morning beverage out of a gorgeous CAELi mug!

    16:01 – The third title Chloe would bring is The Green Mysteries: An Occult Herbarium by Daniel Schulke. You can read this hard-to-find book at CAELi!

    21:28 – For beginners, Chloe recommends On the Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar and Luis Campos Ribeiro, Brady's Book of Fixed Stars by Bernadette Brady, and You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas. (And visit the new CAELi Patreon page!)

    25:40 – Find Chloe at: https://chloe-margherita.com/. Her Substack newsletter is here, and on Instagram she’s @desired_constellations.

    26:41 – Thanks for listening to Within Orb! If you love the show, please help support it at no cost to you: Follow or subscribe wherever you listen, rate it five stars, or write a happy review! And if you’d like to become a CAELi member or support our work with a contribution of any amount, we’d be delighted – thanks!

    Show notes and production by Jen Braun of JJ Boots Productions LLC.
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
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