Gary Christen

Vocation

Traits

American Uranian astrologer and President of Astrolabe. Gary is a former programmer and designer of software and graphics, pro from 1969. He received a degree in astrology from Livingston College, Rutgers University. Entering the field in 1968, he did his first professional reading in 1969 and has been teaching since 1971 and lecturing since 1972. He worked for the NY Astrology Center as a volunteer in 1969 and 1971-1973 and as a paid employee 1973-1975. His credits include editing "The Key to Uranian Astrology", 1974-1976 and founding "GeocosmicNews" with Pat White for NCGR. From 1974-’79, he was President of the New Jersey chapter of NCGR and served on the faculty of the Astrological Society of Princeton. He was on the National Board of NCGR in the early President's Counsel. From 1976, he worked as a full-time corporate astrologer for Red Rooster Steel Corp for two years. He founded Astro-Graphics Services, Inc. with Rob Hand, Steve Blake and Pat White in 1978 (with Arthur Blackwell to follow in 1980) and incorporated in 1981. Gary served as President of the Cape Cod NCGR, for two years in the mid-'80s. He incorporated Astrolabe in 1987 serving as Treasurer until 2001, when he was elected President. He has served as CEO since 1989 for Astrolabe and was elected to the National Board of NCGR in 2001. Gary was the second of two boys born to a truck driver and seamstress. As a baby of age 1 1⁄2, he had a hernia. Raised in West New York, NJ, he attended School of Visual Arts in NYC from 1968-1969 and Rutgers University's Livingston College from 1970 to 1974. He worked since age 16 in a variety of jobs from stock boy to postal employee, being employed by the Town of West New York Parks Department for three years during college (full-time) while also working part time for the NY Astrology Center in a work study program and attending classes, drawing on the energy of youth and passion. Gary used his experience in park maintenance working for a tree surgeon from 1975-1976. Astrology came early to Gary. At age 17 while attending School of Visual Arts, one of his professors introduced him to a higher form of astrology and sent him to the NY Astrology Center to learn the field. Immediately surrounded by long-time professional astrologers (from Charles Jayne to Hans Niggemann and everyone in-between), where his destiny was set in place. Everyone associated with the NY Astrology Center went on to contribute great things to astrology. For instance, Rob Hand and Gary stocked books in 1972, both working for Henry Weingarten. That friendship led to Astro-Graphics Services six years later, starting a professional partnership that lasted close to another 20 years. Most of Gary's employment has been in the production end of astrology, editing, creating tools, graphic design, publishing, in short, producing materials and tools for his professional peers. Gary moved from New Jersey to Cape Cod, MA in December of 1979 to formally join with Rob Hand and Pat White in founding Astro-Graphics and has lived on "the Cape" ever since. Gary fathered Renata Christen in 1987. Her mother, Barbara Morgan (Winkler), was the organizer for the "Cycles & Symbols" series of conferences held in the San Francisco area for many years and owns ISIS Institute, the commercial entity that runs conferences and distributes tapes and other high level astrological materials to encourage cross-fertilization between astrology and other philosophical disciplines. Gary married Ann Piccolomini in 1991 and fathered two more girls, Miranda and Regina. Gary is recognized as a brilliant astrologer as well as an outstandingly sharp and entertaining teacher. One of the pioneers in the 20th century efforts of astrologers to gain academic recognition, Gary observed that his astrology degree was the first undergraduate degree in astrology awarded in modern times from an accredited university. (The formal title is "Foundations of Astrology". He also received a degree in graphic arts.) He noted that "There have been many post-graduate degrees in areas associated with astrology in the late 20th century. Getting a post-graduate paper in an astrological subject was no big deal. Bringing astrology back into the undergraduate core college curriculum had not been seen again until Kepler College. Dr. Kenneth Negus (German professor at the time at Rutgers) was my central sponsor and my independent studies were conducted at the NASO School of astrology in the NY Astrology Center. Six months after his degree was awarded, Jeff Jawer got one from U Mass in Amherst in history of astrology. Shortly after, Shelly Jordan (Madison, WI) got one from a catholic college in Colorado and Nikkei Michaels got one from Antioch." He notes that "There is no retirement in astrology. It is one of the few fields where age, wisdom and experience are honored."