the pinball approach

The Pinball Approach to Astrology Workshop

Anne C. Ortelee

Friday, May 28, 2021, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm PDT

Become the Pinball Wizard of Your Chart and Life!

About the Pinball Technique

• Developed by me. Book in progress!

• This system approaches a natal chart by looking at the flow of the energy as a holistic system.

• A combination Horary, Uranian, Jyotish Vedic and Western astrological techniques plus my computer programming background

• A holistic approach, which considers each transit as part of an overall process or “pinball game”

• Easy to learn, teach, integrate and understand.

Solar Arcs

• Solar Arcs are the movement of the Sun added to every planet.

• Assume a consistent movement of the Sun (it is a bit faster in the winter and slower in the summer in the northern hemisphere).

• The Year is shown by Degree.

• The Month is calculated by dividing the minutes by 5.

Advantages of the Pinball Technique

• Describes how the natal energy forms a unique planet arrangement

• Guides you on how transits trigger the chart

• Works with our more difficult or challenging aspects in a clear and concise way

• Know when energy will peak, bottom or change

• Reach maximum natal potential by using the timing mechanism PROACTIVELY

• People get VERY EXCITED when they learn this, because they live it!!

How to Become a Pinball Wizard . . .

Advantages of Pinball Technique

• Defines what is experienced so you have an “ah ha” moment.

• Helps productively work with Energy breaks.

• Offers time intervals for planning/work flow.

• Encourages a holistic view of the life & chart.

• Teaches how to work with “difficult energies” or “challenging aspects” in a proactive manner.

Pinball Technique

• Describes how the natal energy forms a unique planet arrangement.

• Guides you on how transits trigger the chart.

• Works with more difficult or challenging aspects in a clear and concise way.

• Know when energy will peak, bottom or change.

• Reach maximum natal potential by using the timing mechanism PROACTIVELY.

• People get VERY EXCITED because they live it!!

Getting Started with Pinball Technique

• In this system, we consider the planets in their most basic role as ACTORS or ENERGY HUBS in a chart.

• Aspects between planets describe ENERGY FLOWS (both Ptolemaic and minor aspects)

• Planets are triggered in chronological order by transiting planets such as the Moon, Sun, Jupiter, etc.

• LACK of aspects, or large gaps, point out problem areas in the chart

• Transits come in as “pinballs” to stimulate the natal energy flow

• With an understanding of pinball technique, “breaks” in the energy flow become more manageable and easier to work with

The Planets as Characters in Your Story

• Moon: maternal energy, nurturing, the feminine, your mother

• Sun: paternal energy, ego structure, the masculine, your father

• Mercury: the thinking mind, young people, reading, news

• Venus: love, money, women, beauty, romantic love

• Mars: action, anger, men, leadership, sexual attraction

• Jupiter: the kindly teacher, excess, expansion, ease

• Saturn: the disciplined teacher, delay, frustration, work

The Planets as Characters in Your Story

• Uranus: things falling apart, chaos, breakthroughs, changes

• Neptune: lack of clarity, fog, deception, dream, lost things, spiritual love, the divine

• Pluto: the hardest thing, triangles, the underworld, power issues

Pinball Technique

• Transits move incrementally through a chart starting with 0 and ending at 30.

• Incrementally create one aspect after another as it moves from 0 to 30.

• Aspects: conjunctions, semi-sextiles, sextiles, squares, trines, inconjuncts, oppositions.

• If there ISN’T an aspect, it is an area where the games falters, ends or falls into the “trough” or bottom out.

• Where there is a long gap, you can learn to use that fallow period for other projects.

Pinball Technique

• Transits flow through the chart like a Pinball!

• Moon ~ 2 ½ days.

• Sun ~ 30 days.

• Mercury ~ 14 days.

• Venus ~ 25 days.

• Mars ~ 2 months.

• Jupiter ~ 1 years.

• Saturn ~ 2 ½ years.

Okay, Go!

• Start with the 0 Aries Point as the initiation of idea or new game of pinball

• Write the degree, planet, sign, aspect, and house

• Repeat for every planet, plus the Ascendant and Midheaven

• Move from lowest degree to highest degree

• Include asteroids as desired

DEGREE PLANET SIGN ASPECT DEGREE DIFFERENCE

HOUSE OF PLANET

0 Game begins 0 Cardinal Aries starts 0 7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 8:39 MC Gemini Sextile 8:39 MC

9 9:039:389:39

SaturnSunVenus

ScorpioAquariusAquarius

InconjunctSquareConjunct

0:240:350:01

355

10 10:26 ASC Virgo Inconjunct 0:47 1

11

12 12:32 Moon Sagittarius Square 2:06 4

13

14

15


HOUSE OF PLANET

16 16:37 Jupiter Gemini Opposition 4:05 10

17

18

19

20 20:1620:17

MercuryUranus

AquariusCancer

TrineInconjunct

4:390:01

611

21

22

23 23:5623:56

MarsNodes

ScorpioCap/Cancer

TrineSextile/Trine

3:390:00

35/11

24 24:08 Pluto Leo Incon/ssx 0:12 12

25

26 26:03 Neptune Libra Sextile 0:55 2

27

28

29

30

Timing with the Pinball Technique

• Pinball games can go fast or slow!

• The time interval will show up as seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years

• Use distance in the early stages of the game, to see the timing increment being used

• Once timing INTERVAL is established, one can easily play the game

• Encourages clients to use time (including fallow time) proactively

Getting Started with Pinball Technique

• Each transit moves incrementally, creating one aspect after another as it moves from 0 to 30 degrees

• Use both major and minor aspects: conjunctions, semi-sextiles, sextiles, squares, trines, inconjuncts, oppositions

• If there ISN’T an aspect, this is an area where the game falters, where the pinball can fall into the trough or bottom out

• Where there is a long gap, you can learn to use that fallow period for other projects

Transiting Planets in Astrology

• Transits describe the movement of planets around the Zodiac, which trigger aspects to the natal chart:

• Moon: travels around the Zodiac in 28 days, moving at a rate of about 1 degree every 3 hours, and never retrogrades

• Mercury: travels around the Zodiac in 15 days to 2 months, moving at a rate of about 1.5 degrees per day, and with retrogrades 3 to 4 times per year

• Venus: travels around the Zodiac in about 1 year, moving at a rate of about 1 degree per day, with retrogrades every 18 months for 6 weeks


• Sun: travels around the Zodiac in 1 year, moving at a rate of about 1 degree per day, and never retrogrades

• Mars: travels around the Zodiac in about 2 years, moving at a rate of about 0.5 degrees per day, and retrogrades every 26 months for 9 to 11 weeks

• Jupiter: travels around the Zodiac in 11.5 years, and retrogrades every year for about 4 months

• Saturn: travels around the Zodiac in about 29 to 30 years, and retrogrades every year for about 6 months


• Chiron: travels around the Zodiac in about 49 years, has an elliptical orbit so very irregular

• Uranus: travels around the Zodiac in about 84 years, moving at a rate of about 2 minutes per day, and can retrograde over a point for up to 2 years

• Neptune: travels around the Zodiac in about 165 years, moving at a rate of about 2 to 5 degrees per year, and can retrograde over a point for up to 2 years

• Pluto: travels around the Zodiac in about 248 years, has an elliptical orbit so very irregular – spends 30 years per cycle in Taurus, 13 in Scorpio – and can retrograde over a point for up to 8 years

Using Transits in the Pinball System

• Transiting planets “bounce” through the chart like a pinball, following the cycles we’re familiar with:

• Moon: travels from 0 to 30 degrees approximately every 2.5 days

• Sun: travels from 0 to 30 degrees approximately every 30 days

• Venus: travels from 0 to 30 degrees approximately every 25 days

• Mars: travels from 0 to 30 degrees approximately every 2 months

• Jupiter: travels from 0 to 30 degrees approximately every 1 year

• Saturn: travels from 0 to 30 degrees approximately every 2.5 years

The Hard Parts

• Impact by pushing the energy flow.• Move projects along in minutes or hours instead of

days, weeks or years.• Helps with Hard aspects as that is where people give

up.• Long stretches are explained and can be consciously

worked with. • Encouraged to anticipate and welcome the fallow

periods between non aspected or wide spaces between aspects.

• Think of the fallow periods as when bread rises. Go do other things.

Timing Pinball

• Pinball games can go fast or slow.

• Use distance in early stages to see the timing increment being used.

• The time interval will show up as seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years.

• Once timing INTERVAL is established one can easily play the game.

• Encourage clients to proactively push time.


HOUSE OF PLANET

0 Game begins 0 Cardinal Aries starts 0 7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 8:39 MC Gemini Sextile 8:39 MC

9 9:039:389:39

SaturnSunVenus

ScorpioAquariusAquarius

InconjunctSquareConjunct

0:240:350:01

355

10 10:26 ASC Virgo Inconjunct 0:47 1

11

12 12:32 Moon Sagittarius Square 2:06 4

13

14

15


HOUSE OF PLANET

16 16:37 Jupiter Gemini Opposition 4:05 10

17

18

19

20 20:1620:17

MercuryUranus

AquariusCancer

TrineInconjunct

4:390:01

611

21

22

23 23:5623:56

MarsNodes

ScorpioCap/Cancer

TrineSextile/Trine

3:390:00

35/11

24 24:08 Pluto Leo Incon/ssx 0:12 12

25

26 26:03 Neptune Libra Sextile 0:55 2

27

28

29

30

The Hard Parts: Tips and Techniques

• Hard aspects are where energy seems to get stuck or bounce back and forth

• Oppositions, squares, semi-sextiles, inconjuncts and sometimes conjunctions are sticky places

• Large gaps are difficult

• Teach malefics as markers and make sure to note the time of their departure

• Planets in detriment, retrograde or fall have trouble moving the energy

The Benefits of Playing Pinball

• “Hard stuff” impacts the chart by pushing the energy flow

• We can move projects along in minutes or hours instead of days, weeks or years

• This system helps with hard aspects as that is where people give up

• Long stretches of fallow time are explained and can be worked consciously with

• We’re encouraged to anticipate and welcome the fallow periods between non-aspected planets, or wide spaces between aspects.

• Think of the fallow periods as when bread rises: go do other things!

A Real Life Timing Example!

• Mayor Bloomberg and Congestion Pricing.

• Months

• From Wikipedia and Press Reports

• https://anneortelee.com/the-pinball-approach-to-understanding-your-natal-energy-flow/

https://anneortelee.com/the-pinball-approach-to-understanding-your-natal-energy-flow/

Degree Planet Sign Aspect DegDif

HousePlanet

0 0 Aries Aries trine 9

1

2

3

4 4:11 Pluto Leo Opp 4:11 1

5

6 6:58 Venus Aqu Sextile 2.47 7

7

8 8:44 MC Aries Sextile 1:46 10

9

10

Bloomberg Congestion Pricing

• A proposed traffic congestion fee for vehicles traveling into orwithin the Manhattan central business district of New YorkCity. Part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to improve thecity’s future environmental sustainability while planning forpopulation growth, entitled PlaNYC 2030: A Greener, GreaterNew York. It was announced on December 12, 2006.

• New York’s proposal cites comparable congestion pricingprograms in London, Singapore and Stockholm ~ the ideainitiates from Bloomberg‘s travels to foreign places, 0 Aries inhis 9th house.

• The program could be put into effect within 18 months ~corresponding to Bloomberg’s Mars at 18 Taurus. Check theprogress by MONTHS as our timing mechanism.


• Pluto at four months in the first is his controling energy.

• Six months later the Pinball of energy has moved to Venus inAquarius in the 7th house, In June 2007, U.S. Secretary ofTransportation Mary Peters said that out of the nine finalistcities applying for the program, New York City was the farthestalong in its traffic reduction planning and the city was eligiblefor up to $500 million for funding the congestion pricing plan.

• At Eight months, Bloomberg has an initial flush of success asthe Pinball triggers the Midheaven announcement on August14, 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation awardedfrom the Urban Partnership program $354 million to New YorkCity.


HousePlanet

11 11:32 Jupiter Gemini Square 2.48 11

12

13 13.24 NN Virgo incon 1.52 3

14

15 15.13 Merc Aqu conj 1.49 7

16

17 17.46 Moon Aqu square 2.33 8

18 18.07 Mars Taurus Conj .21 11

19

20


• Next is Jupiter in the 11th with its Gemini sign starting to splitopinions. The idea of congestion pricing was endorsed by theGovernor , Senate Majority Leader, and other New York Citypoliticians as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation. TheAssembly Speaker and other politicians expressed skepticism aboutthe plan, raising several questions about its viability, itsenvironmental effects on neighborhoods bordering the congestionzone, the lack of state control in Bloomberg’s proposal, and theimposition of a regressive tax on commuters.

• Thirteen and a half months after it starts, Bloomberg’s North Node at13 was activated, on January 31, 2008, the New York City TrafficCongestion Mitigation Commission approved a plan for congestionpricing, which was passed by a vote of 13 to 2. Some changes overMayor Bloomberg’s original proposal were introduced, such asreducing the congestion zone, no charges for vehicles which staywithin the zone, and a discount for low-emission trucks.


• Next Mercury in the 7th as the criticism REALLY starts to kickin. The proposal was approved by the New York City Council onMarch 31, 2008 by a vote of 30 to 20. Other alternatives (Mercury inAquarius weighing in with choices) considered by the commissionwas to restrict access into the congestion zone one day a weekbased on the last digits of the license plates.

• Here we reach a critical juncture, as Bloomberg’s natal Mercuryjoins next with his Moon, in the eighth house of possible death ofthe idea. Public opinion weighed in.

• The deadline to approve the plan by the State Assembly was April 7,2008, for the city to be eligible to receive US$ 354 million in federalassistance for traffic congestion relief and mass transitimprovements.


• On April 7, 2008, after a closed-door meeting, the Democratic Conference of the State Assembly decided not to vote on the proposal, “…the opposition was so overwhelming,…that he would not hold an open vote of the full Assembly” Sheldon Silver, the Assembly Speaker said. Afterwards, the USDOT announced that they will seek to allocate those funds to relief traffic congestion in other cities.

• Mr. Bloomberg reintroduced a modified version of New York Congestion Pricing once he got past the squares and the energetic blocks from the Mars/ Saturn square following the Moon’s death ~ sometime 22 to 26 months from when he first introduced it ~ after October 2008 to mid-February of 2009. He changed his approach and created blocks physically all over the city.


HousePlanet

0 0 Aries Aries inconj 2

1

2

3

4 4:39 Venus Scorp ssex 4.39 8

5 5:11 MC Sag Sextile .32 10

5:44 Merc Libra Incon .33 8

6 6:01 Moon Pisces Trine .17 1

6:03 Saturn Scorp Sextile .02 8

7 7.22 Mars Capri conj 1.19 11

8

9


HousePlanet

11

12 12:34 NN Capri ssex 5.12 11

13

14 14:46 Asc Aqua incon 2.12 1

15

16

17

18 18.37 Sun Virgo sextile 3.51 7

19

20


HousePlanet

21

22

23 23:38 Jupiter Cancer Square 5.01 6

24 24:27 Nept Libra Sextile .49 8

25 25:27 Pluto Leo Ssex 1.0 7

26 26:30 Uranus Cancer 1.03 6

27

28

29

Pinball Technique for Relationships

• This is an excellent technique to use when counseling or working with partnerships of any type

• Pinball lays out how the transits bounce back and forth between two (or more) charts

• It shows the internal processes that people go through -- without judgement!

• Very big “aha” moments happen

the pinball approach

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