We are the music-makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.
(Arthur O'Shaughnessy)

About your Astrologer

 Asheville's Dream Astrologer, Gary P. Caton, resides in Western North Carolina near the Smoky Mountains and the ancient homeland of the Cherokee. Asheville is the hometown of writer Thomas Wolfe and has been a destination for seekers of healing since the mid 19th century.

Find out how Gary came to be called Dream Astrologer by watching this YouTube video


-and by reading his Jupiter story below....

Gary P. Caton's natal chart



Jupiter forms the closest angle... -the "crisis of consciousness" closing square to Neptune
The Sun is trine Jupiter -showing Jupiter to be nearing the Direct Station
4/5 personal planets are applying in aspect to Jupiter -giving "Testimony"

In my early twenties, disillusioned, out of money, and without desire to accumulate a mountain of debt, I left school to 'see the world'. I came to know, and love, the freedom of the open road. Traveling the West, with only my guitar and a blanket for possessions, I came to trust my instincts, resourcefulness, and the Universe in a deep, profound way. I can remember the thrill of spending my last dollar, exhilarated by the chance to watch the Universe unfold just for me. I was young and strong, I would find my way.

Along my way I met many people eager to help. They offered food, rides, work, but rarely advice. Many told me they admired me for doing something they had always dreamed of. Many spoke to me of deep personal experiences and seemed to believe that by dint of my experience, I would understand. I remember being humbled and honored by this, and it is these memories that eventually brought me to the counseling arts.

My Odyssey began shortly after the ruler of my nativity, Uranus (Aquarius rising is rare, as its a sign of "short ascension") had completed its opening square at age 21 and moved to the Sun/Moon midpoint. I left home for Cripple Creek, Colorado, where the famous Astrologer Linda Goodman was living and had described so wonderfully in her book Star Signs (1987). Cripple Creek sounded like a magical place. Interestingly, when relocated there, Mars (the ruler of my Sun sign, 9th house, and dispositor of half my chart) sits at the bottom of my chart -where the Sun is at midnight. My first stop in Colorado was to spend the night in a cave (midnight/new moon/winter solstice) in the red rock (Mars) formations at The Garden of the Gods monument. The Synchronicity required for a far from home hitch-hiker to wind up spending his first night in a place perfectly symbolic of his chart is even more amazing to me today. Then it just felt extremely exciting and -Right!


I never met Linda Goodman, though she was said to frequent the Inn where I found a job, nevertheless I had a wonderful, magical time in Cripple Creek. One rainy night, some friends decided to search for some caves they had been told were nearby -and asked me to come along. We had only very general directions, and though it was dark and raining, very soon I saw a flash of light out of the corner of my eye and said, to my surprise, 'this is the way to the caves'. Even more surprising -we shortly found them! I was not as comfortable in these small caves with others as I had been alone, so I volunteered to meet another friend back at the car to show him the way.



Accompanied by my friend, John, I waited and watched the swirling night sky clear to reveal a bright Full Moon. Engrossed in this spectacle of Nature, I became entranced. Presently I began to observe faintly luminous grid-lines of light, similar to the one that led us to the caves. These lines spread over everything, resembling the framework behind a hologram. As soon as I made this mental connection... the clouds began to swirl in what appeared to be an organized fashion, gathering in front of the Full Moon. Brilliantly lit, the clouds metamorphosed into a face -easily recognized by the classical features as none other than Zeus! (Jupiter = Zeus-Pater)



At this point, I was shocked and amazed to the degree that I thought to look at my buddy. He gazed back at me in gleeful astonishment, nodding his head, confirming this Vision. I was so amazed that I didn't know what to say. I spent the rest of the evening with a quiet grin on my face. John and I never talked about our vision, but I know that he mentioned it to his roommate because later that night at the bar, Hank bought me a drink, and with a knowing wink, toasted me saying 'the Nectar of the Gods'. We both laughed heartily. I would not fully realize the symbolic import of this Vision for quite some time.

 One day I decided to climb one of the acclaimed 14,000 ft. mountains in the vicinity. I came to see the very literal equivalent of what psychologist Abraham Maslow calls a "peak experience." Up there it is tremendously quiet. Every sound is muffled by the thin air, yet profound in its singularity. The view was incredible, a magnificent panorama of endless peaks receding before me ablaze with fall color. It seemed as if I could see the curvature of the Earth. As I looked down whence I came, I realized how incredibly small my personal problems were in the face of this totality of Being that is planet Earth.



My Odyssey continued across a few years and several trips to the west slope of the Rocky Mountains and through California, New Mexico, and Arizona and eventually back home to Virginia. It was at this time that I found Astrology, -or it found me.

Somewhere along the way I was given a deck of Tarot cards by a kind soul who said I looked wise. Soon I had another valuable tool in my repertoire. After mastering the Tarot, in 1992 my life was changed forever. I had been learning the Tarot deck and reading about various New Age concepts, but nothing at all about Astrology.

I began to have a series of very vivid, symbolic dreams. In the final one, I was lying on my back in an enormous field of green grass with the Sun directly overhead (similar to the scene for the template of this website!). I love to do this, and while I was enjoying myself I noticed that I could look right at the Sun. Emblazoned in the Solar disk was the symbol for Venus. I instinctively knew this dream was telling me something, so I obtained an ephemeris and gradually deduced that the planet Venus had been transiting my natal Sun position on that very day! Wow, my astonishment continued and I found that I took to Astrology like a fish to water and began to devour every bit of information I could find. Some consider Venus transits 'minor', but the Synodic cycle of Venus with the Sun was extremely important to Babylonian and Mayan Astrologers (and shows up frequently in mysterious crop circles). She is extremely important in my chart -opposite the Ruler, Uranus and both forming a T-square to the Sun/Moon midpoint. Also by this time, transiting Uranus was in conjunction with transiting Neptune (the two form a very tight closing sextile in my nativity) in late Capricorn -both forming a closing Square with my Sun.



Now that I am an Astrologer, I know that this period of time coincided with my second Jupiter return. Jupiter had completed two revolutions of the Sun and again returned to the spot he occupied at my birth.  Also occurring at this time, and reinforcing the symbolism, was a key progression. The horoscope is 'progressed' or moved forward and each day forward from birth symbolizes a year in development. So aspects made twenty-four days after birth would be symbolically important in the twenty-fourth year of life. In my twenty-fourth year Jupiter made significant movement by progression.



In my nativity, Jupiter is a key planet. He receives "testimony" from Mercury, Venus, the Sun and Mars -as they all complete aspects to him before they leave their sign. After stationing direct by progression, Jupiter was emerging from an inner, subjective journey at this time. I was born with the Sun in wide trine to Jupiter retrograde. This signifies a nearby Station -and the burden of the Quest, or the Call to Adventure -which I so clearly heard. Jupiter Stationed by progression at age twelve, and returned in direct motion to the natal position at age twenty-four -reinforcing the transiting Jupiter return. Is it any wonder this symbol played such a huge part in my creative awakening?!!!

 Accordingly, Gary's ultimate future goal is to build community through connecting with other New Age Practitioners, Artists, Computer Gurus, Writers,  Desktop Publishers and all other Dreamers of Dreams! Gary believes in the Tribal Vision of Daniel Quinn and that people can quicken their own spiritual development as well as that of Mother Earth and the Age of Aquarius by helping each other explore creative collaborations of every kind.

Print This Page Print This Page
[../../images/icons/page_edit.png] Page last modified on 09-Apr-2008
[../../images/icons/arrow_up.png] Back to top