Deborah Houlding

Deborah Houlding (born 14 May 1962 in Mansfield) is an English astrologer specializing in traditional astrological methods. She is perhaps best known for her book The Houses: Temples of the Sky, (Ascella, 1996) which was controversial at the time of publication by criticizing the modern tendency to associate astrological house meanings too closely with those of the astrological signs. It called for a reversal of perspective upon the philosophy of house meanings by examining their origin in ancient practice and the consistent thread of application in traditional literature. She is also widely known for her in-depth courses on horary astrology, which have been presented at many international venues.

Deborah Houlding qualified from the Olivia Barclay Horary Practitioner’s course in 1989, and initially acted as one of its tutors. In 1993 she raised awareness of traditional astrological methods by publishing The Traditional Astrologer magazine, which ran until January, 2000. For this she received the annual award of the PAI (Professional Astrologers Incorporated) for ‘Consistently well written editorials in the British astrological periodical “The Traditional Astrologer”’. During the same period, her publishing company, Ascella Publications, brought back into circulation many historically significant textbooks of astrology, and purchased the rights to retain in print important texts which were being dropped by mainstream publishers. (Such as the David Pingree English translation of Carmen Astrologicum by Dorotheus, originally published by Teubner). She also acted as the patron of the Australian periodical, The Southern Astrologer. The discovery of a slow-growing brain tumour in 1998 brought a period of temporary retirement from astrology. The Traditional Astrologer and Ascella Publications passed into new ownership which has since ceased publication.

Deborah Houlding returned to astrological activity in 2002 when she launched the Skyscript website (see below). This is now one of the most popular and comprehensive astrology websites on the Internet. She continues in-depth research into historical techniques of astrology, runs her own school of horary (STA), and writes regularly for the Mountain Astrologer magazine. Her book on the houses was recently republished in an expanded edition by Wessex Astrologer, 2006.

External links

• Skyscript.co.uk
• Extensive collection of articles by Deborah Houlding
• Birth chart of Deborah Houlding
• Sample chapter from The Houses, Temples of the Sky
• Online Introduction to Horary – by Deborah Houlding