Dr. Sarah Blake — Cultural Astronomer & Researcher

Dr. Sarah Blake is a cultural astronomer, published researcher, and MPA’s most academically rigorous contributor. She holds a PhD in cultural astronomy from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David — one of the few programs in the world that treats the history of celestial observation as a serious scholarly discipline — and brings that analytical precision to every article she writes.

Specializations

Dr. Blake’s contributions to MPA center on three domains:

• Natal chart interpretation — the systematic reading of a birth chart with attention to historical technique, including house systems, essential dignities, and the distinction between classical and modern rulership schemes
• Planetary transits and cycles — tracking the movement of planets through the zodiac and their interaction with natal placements, with emphasis on Saturn returns, Jupiter cycles, and outer planet transits
• Life path numerology — the Pythagorean tradition of numerical significance, examined through its historical roots in Greek mathematics and philosophy rather than its popular simplifications

Background

Dr. Blake’s academic work focuses on how pre-modern cultures used celestial observation to organize social, agricultural, and spiritual life. Her doctoral research examined the transmission of Hellenistic astrological techniques through Arabic translation into medieval European practice — specifically, the survival and transformation of the concept of planetary sect. She has published papers on the cultural astronomy of Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos and the role of Vettius Valens in preserving Hellenistic chart techniques.

Before joining MPA, she taught courses on the history of astronomy and astrology at two universities and consulted as a subject-matter expert for documentary projects on ancient science. She reads charts in the Hellenistic tradition but maintains a working knowledge of Vedic and medieval Arabic approaches.

Approach

Dr. Blake treats astrology and numerology as systems that encode genuine cultural wisdom — not as science, but not as nonsense either. She distinguishes carefully between historical fact and interpretive tradition, and she names her sources. Her writing is measured, evidence-based, and free of hyperbole. She trusts her readers to handle complexity and rewards that trust with depth that most popular astrology content avoids entirely.