Gary Christen

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 Presidents 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 ½, he had a hernia. Raised in West New York, NJ, he attended School of Visual Arts in NYC from 1968-1969 and Rutgers Universitys 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 Garys 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 Piccol Read less