This paper, written by Dr Damian Ruth of Massey University in Wellington and myself for the 2010 OIL conference (Organisation, Identity and Locality - Critical Studies of Management and Organisation in Aotearoa/New Zealand), explores the value of an astro-cartographical perspective on identity and locale. It addresses the criteria for validating knowledge, provides two illustrations of astro-cartography in practice, and concludes that there is a reasonable case for considering the contribution of astrological knowledge for the making of meaning in a post-modern world. It connects to the work of critical management theorists, as well to the aesthetic, linguistic and spiritual turns in management theory. The paper also addresses how we create spaces, and in the context of the metaphor of mapping in management, particularly strategy, it suggests that the symbolism of astrology has a much to offer in exploring our theories of identity, location and purpose.

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