About Terms - How are/were they defined.

[JesterDev]

First I apologize of this is not the right place. There seems to be no general forum.

I'm reading Ancient Astrology Theory and Practice (The Mathesis of Firmicus Maternus) while I'm waiting for Horary Plain and Simple to arrive. Not exactly sure if it will allow me to learn the basics in a preferred manner or not, but it is passing the time. Anyway I am curious about "terms". How exactly they where discovered, and how the planets came to rule them? I mean to have it down to an exact set of degree's must have taken some serious work.

[Culpeper]

The ancient astrologers subdivided the zodiac, and these divisions have meanings related to the planet that was assigned to each one. In Firmicus you will read of duodecatemoria which is a division of 2.5 degrees; each division has a meaning. The terms or bounds of the planets divide the zodiac by 60 to give divisions(average) of 6 degrees. However the actual terms are unequal as listed. Only the star-like planets have terms.

The objective was to give the benefics more degrees than the malefics: this accounts for the unequal length of the terms. The planets with the most essential dignity in the first three categories have the first positions in the terms, and the last term is always of a malefic. Writers on this subject state that the actual length of each term was derived empirically. The terms of the Egyptians which were most used in classical times give the benefics more degrees than the terms of Ptolemy which were used by Lilly. You wll have to decide which system to use or develop your own.

One use of the terms is to find the relative strength of the planets using a point system. The classical astrologers appear to rate the planets in their terms as considerably stronger than Lilly does. Some astrologers write that the terms are only used with horary, but in classical they are used with natal. Lilly used the terms to find the appearance of the querent. Other writers add that they are used to find the disposition of the native: what the native does or will do.