How to calculate primary directions on astro.com?

helike13

Well-known member
If it is possible anyway....

Or just use the 4min direction = 1yr of lifespan rule? So if I was born at 10:00 so 30 years will be 12:00?

What are the significators? Angles and/or house cusps? Can the IC be a significator?

Can Part of Fortune be a promissor? Or only planetary bodies?

Thanks :)
 

petosiris

Banned
I use Morinus for traditional primary directions - ''Placidus'' semiarc, zodiacal, without latitude, with aspects of ''promissors to significators'', the key doesn't matter much, but I use the so-called Ptolemaic.

Martin Gansten has an excellent introduction on the subject. I haven't read his full book that goes through many authors and methods though. - http://www.martingansten.com/pdf/PrimaryDirectionsChapter.pdf

If it is possible anyway....

Or just use the 4min direction = 1yr of lifespan rule? So if I was born at 10:00 so 30 years will be 12:00?

1 year of lifespan = 1 degree of RA = 4 equinoctial/modern (not local) minutes (with the so-called ''Ptolemaic'' key)

You can see the direction of the Ascendant and the Midheaven (and planets in exact conjunction with them) by adding that amount of time, and proportionally for the planets in between the angles (if you keep the original distances in mind).

What are the significators? Angles and/or house cusps? Can the IC be a significator?

Can Part of Fortune be a promissor? Or only planetary bodies?

Ptolemy and some medieval astrologers allowed only five significators - the Ascendant for body and travel, the Sun for dignity and marriage for women, the Moon for mind and marriage for men, the Lot of Fortune for wealth and property, and the Midheaven for actions, children and friendship. I believe Ptolemy and Cardanus were right that these broad significators are enough to cover all individual aspects of life with the necessary amount of differentiation (some Hellenistic astrologers directed a single planet/predominator for all events in general).

Lilly described 10 significators with 5 of them as necessary, while also specifying accidental rulership (Ptolemy doesn't use houses much):
First, the Horoscope, or Ascendant, we direct in every Nativity, for that it signifieth the Life and Body of man, his Complexion, the Affections and Manners of his Body and Minde […]
Secondly, we direct the Moon in regard she signifies the Complexion of the Body, and its Intentions, the Natives Journeys, Peregrinations, his Matrimony, the state of his Wife, Women and neer Kinsfolkes.
Thirdly, the Directions of the Sun are made especially, concerning the Native’s good or bad health, his Honour or Preferment publick or private, the favour of great Persons, the state of his Father, and his Estimation.
Fourthly, medium-cæli we direct for Honour, Offices in the Common- wealth, the friendship of Nobility, Kings and Magistrates, for the Magistery, Trade or Profession of the Native, for his Mother.
Fiftly, the Part of Fortune being directed to the good or evill aspects of the Fortunes or Infortunes shewes the encrease or diminution of Riches […]
Sixtly, you may direct Saturn to signifie your Ancestors, Inheritances, Buildings, Possessions, the Fruits of the earth; so also, Fears, Jealousies, Mistrusts, &c. according as Saturn is well or ill affected.
Seventhly, we direct Jupiter for Glory, Renown, Riches, Children, Religion, Sobriety, &c.
Eightly, Mars is directed for Animosity, Victory, War, Law-suits, and he shewes the estate of Brethren.
Ninthly, Venus is directed for Matrimony, Love, Pleasure, rich Ornaments, Maids, Women, &c.
Tenthly, we direct Mercury for the Wit, Understanding, Trade, Industry, Negotiations, Journeys, our lesser Brethren, for Schollership, History, &c.

The Planets do signifie these things properly of themselves in Directions, in what Nativity soever they be, or in what part of Heaven; but accidentally, they have signification according to the nature of the Houses they are in, and are Lords of; by considering whereof, you shall finde the true intention of what is signified by the Direction.


7. Lilly 1659:653 f. A note in the margin reads: ‘It’s not usual to direct but the former five.’ quoted from http://www.martingansten.com/pdf/PrimaryDirectionsChapter.pdf

Morinus allowed 20 significators, the aforementioned + the 10 other house ''cusps''. He criticizes some authorities for using only 5.

Here is why I believe the 5 are enough:
Sixtly, you may direct Saturn to signifie your Ancestors, Inheritances, Buildings, Possessions, the Fruits of the earth; so also, Fears, Jealousies, Mistrusts, &c. according as Saturn is well or ill affected. - the first part overlaps with the Lot of Fortune and the second with maleficent chronocratorship over the Midheaven.
Seventhly, we direct Jupiter for Glory, Renown, Riches, Children, Religion, Sobriety, &c. - this overlaps with the Sun, the Lot, and the Midheaven.
Eightly, Mars is directed for Animosity, Victory, War, Law-suits, and he shewes the estate of Brethren. - this overlaps with the Midheaven, but what is most concerning to me here, is that war does not apply to many non-military nativities, indicating superfluousness, for in military nativities, one can investigate the Midheaven as he would do with any career.
Ninthly, Venus is directed for Matrimony, Love, Pleasure, rich Ornaments, Maids, Women, &c. - this overlaps with the Moon, Lot and Midheaven.
Tenthly, we direct Mercury for the Wit, Understanding, Trade, Industry, Negotiations, Journeys, our lesser Brethren, for Schollership, History, &c. - same thing as with Mars, it does not apply to every nativity, which is probably why some astrologers omitted it, and in case where they are related (when Mercury controls the Sun and the Midheaven at the nativity for example), they overlap with the function of the primary significators (for example career and the Midheaven), that is accidentally modified to the subject (for example property with Saturn, banking with Jupiter, military with Mars, arts with Venus, trade with Mercury etc.) at the nativity.

Every planet (Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus or Mercury) becomes general chronocrator over the significator with conjunction, sextile, square, trine or opposition until the next planet with aspect. This is how Ptolemy used primary directions (along with the terms) as chronocratorship, not for single events or hits as it is fashionable in modern astrology. Lilly and Morinus also directed fixed stars to them. Some used latitude to change the interpretation of conjunctions and sometimes oppositions. There are of course many differences in interpretation from author to author. Predictive techniques have to be used in accordance with the foundations of the natal chart, cookbooks are impossible here.
 
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aborealis

New member
What are the significators? Angles and/or house cusps? Can the IC be a significator?

Can Part of Fortune be a promissor? Or only planetary bodies?

Thanks :)
The significators are the areas of life that could be affected by promittors, which are the active agents.
- Significators are the planets, the cusps (in converse direction), and PoF.
- Promittors could be planets, their aspects, and antiscia

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FraterAC

Well-known member
Primary directions are interesting. One of the sub programs in the Haloran Astrol Deluxe world does it. The only problem is that you need a birth time accurate to within 30 seconds of the actual time. Unless someone was there with a phone at the birth, or set a very accurate watch to an atomic clock before the birth, and then was sitting there when the the child exited the womb, it would be difficult to get them to work.

Ivy Goldstein Jacobson wrote an entire book on them. Kt Boehrer sent me her personal copy with all her notes in the margins before she passed. Its mostly incomprehensible to me.
I've been interested in Primary Directions for many years. Even read a book or two on them. But...
I'd bet my (rectified) birth time is within a minute or two, which would still get me within 6 months or so. Using the routine in AstroDeluxe (v10) for Rational Primary Directions (and their other two calculations for PDs, also) I'm just not seeing the correlations. I'm not saying the calculations are wrong, but I just don't see it.
My Moon and angles do work with other techniques. When I (2nd/Maj) progress the angles using SA in Right Ascension and my birth location I get meaningful correlations.
I know astrologers have been swearing by PDs for thousands of years but for me, nada.
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
The significators are the areas of life that could be affected by promittors, which are the active agents.
- Significators are the planets, the cusps (in converse direction), and PoF.
- Promittors could be planets, their aspects, and antiscia


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Circumambulations - Distributions
Directions (of the Ascendant) through the Bounds

  • Optional method
  • Ascensional Times
  • Primary Directions :)
  • Distribution of other points
  • Bounds, 9th Parts, 12th Parts
  • Days: 360° ~ 360 or 365 Days
Distribution divide the life up into periods, in which various issues will arise in life.
Each period of life falls under rulership of the particular Time Lord planet.







.
 

FraterAC

Well-known member

Circumambulations - Distributions

Directions (of the Ascendant) through the Bounds

  • Optional method
  • Ascensional Times
  • Primary Directions :)
  • Distribution of other points
  • Bounds, 9th Parts, 12th Parts
  • Days: 360° ~ 360 or 365 Days
Distribution divide the life up into periods, in which various issues will arise in life.
Each period of life falls under rulership of the particular Time Lord planet.







.
Could you show everyone how those are used? an example?
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
Could you show everyone how those are used? an example?



NOTE:
important to keep in mind that
There is no requirement for members to post comment - it's completely voluntary :)

ours is an astrological learning forum members practice astrological skills free
no one is paid and responses to threads are often from members who are beginners
with little or no experience but keen to learn by practice
Indeed members sometimes discuss interpreting their own charts to learn by practice


clearly we also have members with many years of astrological study completed
NEVERTHELESS many members have day jobs
and those of our members who ARE professionals
unsurprisingly DO NOT provide professional readings for free







.
 
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Shanti

Well-known member
I have struggled with these Primary directions for a long time.
Really hard to grasp. But powerful and often more precise than solar arc
require a very precise birthtime and requires rectification to be used for the angles.
But even without that the interplanetary aspects which does not require a precise birthtime I have found
often is very accurate.


I think it would be interesting to look at an example.
Donald Trump's presidency was predicted by for example Kenneth Browser who use Primary directions in his toolbox.
November 2016 and also by Ed Falis at the astrodienst forum. He also used Primary direction as I know it.
He have passed away last year which is a shame btw for the astrological community.

I think this would be an interesting to look at. I may post it later.

The trick says authors like Martin Gansten and Anthony Louis is to study the natal chart for patterns, and then seeing when
this is activated by the Primary directions.

This is a fascinating process that I appreciate more and more.
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
I agree completely. The only way to really learn is by practice, ie practical application.

great - the detailed videos already posted
provide guidance for practising practical application :)


And the best application is what we do for the benefit of others.
Indeed - such as the three hour workshop linked below - Benjamin Dykes will cover both theory
& practice of natal distributions and their application to solar returns
as well as focus on distributions of the Ascendant, for general themes in life.
Few contemporary astrologers have learned how to use this technique
or been exposed to its application to solar revolutions.

At various points, listeners are encouraged to turn off the recording
and apply the methods to their own charts.


This special, hands-on workshop will teach you how to use “..distributions..”
an ancient and powerful predictive technique, in both natal and solar return charts.
Distributions - sometimes called directing through the bounds/terms
- divide the life up into chapters, in which various issues will arise in life.
Special rules govern when these affairs will be more intensified.
When applied in a solar return, they can yield a year-long story with events that are accurately predicted

to within a week or a day.


.
 

michaelyoung

New member
To calculate primary directions on astro.com, you can use the "4min direction = 1yr of lifespan" rule. For example, if you were born at 10:00, 30 years later would correspond to 12:00. The significators for primary directions include angles and/or house cusps, and the IC can be a significator as well. The Part of Fortune can serve as a promissor, along with planetary bodies.
 
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