Introduction to Hellenistic Astrology Part III - Theoretical Considerations
Saturn, Jupiter and Sun rejoice by day, Mars, Venus and Moon rejoice by night, and Mercury rejoices by day and by night, for it belongs to the diurnal sect by day, and to the nocturnal sect by night. Diurnal stars rejoice with diurnal images, nocturnal stars rejoice with nocturnal images.
Cancer Rising, Moon with Cancer, Sun with Leo, Mercury with Virgo, Venus with Libra, Mars with Scorpio, Jupiter with Sagittarius, Saturn with Capricorn, Saturn with Aquarius, Jupiter with Pisces, Mars with Aries, Venus with Taurus, Mercury with Gemini. Examine the standard of the cosmic placements with universals, nativities and initiations.
Domiciles, exaltations, winds, bounds and configurations control universal harmony. Moon with the moistening Crab, Sun with the royal Lion, and the five stars with the order of the seven-zone, male and female, they rule over the Earth.
Saturn is exalted with Libra and depressed with Aries
Jupiter is exalted with Cancer and depressed with Capricorn
Mars is exalted with Capricorn and depressed with Cancer
Sun is exalted with Aries and depressed with Libra
Venus is exalted with Pisces and depressed with Virgo
Mercury is exalted with Virgo and depressed with Pisces
Moon is exalted with Taurus and depressed with Scorpio
Stars with their domiciles, exaltations and bounds are always good, when benefic, they are better, when malefic, they are less bad. Those who have many favorable placements have distinguished nativities, for they approach divinity.
Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces - Venus, Mars, Moon - West Wind
Leo, Sagittarius, Aries - Sun, Jupiter, Saturn - North Wind
Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus - Venus, Moon, Mars - South Wind
Libra, Aquarius, Gemini - Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter - East Wind
Stars control the four divine winds. They become good whenever the houserulers are ascending, or are post-ascending and favorably placed. The first ruler is diurnal, the second is nocturnal, and the third is cooperating. Changeover of the whole trigon occurs with the completion of the rising time and the recurrence years of the predominating houseruler handing over to the other ruler.
All wandering and non-wandering stars are mighty when rising from under the beams of the Sun, but when they are setting, they lose strength. Similarly, swift moving stars are better, while those retreating are worse. Additionally, the morning rising stars are masculine and better, while those evening rising are feminine and worse.
I - Life, Appearance, Siblings - Early
II - Livelihood, Wealth, Expectations - After Early
III - Relatives, Partnership, Weakness - Before End
IV - Parents, Household, Mysticism - End
V - Fortune, Beneficence, Legacy - After End
VI - Injury, Enmity, Servants - Before Later
VII - Affairs, Success, Living Abroad - Later
VIII - Property, Acquisition, Inheritance - After Later
IX - Travel, Education, Inaction - Before Middle
X - Action, Rank, Children - Middle
XI - Friendship, Opportunities, Gifts - After Middle
XII - Suffering, Maleficence, Enemies - Before Early
In nativities, malefics are better when they are post-ascending, for then they do not harm the stars and images that are ascending. They are best when ascending and favorably placed, for then they bring good fortune. Inoperative stars cause reversals and weakness.
In initiations, the ascending images, especially the I and X, the Sun and the Moon will indicate the outcomes. The pre-ascending images indicate the past. The post-ascending images give signs for the future for the corresponding ascension.
One must investigate the dodekatopos thoroughly, for one will quite easily determine the areas in which the nativity is fortunate or unfortunate.
Stars with the assembly are powerful and common, they indicate admixture of qualities.
Stars with the hexagon are moderated and harmonious, they indicate moderate fortune.
Stars with the tetragon are powerful and disharmonious, they indicate good and bad fortune.
Stars with the trigon are effective and harmonious, they indicate good fortune and authority.
Stars with the diameter are powerful and disharmonious, they indicate rivalry and opposition.
Stars that precede are superior to those that follow, thus it is better for benefics to be on the right of malefics, and we say this for all assemblies, configurations and like-principles. In every case it is necessary to examine the assemblies and configurations with degree, for they become stronger the closer they are to their figures. Like-principles of daylight, rising times and houserulers cause harmonious affinity, but it will be very weak if the images are turned away.
It will be necessary to accurately measure the distances between powerful stars, then measure the same or reverse from the Hour-Marker, in order that, whatever relations the stars bear to each other, the Hour-Marker may bear to the Lots, and that they may be as they were Hour-Markers.
The Lot of Fortune - Sun to Moon, reverse by night
The Lot of Daimon - Moon to Sun, reverse by night
The Lot of Accusation - Saturn to Mars, reverse by night
The Lot of Father - Sun to Jupiter, reverse by night
The Lot of Mother - Venus to Moon, reverse by night
The Lot of Siblings - Saturn to Jupiter, reverse by night
The Lot of Affairs - Jupiter to Venus, reverse by night
The Lot of Children - Jupiter to Saturn, reverse by night
And configurations are very strong within three degrees, for then the gods strike each other with their rays. Thus each star sends seven rays to seven images. And Saturn and Mars are very bad with presence within three degrees and with tetragon and diameter rays, while Jupiter and Venus intervene with presence and all rays. The Sun and the Moon, if they are not Predominator, also destroy with presence, tetragon and diameter in the Length of Life.
Hour-Marker, the tetragon and the diameter command great powers. Stars are most powerful by exactly rising, culminating, setting and anti-culminating within the ascending images. Benefics ascending the degrees make distinguished nativities and good initiations, but unfavorably placed malefics cause reversals and ruin.
Investigate the Sun and the Moon and the familiarity of the attendant stars. When both Lights are with ascending masculine images, with the Lightbringer attended, being present or exchanging rays within three degrees with the five stars, the nativities will be royal. And if the guardians are themselves ascending the degrees, the nativities will be world-ruling.
Every kind of honour is divined from the nature of attending stars, for Saturn brings about power based on wealth and amassing of treasure, Jupiter and Venus through favours, gifts, honours and rulership, Mars through governorship, victories and fears of subordinates, and Mercury through intelligence, education and management of affairs.
Benefics with the Ascending Node cause good fortune, malefics indicate misfortune. The images and the stars cause the beginning of matters, the houserulers cause the end of matters. When the Moon is ascending while the domicile ruler is inoperative, it indicates brilliant beginning and bad end, and we say this for both nativities and initiations.
If Jupiter and Venus are favorably placed, their help is increased, if they are unfavorably placed, their help is decreased. Saturn and Mars are always bad, and they are better ascending only when exceptionally placed. They are exceedingly bad for the respective image when ascending without benefic testimony, and when they are rising and culminating with undistinguished nativities, they make destitutes, wicked, disabled, and those who are short-lived.
If there are five inoperative stars at the nativity, but if the Master of the Nativity is ascending to the degree with Fortune and Daimon, with his domicile and bound, one will be a king. If there are five operative stars, but if the Lots are pre-ascending with the malefics, the nativity is judged unviable. Multiply the degrees and fractions of the Hour-Marker, the Seven Stars and the Lots by twelve from the beginning of the images to find the dodekatemoria, the secret places of the stars.
Investigate the preceding New or Full Moon, the phase of the Moon, the placement of the Moon, the solar and lunar eclipses. If the Moon is without the presence or configuration of another star, it is void of course, and nativities and initiations are without advancement. Observe the positions of Sun and Moon at New and Full Moon, and their separations with respect to the ascensions. On this the whole forecast depends. The preceding New or Full Moon or the Moon favorably placed make good nativities and initiations. Moon is moistening with the first quarter, heating with the second quarter, drying with the third quarter, and cooling with the fourth quarter.
At every nativity, it will be necessary to examine the third, the seventh and the fortieth day of the Moon using the second, the fourth and the seventh image from the Moon. If three of the images are operative and beheld by benefics, they make distinguished nativities. If two of the images are inoperative and beheld by malefics, they make undistinguished nativities. If there is admixture of benefic and malefic testimony, they cause moderate fortune.
One must examine the schemata. Stars exalted with the assemblies of domicile rulers cause good nativities and initiations. Mars, Sun and Moon trigon from each other make highly intelligent and very wealthy nativities, those who are terrors to their enemies. Ruler of I with II and ruler of II with I make those who earn wealth without much effort, for the exchanges of good domiciles are favorable. Stars ascending with their domiciles and exaltations indicate fortunate nativities. Stars pre-ascending and post-ascending the Sun and the Moon indicate distinguished nativities.
The gods send signs to all nations, but they are not interpret the same for the different lands, for one they cause hot weather, for another they give cold weather, and for third they give temperate weather. In the same way, the considerations of weather, rising times and daylight become less discernible and causative in the equatorial zones, and naturally reversed for the southern lands.
The effects of the stars are vigorous when ascending from Sun, Moon, Fortune and Daimon, and they are especially powerful, for good or bad, whenever they are ascending with Fortune. When bright non-wandering stars of benefic nature are rising alongside the Hour-Marker, and with the Seven, they make distinguished nativities and good initiations. Intervals of one and three degrees are powerful, of seven and fifteen moderately powerful, and those up to thirty are effective.
Stars are favorably placed when they are with their exaltations, domiciles, bounds and favorable houserulers, when they are operative, especially ascending the degrees or rising and culminating, when they are rejoicing with their sects and images, when rising from the beams and swift, when they are rising alongside the favorable non-wandering stars, when they have the assembly and configuration of Jupiter, and when they have the assembly and configuration of Venus.
Stars are unfavorably placed when they are with their depressions and unfavorable houserulers, when they are inoperative, especially with the VI and the XII, when they are not rejoicing with their sects and images, when setting under the beams and retreating, whenever they are not rising alongside favorable non-wandering stars, when they are ascending from Saturn, and when they are ascending from Mars, both particularly with exchanges of rays and superior placements. Let us now proceed with nativities.
