On Differing Views of Magic

Since the 1990s there has been a relatively constant war in astrological communities along the lines of modern practices vs. more ancient ones.  This sentiment has become more pronounced in areas where the two practices comingle.  You find it in astrological forums or groups online, writers will bash the ideas of others in books or articles, and you can find it in little jabs written into a lecture.  This sort of spirited rivalry is common among many fields and is a relatively healthy thing when working properly.  Rivalries like this are meant to keep each group honest with itself and with the general public. Unfortunately, the general public isn’t really looking into astrology that deeply to see it as two different camps fighting for their place on top, but merely see it as contradictory sets of rules within a supposedly unified system of astrology.  The common man isn’t aware of the discussions going back and forth in astrology any more than they are aware of competing theories in physics.  The absence of the general public’s awareness is what makes it a problem.  Without an unconnected group to watch out for the traditional vs. modern dichotomy becomes a much more personal war within those astrological groups and really just divides them for the sake of division.

We can go on all day about the current state of astrological literature.  One only needs to look at the table of contents for most major astrological periodicals (such as The Mountain Astrologer magazine) to see that the majority of things being written are clearly from a more modern or psychological point of view.  Where we are now or where we will be in the future isn’t really that much of a concern; something much more interesting is understanding how we got here.

I’m sure most know the story.  Astrology can trace a straight line through Babylon, Egypt, Greece, the Middle East, then the whole of Europe until the Enlightenment essentially wiped it out.  The theosophists retooled it later on to sort of fit the more “high demand” aspects of it.  This isn’t a real history lesson, and there’s much more you can look into if that’s what you’re interested in.  Instead, I’d prefer to focus on the 1970s, this is really when the New Age movement became popular and people started to adopt more spiritual – but not necessarily religious – attitudes.  What the New Age movement spurred was an increased focus on the self.  Now, more modern practices of astrology have always been focused more on the self and its own development as it had to skirt the waters of anti-vagrant or anti-fortune telling laws which punished astrologers from foretelling future events.  The advent of the New Age also brought us new ideas about magic and mysticism through various Neo-Pagan traditions (which, ironically, were no more traditional than anything else) which conflicted not only with the more orthodox religions people were raised with, but also with the older ideas of magic.

For a while in high school, I subscribed to the Wiccan faith.  In Wicca, practitioners are told that the magic is inside themselves.  The tools that they use are just objects with no special powers but the practitioner brings those powers to the tools through their own practice.  It is something inherent in themselves that they then pass on to something else.  It’s not quite a “your mind makes it real” type of scenario as much as it is a “you give it power” situation.  A similar phenomenon occurred with Eastern ideas, t’ai chi ch’uan and other internal martial arts have had their internal qualities so over emphasized that many people are unaware that there are external, martial qualities to it.

This really highlights the different worldviews that make reconciling ancient and modern practices impossible.  For ancient techniques in both the East and West, powers existed outside of people.  The planets did not need us to give them names and significations, they already had them.  Plants, rocks, and animals didn’t need us to categorize them into groups based on similarities they had, they merely exhibited those similarities naturally and belonged.   Whereas the Hermetic mystic learns and respects the powers of the planets as their own entities, New Age ideas lead us to believe that these powers can’t harm us anymore than we allow them to.

It’s difficult to not like the more modern ideas of magic and astrology.  If you don’t like your situation, you can change it because the expressions of those planets is entirely within you, no outside force is stopping you from standing up and saying “Enough!”.  It’s also a very selfish worldview where it’s easy to demonize others for their bad luck in life.  If they were really upset by their situation, they would just change it, right?  Nowhere is this idea more evident than the idea of the Secret and the Law of Attraction.  This philosophy states that we create our own reality by choosing to either focus on positive or negative experiences which will attract their own kind to manifest future events.  Is that a bill or a check in that envelope you pulled out of the mail today?  That’s up to where you land on the sliding scale of optimism vs. pessimism.

That’s not to say that the more ancient ideas don’t have their own positives and negatives.  On the one hand, free will is a concept that more or less non-existent when thinking about ancient ideas of magic.  If things outside of you have their own power, then they can impose that on your will and leave you few, if any, options to alter it.  Though, on the other hand, this is probably the more realistic scenario, even if it can lull the more weak-willed into a sense of hopeless complacency (“Who cares?  It’s all preordained anyway?”).  Even in mundane life, others impose their will on us and our goals in life.  Want to buy a house?  Better hope the bank clears you for the loan.  Fortunately, more Hermetic ideas of magic and astrology give us ways to alter our fortunes by using the powers of the planets against themselves.  By working with the planets in the form of Hermetic or ritual remedies, we can encourage them to work with us.

This idea that the differences in understanding magic and where the power of it lies also relates to another conflict within astrology; do the planets cause events, or do they signify them?  Jung established the idea of “synchronicity” which most modern practitioners of magic or astrology have adopted as their own philosophy towards their practices.  This is that two seemingly unrelated events that are unlikely to occur together do occur together in a meaningful manner.  This is an elegant answer to a rather difficult problem for modern practitioners.  How do we say planets have no power themselves but yet seem to cause things?  Well, synchronicity.  They don’t really cause things, they merely happen alongside events in a meaningful manner.

That is not to say that non-causality in astrology is a modern idea, it’s a debate that has gone on through most of astrology’s history.  Many different writers have their own opinions on it influenced in some way through their own history or religious beliefs.  Some writers were Aristotelian and believed that astrology was causal and effected everything.  Others were Platonic and believed that astrology was still causal but that people could rise above it and make their own decisions through awareness.  There were also writers who were Stoic and believed that astrology was causal and predeteriminism was high and the purpose of astrology was to fortify ourselves against the future.  Finally, the Hermetics which believed a lot like the Stoics, but people could overcome it with Hermetic ritual and sympathies.

I’d like to take a brief reprieve from discussing the Western world and its ideas of magic or inherent power and focus on the East.  Chinese Taoism holds that the Tao is not a concept that can be explained or named by humans, it is something that exists outside of us and can only be experienced – but not owned – by us.  Tao is not its name, but it is only what humans call it.  Taoism emphasizes humility and instructs us to mimic the natural world (as nature inherently understands and experiences Tao) to reach enlightenment.  Due to this philosophy we are instructed to be still like water to reflect heaven, to be constant like the evergreen pine tree, to be flexible like bamboo in the wind, and (my personal favorite) to be imperceptible yet shaping like a comb.  A great emphasis is put on the spirit of tools in Taoism and Chinese martial arts.  You don’t mess with another person’s tools or weapon without their consent or knowledge as through their practice the tool or weapon and practitioner have essentially merged souls.  It’s also noticeable in the Chinese practice of feng shui where the emphasis is on living in harmony with the natural world around you.  Feng shui remedies are not given their remedial powers by peoples’ expectations of them, but by their own nature.  Fortunately, the Eastern ideas have remained more or less true to form.

Switching back to the West, there are some practices in the Neo-Pagan traditions that are reminiscent of the more ancient, Hermetic philosophies.  The idea of sympathetic magic (where one uses terrestrial objects, colors, sounds, etc to assist in their practice) is very much akin to the ideas of celestial sympathies.  Unfortunately, this new wave of sympathies is very obviously modern and doesn’t seem to have any connection with those Hermetic practices it seeks to replicate.  For instance, the color green is used to help in wealth spells.  Why?  Green is a Venus color, wouldn’t it make more sense to use blue or purple for Mercury (business) or Jupiter (wealth)?  You use green because money is green.  Red is used to assist in love spells even though using a Venus color is more appropriate than using a Mars color, but red is utilized because of its connection with the color of heart.  It’s in these ways that modern magic is obviously very individual and culture based and lacks any sort of real backbone to assist its practitioners.

This discrepancy is the biggest rift in the astrological community as it filters down to influence everything we think about the subject.  Unfortunately it’s far too ingrained and personal to change easily, and no amount of proselytizing is going to change anyone’s mind.  Those who follow New Age ideas will see the lack of free will as too fatalistic, while those who follow more ancient philosophies will see the emphasis on the self as playing make-believe.  The most we can do is simply be respectful, though it almost seems too bad to say that realizing that this sentiment dooms the community in half.

Astrology: Can I Quote You On That?

I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical. ARTHUR C. CLARKE

I live in Colorado Springs. We are known for many distinctions: The Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak, the Garden of the Gods, the home of Nikolai Tesla during his work with the Tesla Coil, the US Olympic training center, Fort Carson and Peterson AFB plus NORAD, Linda Goodman wrote about the city and the now gone Chinook bookstore in Sun Signs, birth place of Lon Cheney, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira Mistress of the Dark), Katherine Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful” during a visit to the city, home of fictional TV character Medicine Woman, and most of all, we have churches, lots and lots of churches. You probably all know Focus on the Family and New Life Church and their crazy founder’s exploits. Yeah, all are located here… along with dozens of start up churches in every strip mall. The city is known for the conservative mouth pieces such as Perkins and his infamous eventually defeated amendment 2. There are more conservative Christians than you can shake a stick at… just saying.

My children have been raised Agnostic. They worked with me when I worked on very liberal political agendas. We have our presidential yard signs, celestial decorations on the house, and John Lennon bumper stickers on the fuel efficient imported car. The kids may as well have gone to school with targets painted on their foreheads. When they are young, they readily accept the indoctrinations of the parents. Their friends are good little kids on Sundays at least, and ready to preach their dogma to anyone that challenges what they have been told. My daughter didn’t care, her Leo Sun and Libra Moon had more important things to do and get to the serious business of playtime. Her brother is a mutable cornucopia. At the tender age of 8 told me he will register independent when he gets older, so his friends won’t be mad… he was also telling them he had the same Christian beliefs… He outgrew that eventually. What he didn’t outgrow was the whole, “yo Momma” thing.

Astrology quickly became off topic when he discovered that he was alone in the belief and these little friends had no problem telling him I was a fraud, insane, sleeping with Satan himself. (Jeez, even Bill Nye, the Science Guy threw me under the bus!) I was thrilled when he found his new friend, Ben. Ben comes from another liberal family and they are Atheist. Astrology as a subject still took a serious bashing. Ben here was taught the rigid “prove it” mentality and everything is a con. Ben told my son, “Astrology was invented by some guy that wanted to make money.” I think he enjoyed the hurt look in my son’s eyes… he wouldn’t let go of it and got more brazen over time. In a bid for, I don’t know, maybe attention? Within earshot Ben announces, “I do not believe in Astrology, it isn’t real”. Mercury conjunct Mars engaged and out of my mouth came, “I do not believe in you, you are not real”. It would sound silly to any other child, but this one was a Sagittarian with an existential bend. That will keep him up for a few nights. Months later the taunting started again and I decided to arm my son with some advice and irrefutable information and quotes by famous and respected people on the subject of Astrology.

Advice for anyone that is in conflict with non Astrology believers; one thing is, do not force your beliefs on someone else, seriously annoying no matter what side of the coin you live on. I have found to forewarn about a retrograde as the easiest way to open up and plant seeds. “Yeah, Mercury retrograde is coming up, be sure to stock up on batteries and keep an eye on electrical appliances… lots of miscommunications, don’t be surprised to find snafus with any type of communication, like email, phones, mail….“. Questions will come. Next, have a few examples and quotes on the ready.

Anyone can be a millionaire, but to become a billionaire you need an astrologer.
~John Pierpont Morgan

“Astrology is a science in itself, and contains an illuminating body of knowledge. It has taught me many things, and I am greatly in debt to it.”
~ Albert Einstein

“The celestial movements are the cause of all that takes place on Earth.”
~St.Thomas Aquinas

“I always keep my weather eye on the opposition of my seventh house Moon to my first house Mars.”
~President Theodore Roosevelt

A quick internet search will find that: President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy used Astrology to make daily decisions. Ronald Reagan’s Chief of Staff (Donald Reagan) had said: “It’s common knowledge that a large percentage of Wall Street brokers use Astrology.”

Benjamin Franklin…. when not busy flying kites or inventing the Pony Express, studied Astrology and used the knowledge to publish the Farmer’s Almanac.

It takes some searching, but there are letters written between Jung and Freud. Mostly Freud insinuating even with “treasures” to be found with Astrology, the rest of their peers would consider it quackery.

For the Science is the only truth crowd….. um, the world is round, remember that old myth buster? If Science has all the answers, then why is there still research? Astrology just hasn’t been put under the microscope and studied with scientific methods. Usually it is just dismissed with a brush of the hand by scientists not acting very scientific. Ridicule until proven is the mode of operation. Oh, news flash…. just in a few days ago… http://www.space.com/15499-dark-matter-theory-galaxy-structures.html That tells us it looks like Dark Matter doesn’t exist…. whooopsi NASA http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy/ I will refrain from calling it the dark matter conspiracy theory… um, no I won’t.

Armed with that information, I can comfortably look a 12 year old in the eyes and say:

Are you as popular as Reagan? Smart as Einstein or Franklin? As religiously dialed in as St. Thomas? Or even as loveable as teddy bear inspiring President Theodore Roosevelt? Do you have a toy named after you? Do you?? Well do you? Are you sure they are all wrong? Aristotle created the Animal Kingdom classifications, that is good, following Astrology, that is bad. You know what that is? That is cherry picking. And as his little eyes fill with tears threatening to spill over at the rant about NASA, I will just say, “Sorry, that is Mercury conjunct Mars Exhalted, I just can’t control the little rascals.”

* Information found on the web…. for whatever that is worth

Guesstrology

People have commented to me about how quiet I have been.  Us 12th house types tend to isolate ourselves in order to learn compassion, understanding, and wisdom.  In my case it has been retrospective, questioning, festering, and showing little patience.  Maybe that is the transit Mars Rx.  Or it could be my full Moon configuration at birth.  Oooh, or my great grandmother’s natal Harvest Moon. Yeah, I don’t know, but could easily guess some combination.

I have great respect for Horary Astrology and those that practice the craft.  It is a quick turn around to find out how talented you really are with the understanding of what the stars are saying.  I do discount Relationship horarys as they do not give concrete, cut and dry solutions.  Seriously, trying asking the horary “does he think I look fat in this outfit”.  No matter what the horary says, his answer will be, no of course not (barring he does not have a Sag Merc and the will to die).  A good horary reading can easily take over an hour to do, often to the chagrin of the querant and all those pesky details they didn’t mention and tried to hide.

Predictive Astrology is the one place to really test the accuracy and knowledge of an Astrologer.  It can be scary, and often configurations overlooked make the Astrologer look wrong…. I think that is why we don’t see much prediction being done anymore.  Who wants to be wrong when all we have to do is point at something and say, “ah ha, that is why” and not have to back it up with a solid reason.  There is a basic flaw in logic to say x=y when in fact x= y, c, k, and a banana boat.  Input must produce a singular output conclusion or it becomes a Nonlinear equation…. (and my son said, Jeeze Mom, when will I ever use Algebra in real life) If an aspect equals an outcome, we should all be able to predict with ease.  It is maddening to read, “she died because the transit Moon conjunct her Pluto”  That happens to the entire world population every month, we should all be dead by that reasoning!   Or as a friend of mine told me about her child licking his food before tasting it, exclaiming, “There is that Taurus Moon”.  In a few years when the same kid is found licking the windows, maybe the realization of an afflicted Mercury will make more sense.  Then again, maybe they are right, but I don’t remember 1 out of 12 people licking their salad before dining, I should pay more attention.

Astrology is very dear to me and I am saddened by how much guessing is going on and all the back slapping of “Brilliant!” to hear “Brilliant!” being said back and add another to their “friend” list.  Maybe I am in the wrong expecting accountability with readings, new meanings assigned to pieces of space specks, and no way to challenge any of it because of an  ”I said so” mentality.  New Astrology students asking “What does it mean if my Vertex is semi square asteroid Amour” before they can even tell you why Mercury in Pisces is in detriment and fall.  It doesn’t matter, you can answer, I saw that once before and it means blah blah blah, so now it is a Universal truth.  If it gets published and repeated and never questioned… you get the idea. Who needs basics, who needs proof, who needs research, who needs logic, when all you need is a blog and a thousand friends on FaceBook.

The Condition of Sect

Sect, as a concept, is something that has largely been overlooked or misunderstood.  Ironically, it is generally one of the first things looked at to get a general overview of what is going to be helpful or more disadvantageous to the native.  Please note that sect considerations are only used for natal techniques and don’t generally translate over into other branches (though they can be used as testimony for strength in horary or electional).

 The philosophy behind sect is essentially that planets in sect are more helpful than those out of sect.  This means that sect as a method can alter a planet’s benevolent or malevolent nature and it changes based on what time of the day you were born.

 The diurnal sect is led by the Sun and includes Jupiter and Saturn, while the nocturnal sect is led by the Moon and includes Venus and Mars.  Mercury can be in either sect depending on his location from the Sun.  If Mercury rises before the Sun, it belongs to the diurnal sect in that chart, but if it rises after the Sun, it belongs to the nocturnal sect.  Mercury belonging to either sect is not a significant consideration in itself, if there’s a chart where Mercury is a member of the nocturnal sect it does not give the nocturnal sect more “weight” due to outnumbering the diurnal sect.  Sect doesn’t work in this way, the number of planets in either sect is not important in and of itself.

 The sects were chosen based on the temperaments of the planets and share a common philosophy with the triplicities.  The basic idea behind the sect assignments is to make planets nicer by making them more temperate or to increase the beneficial status of a planet by accentuating the more helpful part of its temperament.

 The Sun takes lordship over the diurnal sect since he’s the chief light of the day, but the natural warmth of the day accentuates his natural warmth and makes him more giving.  The same can be said of Jupiter who is a warm and moist planet, being in the natural warmth of the day makes Jupiter warmer and more giving.  Saturn is the oddball in this as he is placed in the diurnal sect to make him less malevolent.  Saturn destroys due to his excessive coldness from being the furthest planet from the Sun, so if we put him in the natural warmth of the daylight, we decrease the excessiveness of his cold and make him more temperate.

 The nighttime sect follows a similar strategy, the Moon takes ladyship because she’s the chief light and the moisture of the night makes her natural moisture more giving.  Venus is naturally moist as well, and the night makes her more beneficial.  Mars is excessively hot and if we place him within the naturally cold and moist setting of the night, we’re evening out his heat and making him chill out.

 Sect and Triplicities seem like the oddballs in the dignities scheme because their basic philosophy seems to run at odds with the philosophy of the other dignities.  Typically, the idea is that planets are nicer when they are in stations that are more naturally like them.  The familiarity or assistance of the area makes them more helpful to people.  It’s the basic idea of why Saturn Trine Jupiter is good (Jupiter’s benevolence decreases Saturn’s malevolence) or why a dignified Mars in Aries tends to be more beneficial than Mars in Libra.  However, sect turns that on its head by forcing Saturn and Mars into stations they are uncomfortable with in the hopes that it will counter their naturally excessive qualities.

 Based on what sect a particular chart belongs to, you will be able to pick out what planets need more attention than others or what areas in life a native needs to be less reckless in.  Always pay attention to the out of sect malefic (Saturn if you’re born at night and Mars if you’re born during the day).  The out of sect malefic will not have its temperament altered and will always be a consistent problem.  The same can be said with the out of sect benefic who tends to try to get you into trouble by doing things that aren’t in your best interest, but feel good to the native.

 There are some other forms of sect related dignity that are used to help planets who may not be in sect.  These are called rejoicing conditions and there are two of them.  The first is that planets prefer to be in their appropriate hemisphere, and the second is that planets prefer to be in signs that match their sect.

 For the first, in a diurnal chart, the Sun is above the horizon (in the 7^th-12^th houses) and the other diurnal planets want to be there too as they can then bask in his light.  The opposite is true at night, where the diurnal planets want to be under the earth to avoid the cold of night.  The opposite is true with the nocturnal planets who want to be in the hemisphere opposite the Sun.  Basically, in a diurnal chart, Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn want to be in 7^th-12^th houses, while Moon Venus, and Mars want to be in 1^st-6^th houses.  The opposite is true in nocturnal charts, where the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn want to be in 1^st-6^th and the nocturnal planets want to be in 7^th-12^th.

 The second rejoicing condition is that diurnal planets want to be in diurnal signs and nocturnal planets want to be in nocturnal signs.  Diurnal signs are masculine signs and nocturnal signs are feminine.  It’s unclear how much the two rejoicing conditions mitigate planets that are out of sect, but it is known that the most significant consideration in sect was the diurnal/nocturnal consideration.

So, how’s your out of sect malefic messing up your life?

The Lives of the Presidents

Happy President’s Day!  Unfortunately, you probably won’t be celebrating it unless you’re a government employee or you work for a bank.  The rest of us will still have to go to work.  This post actually comes from a suggestion by Wintersprite, who suggests that I show my patriotism by testing out a technique with past presidents.  This technique, length of life calculations using the hyleg and alcocodon, is something that many different authors have different criteria for, which only adds to the confusion.  I’m going to be using/comparing Bonatti’s and Lilly’s.  It’s interesting that Lilly has a separate calculation from Bonatti, in many ways Lilly’s Christian Astrology can be seen as a translation of Bonatti’s book on horary.

The hyleg is a planet that grants life in a horoscope and the alcocodon is the planet that represents the number of years you have to live.  There are many different ideas as to how this works and people tend to face a philosophical brick wall when they learn of this technique.  Is it right to look into this?  How do you stop yourself from looking into people you care about after you learn the technique?  There are a few different ideas on what the alcocodon’s years really mean, though very few people tend to accept that the alcocodon is an expiration date.  The most prevalent theory is that the alcocodon represents how many safe years you have, and once these years run out you can face difficult health related incidents from transits and directions to your natal chart.  So, in this respect the alcocodon is said to serve more as a guarantee, shielding you from health complications until its time is up and after this point is when the native is supposed to take their health more seriously.

I’m still somewhat of a newbie when it comes to this technique, so if someone sees a place where I’ve messed up, please correct me.  All examples will show Bonatti’s technique first, then Lilly’s.

• For Bonatti’s method, you ascertain if the chart is diurnal or nocturnal, and if it’s preventional or conjunctional (full moon before birth or new moon before birth).
• In a day chart, you check to see if the Sun is in the First, Eleventh, Tenth, Ninth, or Seventh house, if he’s not, check to see if the Moon is in one of those houses, in a night chart you reverse this order, but check for the Sun in the Second house, or in the Fourth or Fifth houses in a masculine Sign.
• If neither of those and the chart is conjunctional, check the Part of Fortune to see if it is in the First, Eleventh, Tenth, Ninth, or Seventh house.  If it is, see if any of its lords aspect it, if so, PoF is Hyleg.
• If PoF is not in one of those houses, take the lord that aspects it as hyleg.
• If none of its rulers aspects the Hyleg, check the degree of the prior lunation, see if its almuten is in a hylegal place (First, Eleventh, Tenth, Ninth, Seventh), take that planet as Hyleg.
• If none of those, you can take the degree of the last lunation if it aspects one of its rulers.
• If none of those, the hyleg is said to be frustrated and the native dies young.
• A hyleg must aspect either its domicile, exaltation, triplicity, face, or term lord, as that planet will be the alcocodon.

Lilly’s method is a bit more straightforward.

• Diurnal charts- Check for the Sun in a hylegal place, if not, check for the Moon there.
• If neither Sun nor Moon, check the rulers of the previous New Moon
• If not, check the PoF and its rulers.
• If not, check the Ascendant and its rulers.
• If not, the Hyleg is frustrated.
• The only difference between nocturnal and dirunal charts is you check the Moon first, then the Sun, then you check the degree of the previous Full Moon.

Our first presidential test subject will be Woodrow Wilson (also requested from Wintersprite).  All of these charts will be done in Bonatti’s technique first, followed by Lilly’s.  I’ll outline the technique as we go and make points about it towards the end.

Woodrow Wilson 12-29-1856, 0045, Staunton, VA

Woodrow Wilson has a nocturnal chart, and there was a New Moon prior to his birth, making his chart conjunctional.  His Moon is not hyleg because it’s below the horizon at night, his Sun is not hyleg because it’s in a feminine sign and in a cadent house.  Bonatti then tells us to check the Ascendant.  We see the Ascendant makes a Trine to its domicile Lord Venus, so we take his Ascendant to be his Hyleg and Venus to be his alcocodon.  Venus is peregrine and succeedant, so we’ll take her middle years of 45.  She is unafflicted by Mars and Saturn, and is not assisted by Jupiter, so there is no calculation necessary.  Wilson’s years are 45.

Lilly takes us down a different path.  Neither the Moon nor Sun are hyleg, so we check the degree of the prevention since it’s a night chart.  The last full moon fell on 21° Gemini.  Mercury and the Sun do not aspect this point in Wilson’s natal chart, but Saturn does.  Saturn is our hyleg and he makes an opposition to Mercury who is his face lord, and thus becomes our alcocodon.  Mercury has 48 years as its middling, but it receives the full force of that opposition from a debilitated Saturn which would have us subtract 30 years, leaving us with 18.

Woodrow Wilson passed when he was 67.

John F. Kennedy 5-29-1917 1500, Brookline MA

John Kennedy has a diurnal chart, so we start with the Sun who is not hyleg in the 8th house.  The Moon though, can be hyleg since she’s in a feminine sign and in the Eleventh.  The Moon is forming a tight Square with its triplicity and face lord Venus who will then serve as our alcocodon.  Venus is unaspected by any malefic or benefic planet, and so signifies her middle years of 45.

Likewise, Lilly concurs with the above.  Moon is hyleg, Venus is alcocodon.  45 years.

JFK passed when he was 46.

Gerald Ford, 7-14-1913 0043, Omaha, NE

Gerald Ford has a nocturnal chart conjunctional chart.  The Moon can’t be hyleg because it doesn’t aspect any of its rulers.  The Sun can’t be hyleg in a feminine sign under the earth.  The Ascendant, then, is hyleg and aspects Mercury who is its term ruler and then becomes the alcocodon.  Mercury suffers a Square to Mars.  We take Mercury’s middle years of 48 and subtract Mars’s minor of 15, which gives us 33.

Lilly’s method gives us the almuten of the prevention (Mars) as his hyleg and Jupiter as his alcocodon.  Jupiter forms no aspects to a benefic or malefic planet and so gives us his middle years of 45.5

Gearald Ford passed at the age of 93.

James Garfield, 11-19-1831, 0200, Orange, OH

James Garfield has a nocturnal and conjunctional chart.  His Moon is his hyleg and and Jupiter is his alcocodon.  Jupiter receives a Trine from Venus and a Square from Mars.  So we take Jupiter’s middle years of 45.5 and add Venus’s lesser years of 8 which gives us 53.6, but then we must subtract Mars’s lesser years of 15 and gives us 38.

Lilly’s technique gives us the same results.

James Garfield passed away at age 49

William Taft; 9-15-1857, 2000, Cincinnati, OH

Taft has a nocturnal and preventional chart.  His Moon isn’t hyleg under the earth, Sun isn’t hyleg, and the PoF isn’t hyleg either.  So we’ll check the degree of the Full Moon prior to birth, and that was at 11° Pisces.  That degree does sextile his natal Jupiter, so we’ll take Jupiter to be his alcocodon while his preventional degree is his hyleg.  Jupiter does take a Square from Mars, though, and we’ll take the middle years of Jupiter (45) and subtract from then Mars’s lesser years (15), and get our length of 30.

Lilly takes a different road and instead suggests taking the almuten of the prevention as the hyleg.  Jupiter is in the first house and can serve as hyleg.  Jupiter closely squares its domicile lord Venus who will serve as our alcocodon.  Venus aspects a benefic Mercury (taking on the nature of the planet it is closest in aspect to) and so we’ll add 45 + 20 (Mercury’s lesser years) and arrive at 65.

William Taft passed away at 72.

Ulysses Grant, 4-27-1822, 0547, Point Pleasant, OH

Ulysses Grant has a diurnal and conjunctional chart.  The Sun can’t be hyleg in the 12th, but the Moon can be hyleg in the Fourth in a feminine sign.  The Moon receives a Trine from Venus who serves as her triplicity ruler.  So the Moon is hyleg and Venus is the alcocodon.  Venus has no aspects to a benefic or malefic.  So we’ll take her middle years of 45.

Lilly’s technique concurs with Bonatti’s exactly and gives 45 years.

Ulysses Grant lived until he was 63.

Warren Harding, 11-2-1865, 1430, Blooming Grove, OH

Warren Harding has a diurnal and conjunctional chart.  This one is a really tricky one.  His Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are all not eligible to be hyleg, so we have to go with the prior lunation degree which was a New Moon at 26° Libra.  Natal Jupiter aspects this place, so Jupiter becomes our alcocodon.  Harding has a wonderfully strong Jupiter, so we’ll take his greater years of 79.

According to Lilly’s technique, Warren Harding would not have a hyleg and it would be considered frustrated.  This would typically mean that the native wouldn’t live to be an adult.

Warren Harding passed away at age 57.

Rutherford Hayes, 10-4-1822, 2130, Delaware, OH

Rutherford Hayes has a nocturnal preventional chart.  The Moon cannot be hyleg in the 12th house.  The Sun cannot be hyleg because it does not aspect any of its rulers.  The Part of Fortune has a similar tale.  So we’ll go with the last lunation which occured at 7° Aries.  The Sun opposes this point, so we’ll take him to be our alcocodon as exaltation lord of the syzgy.  The Sun’s middle years are 69, and he trines Jupiter to get an additional 12 years which makes our total 81.

Lilly’s technique would agree, but arrive at the prior lunation at a sooner step.

Rutherford Hayes passed away at 70 years old.

Lyndon Johnson, 8-27-1908, 0500, Hye TX

Lyndon Johnson has a nocturnal and conjunctional chart. Luckily, the Moon can be hyleg in the first house and she is closely conjoined to her domicile and exaltation lord, so no need to look far for our alcocodon.  Mercury is wonderfully strong, so we’ll take its greater years of 76, and it does not receive aspects from any of the benefics or malefics.

Lilly’s technique concurs with Bonatti’s.

Lyndon Johnson passed away at 64.

Chester Arthur, 10-5-1829, 0607, Fairfield VA

Chester Arthur has a diurnal and conjunctional chart.  This one is pretty slam dunk.  Sun is hyleg on the Ascendant, it aspects its exaltation lord Saturn, who serves as our alcocodon.  Saturn is in detriment, but accidentally fortified, so we’ll get his middle years of 43.5.  Saturn also trines Jupiter, who will then add his lesser years of 12 into the equation which gives us 55.5 years of life.

Lilly’s technique would give us much the same answer.

Chester Arthur passed away at 57.

Of the ten examples, John F. Kennedy and Chester Arthur were pretty spot on while others were quite off.  Lilly himself expressed displeasure at this technique, so I guess it’s no surprise that it didn’t come out so well.  The ones who outlived their alcocodons would probably be the norm, but the ones who didn’t outlive theirs are the ones to be concerned about as far as technique applications go.  Modern medicine is a wonderful thing, so it’s really no surprise that people would live longer.

Pluto… it is like Neptune without lubricant

The current Pluto transit is conjunct my Sun in the 12th and opposed my Moon in the 6th.   I don’t  much of a difference than when the same path was taken by Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune except the naked intensity.   Having the Sun in the 12th is a position of dissolving one’s ego.  The outer planets in bad aspect really make sure of the ego punches.  Now I am on Pluto’s dance card.

Facebook was the vehicle for my own self  undoing.  I had friends, friends of friends, and friends that had a few thousand other friends.  Vulnerable and ever trusting, I took it all to be honest.  Blogs popped up everywhere.  Some from authors I greatly respect, many others by those that are sharing what they have learned, others by…. well anyone with a computer can run a blog.   I notice some would say “achoo” and get thirty responses of “bless you”… I felt so lonesome with my on my status getting one like…. and that being a family member.  I cultivated  wonderful friendships, made out of late night messaging, dealing with dramas and life altering moments, the stuff love is made of.  Then these new friends friended my old friends, the familiarity they used publishing comments took me back.  I did start seriously questioning my abilities and how stingy I was not showering everyone with what I reserve for those I care for.  Then the final straw, my self esteem plummeted to new lows.  People that I have respected for various reasons were now announcing to Facebook, their spending habits and showing off what was purchased, or how much a bill was for something.  There were thumbs up all over those posts and chatty conversations about their purchases or preferences.  It really read as very hollow, once forgotten and then it would happen again and again.  I wondered where my friends, and where my life went.  Over a year of Facebook and it seemed to be challenging all of my beliefs and where I draw boundaries.  I found I was crippled and didn’t want to face realities (such as bills) and didn’t feel competent enough to write and lost interest in Astrology.

Pluto has hit my Sun conjunct once and then retrograde and now back again.  I joined up as a moderator on an Astrology forum.  I needed to be surrounded by Astrologers and students.  With transit Saturn going through the ninth house, limitations in Astrology the forum moderating fit the bill.  I wanted to unfriend many on Facebook, but feared a chain reaction not seens since the declarations of WWI and the inner-fighting and posturing of allies.  I eventually realized that, well…. that I am not that important.  So I did cut away mostly people that had over 200 friends, figuring I was just a number, not a person.  I still have friends that are considered important that also concentrate on material acquisitions, and am okay with it…. I have an intercepted Leo in the seventh.  Maybe I need these friends as a reminder, we are here in physical forms in a physical world.  The name dropping, took a bit but I did finally notice that the authors never name drop or acknowledge their name dropping friend.  As for those blogs written by anyone that can figure out how to use WordPress… well hell, I may just very well be one of them and busy projecting my own doubts and fears.

Some of you following along with different posts here and there know that I am having some health issues.  Walking is almost impossible now.  I do use a cane if I am going anywer… but it is a matter of time I will have to get a wheel chair.  This last month as Pluto zoned in an exact conjunct, my sister (whom I rely on greatly) had a surgery that kept her home bound.  I had to rely on others (that I even paid, mind you) and the resentment was palatable.   There is the conference happening in New Orleans this year, and I was all set to go… but things didn’t pan out that way.  Honestly, I am grateful that I am not going.   I would need to rely on someone to just get around or a “hey, could you go get me a soda”.  That didn’t set well with me… and there are going to be people there I have met here online and shared notes and such.  I would like to meet these people full on my feet and healthy.  I know, it doesn’t matter does it?  Well, just using a cane, I find people will speak slowly and louder while nodding their heads at me.  If I am with another person, they will talk to that person about me in third person… like I am zoned out and standing  there drooling.   So for now, it is all good… hoping by the next retrograde over my Sun, I will let the feeling sorry for myself dissolve and find how I can take charge.  There are many others who have had bigger limitations not stop them.

The Pluto transit is much like the other ones, but definitely intense.   Once you walk the uncomfortable path of fire, there is a confidence in knowing you do not know.  There is a liberation in the realization that you can not control others or the outcome.  The only thing you are in control of us your own perception and how you choose respond.  It feels like being able to take a nap in the midst of a tornado.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable

spark in the hopeless swaps of the not-quite,

the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero

in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the

life you deserved and have never been able to reach.

The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real,

 it is possible .. it’s yours.

~Ayn Rand~

Astrology: Neptune, you have overstayed your welcome.

I really had to narrow down from a long list on what to name this blog posting.  I was tempted to go with, don’t let the door hit you on your way out.  How about putting out fire with gasoline.  I thought that one interesting since we don’t associate Neptune with fire, but it fit.  Finally, I can say I am not tied in with Neptune and a series of conjunctions that have lasted most of my life.  Progression wise, there is distance also.  The only thing to watch will be the Neptune Solar Arc, sitting on my Natal Sun and Transit Pluto.  I hope that won’t be as potentially explosive as it sounds.  I have come to discover how dependent and co dependent behavior are the putting the fire out with gasoline that I mentioned.

Compassion is the word I most associated with Neptune.  Familiarity does breed contempt, now I also associate dishonesty, apathy, delusion, and addiction with the planet.  As the Planet of  shattered dreams ebbs away from any direct hits, I have slowly realized how I created my own hell.  And how did I manage that?  Compassion was my gasoline.  I can and have made excuses for everyone.  My daughter had caught on to my pattern and reminds me that I can not date anyone I feel sorry for, yeah that has kept me at home for the last year.

I think that the love of freedom that springs from my Aquarian housed planets assumes that everyone will treat each other fairly.  My natal Neptune is on the MC, I am a beacon for lost souls.  This is not a great combination, as they square each other.  How does one show compassion and yet not keep the cycle going?  One is to realize that nothing is as it seems.  What might be uncomfortable is just that, rarely is it a matter of life or death.   Is the quick fix and giving in really doing anyone a favor?  Probably not, and often the peripheral damage is the worst. (just ask children of alcoholics what I mean)

So now that I no longer want to encourage ill behaviors, how can I change it?  The fog has lifted, I can only change myself.  I have to set boundaries and enforce them.  I am not taking away from anyone, just protecting myself…. and in the long run giving the dependent  person their own set of guidelines on how to deal with me.  All around it sounds healthy, right?  Accepting anything less is the old Neptune shell game.

The Year of the Water Dragon

Though not traditional western astrology, Chinese astrology has its own tradition and system that’s worth acknowledging.  In previous years I’ve posted up a series of predictions using the Chinese astrological system that were written by Dr. Maoshing Ni.  Unfortunately I don’t have access to his predictions at this time.  However, I thought I would leave you with this link to a page by Feng Shui and Bazi consultant Laurent Langlais which offers insight into the year ahead using the same method.  It’s a very interesting look on the future, and probably one many of us saw coming.  Enjoy!

Theresa’s 2012 Solar Return

As is tradition, Theresa asked me to do her solar return chart for this year.

If you recall from earlier solar returns, you’ll remember that Theresa has had failing health these past couple of years.  This year seems to maintain the status quo, with Venus as lord of the first peregrine in Leo.  Venus is unafflicted by other planets, which is good, but she’s not being assisted by another benefic planet either.  I would suggest Theresa be extra careful, the fifth house is usually associated with fun and games and such, but it could show injuries and accidents due to those games.  The threat of this doesn’t appear to be very real, though, as Venus is unafflicted.

The lord of the sixth house is Jupiter who resides in Taurus and is received by the lord of the first.  This does not bode well for health in the coming year as this reception signifies the lady of life allowing the lord of sickness to do what he wants in her house.  While Jupiter is naturally benefic, he is afflicted by an opposition to Saturn which makes him less capable of doing good which could wind up being dangerous to our native.  It looks as if health continues to be a challenging issue this year and continues to worsen.  Specifically, I’m concerned about hypothyroidism or other such disorders in the glands within and around (lymph nodes) the neck.

Finances for the next year are signified by Mars.  Mars is peregrine and in the 12^th house, which is not a good sign for wealth in the upcoming year.  Saturn on the 2^nd house cusp shows that the budget will likely be tightened more.  This Mars also shows our natives prospective relationships for the next year, and its unfortunate station will show in that area of life as well; most likely showing long distance relationships that don’t work out with Mars being in a cadent house.

Career is shown by the Moon, and it doesn’t seem to be very beneficial either.  She is peregrine and in a cadent house, and she is also afflicted by Mars.  This can show difficulty in getting ideas or projects completed or recognized as well as an inability to acquire a good station or receive “brand recognition”.

 

The solar return’s ascendant is in Therea’s natal Ninth house, and could show a more prominent focus on ninth house matters this year.  This may give Theresa renewed desire to learn and study subjects she may have cast aside, or it could convince her to become a nun.  More likely, though, it will give her more energy to complete astrological study and check off a few goals from her list.  Her natal Ascendant is in the solar return chart’s Fourth house, which can show a renewed focus on the home and domestic matters (she currently has several projects underway as she’s attempting to remodel parts of her house) or perhaps an interest in preparing her will other other posthumous preparations.

This year also marks Theresa’s 12^th house profection, meaning that twelfth house affairs will come more to the front this year.  This could result in increased isolative and depressed tendencies which should be avoided.  Jupiter is lord of her twelfth in the third, showing an emphasis on communicating and could show a return to her work in writing.  Her Sun is also in her twelfth house, which could show some contemplation being had about what she wants to do in life and how she feels she could accomplish it.

Many well wishes to Theresa in the coming year, take care of yourself and keep your strength up!!

 

Horary Technique: Receptions

Receptions are one of the more misunderstood aspects of astrology, and it’s really a shame because they play an important part in judgments.  The disconnect between the astrologer and receptions has mostly come about because of two different models.  The models share the same mechanical basis, but their interpretive qualities have different foci.  In the previous article in this series we discussed aspects, and in it was included Bonatti’s helpful Table of Perfection which assesses the likelihood of an aspectual contact in a horary chart manifesting which relied heavily on the receptions involved in the individual aspects.

Reception is defined as when planet A is in any part of the zodiac that planet B has dignities.  Mercury (planet B) receives any planet (planet A) that is in Gemini, Virgo, the air signs in a night chart, and in its Face or any of its terms.  This is the same for any other planet and is somewhat correct in all forms of the reception model.  A more modern and incorrect model of reception would hold the reception to be the other way around, where any planet in those signs is receiving Mercury, which isn’t the case.

Planets in this relationship have a similar function to host and guest.  The receiving planet is obligated to care for or attend to the planet that is currently visiting its place in the zodiac.  With our above example, Mercury would receive and feel obligated to tend to Mars in Gemini as best as Mercury was capable of doing.  This brings us to our final discrepancy in the various reception models where some astrologers hold they have a love/hate paradigm instead of a host/guest.  Mercury is neutral to Mars in Gemini, and Mars feels the same way towards Mercury.  Reception does not show love or like, but shows willingness which – depending on context – can be interpreted as something very similar to love or hate, but it is not always the case.  It is best to stick to the host/guest paradigm where the host planet is willing to allow the guest planet to do what it wants and provide for it to work towards that goal.

Mutual Reception and Single Reception

A major form of reception is the mutual reception, wherein two planets receive each other simultaneously.  Mars in Gemini and Mercury in Aries is an example of mutual reception by domicile, which is an excellent set up to have in a horary where Mercury and Mars are significators.  Mutual reception can also occur through differing levels of reception, such as Mars in Gemini and Mercury in Capricorn where Mercury receives Mars by domicile, and Mars receives Mercury through exaltation.  This example would merely be a toned down version of the first example.

Mutual reception is not the only form of reception.  Individual planets can receive others without being received in turn; such as the Moon in Sagittarius is received by Jupiter, without Jupiter necessarily needing to be in any of the Moon’s dignities.  This example shows Jupiter’s willingness to provide for and assist the Moon in her endeavors, without showing the Moon’s willingness to return the favor.   

Direction of Reception

Due to the host/guest idea, there is some real room for abuse and many warnings handed down to us about who receives whom.  In electional astrology, we’re told that if mutual reception is impossible, we want the quesited to receive the querent.  Basically, if we can’t guarantee mutual agreement, we want our querent to come out ahead (they are the ones paying us, after all).  If Mercury is our querent and Mars is our queisted, we want Mars to receive Mercury.  If Mercury is Mars’s guest, then Mercury is able to do what he wants and Mars is more likely to give in to Mercury’s requests.  More dramatically, we see these rules spelled out for us in Christian Astrology where Lilly tells us to beware of the Lord of the First receiving the Lord of the Eighth, as it’s an argument of death.  In this example, think of the Lord of the Eighth as a vampire that the Lord of the First has unwittingly invited into its home.  Now the Lord of the First has to tend to this vampire and let it do what it wants as its humble host.  Too bad the Lord of the Eighth wants to kill it.  However, if it was reversed and the Lord of the Eighth received the Lord of the First, our Lord of Death will allow the Lord of Life to do what it wants to do, which is to continue living.  So pay careful attention to the direction of reception to see who is helping whom.

Perfect Reception and Aspects

Not all forms of dignity are equal, and once we move away from the major dignities of domicile and exaltation and start going towards the lesser dignities of triplicity, face, and term, we need to start stacking dignities.  Individual planets have more control over the signs they have major dignities in, and don’t have as much control over the areas where they have minor dignities.  The Moon at 1°Cancer is not being received by Mars, because being in Mars’s Term is not a strong enough dignity to be able to receive on its own.  However, if it’s during a night chart, then Mars will also receive the Moon by triplicity, which makes it a perfect reception because it’s two forms of minor reception.  The same interpretations are applied to this form of reception as are applied to the major receptions by domicile and exaltation.

Typically, reception needs an aspect to mediate the planets.  We’ll consider a reception between significators a “will” to work together, and consider the aspect between them the “way” in which to do it.  Planets in reception but lacking aspectual contact show a will without a way.  So, our Jupiter in Capricorn might have the will to work with or assist the Moon in Sagittarius, but since they are in signs that don’t behold one another, there is not a way for Jupiter to do this.

Generosity

As an exemption from the above rule, planets that are in mutual reception do not necessarily require an aspect between them to manifest.  Venus in Scorpio and Mars in Libra receive one another and are in aversion to one another, but the force of the reception between the two can still bring about their signification if the rest of the chart is generally fortunate with few mitigating malefic influences.  A generosity is much weaker than a reception with an aspect (redundancy for clarity) as it depends on other chart features, whereas the perfect reception and aspect is generally a strong enough testimony to show manifestation, while the other chart factors are likely to describe how much effort it’s going to take to achieve it.

Please note that a reception with an aspect is what is properly called a “reception” whereas a situation that looks like a reception but lacks an aspect is a “generosity”.  Venus in Scorpio applying an opposition to Mars in Taurus is a reception, Venus in Scorpio and Mars in Libra is a generosity.

Negative Reception

On a final note, there is such a thing as negative reception.  This is when a planet that signifies a thing is in the detriment or fall of the querent’s significator or vice versa.  We’ll take Venus in Taurus as significator and Mars in Aquarius.  Mars has negative reception with Venus because she is in one of his signs of detriment, essentially, Venus damages Mars in some way and Mars ends up rejecting her.  This can happen the other way around where Venus can reject Mars if he is in her detriment.  This is something that isn’t as cut and dry as the receptions rules where you want the queisted receiving the querent.  It doesn’t really matter who is rejecting who as there is equal likelihood of both parties being injured or spurned in some way.  Having the querent reject the queisted could be positive and show the querent having the upper hand and turning down the queisted, or it could show the queisted injuring the querent in a way that concurs with the rest of the chart.