Anthony Louis's Blog, page 17

Storks, Symmetry and the Concept of Argala in Jaimini Astrology

The Jaimini Sutras, aka Upadesa Sutras, is an ancient Sanskrit text of Hindu astrology, attributed to the sage Jaimini. According to astrologer Gary Gomes, whose lectures I have been fortunate to attend over the years, “I believe that Jaimini astrology is one of the truly great Vedic astrology traditions, capable of giving great depth of information for astrologers. In essence, Jaimini produces clusters of information which can give extraordinarily accurate traditions, through a different organization of basic astrological information.”

Early in the first chapter of his text, Rishi Jaimini explains how the zodiac signs (aka Rasi) are able to look at each other. There are the so-called “Rasi aspects.” The cardinal (movable) signs can see all the fixed signs, except the one adjacent. The fixed signs can see all the cardinal signs, except the one adjacent. The mutable (dual) signs can see all the other mutable signs. Planets within a sign that looks at (aspects) another sign are able to influence the sign being viewed and any planets therein.

Immediately after explaining the Rasi (sign to sign) aspects, Jaimini discusses the topic of argala, which pertains to whole-sign “houses” or places (what the Greeks called topoi) and the planets within them. In this system, one whole-sign “place” can either support or hinder another whole-sign place, depending on their relative distances from each other along the zodiac circle and a certain type of symmetry.

Before discussing the astrological meaning of argala, it will be useful to consider its various meanings in Sanskrit. A common dictionary definition, and one often quoted by astrologers trying to explain what Jaimini meant, is that an argala is a wooden bolt or pin used to latch a door or to fasten the lid of a vessel. In this sense, it is a kind of bar, check, external bolt, obstacle, restriction or impediment which keeps the door, or the lid, shut and prevents free movement.

Digging a little deeper into the etymology of the word argala, we find that it comes into English from the Latin argala, from Bengali হাড়গিলা (haṛgila), also transcribed hurghila. In this sense, argala refers to a bird, namely, the greater adjutant, (Leptoptilos argala, aka Leptoptilos dubius), a stork native to Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. In places where snakes were a threat to the human population, the Greater Adjutant stork helped and supported the community by keeping the lid on the population of dangerous reptiles.

1855 illustration of a Greater Adjutant stork (Leptoptilos argala) hunting a snake from Wikipedia

How did the argala stork get its name, “the greater adjutant”? This stork was called “greater” because of its huge size, its average length being about 4 1/2 feet. Why “adjutant,” which is the name of a military officer who acts as an administrative assistant to a senior officer? Because of the bird’s resemblance to a human figure in stiff dress (like the uniform of an adjutant military officer) pacing slowly on a parade-ground. By analogy, a planet in an adjutant or “argala” position or place in the chart acts like an assistant, helper or supporter to a senior officer. Unfortunately, different Jaimini scholars offer differing understandings of what the sage meant by argala. For example, B.S. Rao, in the 1955 edition of his translation of the Sutras, states the following:

In the first line (Su. 5), Jaimini’s Sanskrit literally reads: 4th (dara), 2nd (bhagya), 11th (sula), places (sth), argala, nidhyatuh (ought to be be considered). In the previous section, Jaimini has just discussed the aspects of the zodiac signs. Here he is saying that from any of the zodiac signs, the signs (or the planets) which are in the 4th, 2nd or 11th from it [presumably in zodiacal order] ought be be considered argalas, which could be understood as a kind of bolt or fastener, or by analogy with the Leptoptilos argala stork, as a kind of adjutant bird, assistant or helper. Jaimini scholars agree that this type of argala, from the 4th, 2nd or 11th places relative to a zodiac sign, is a helpful influence to any planets in that sign. It is important to note that Jaimini specifies the order of places as 4th, 2nd and 11th.

In the next sutra, B.V. Rao explains that a predominance of malefic planets in the 3rd place gives rise to an inauspicious argala.

Finally, certain places and obstruct the beneficial argalas of the 4th, 2nd and 11th place. Note again Jaimini’s order when he writes that planets in the 10th, 12th and 3rd places can obstruct or impede the argalas. Most scholars understand this to refer to a certain symmetry: planets in the 10th obstruct the argala of those in the 4th, planets in the 12th obstruct those in the 2nd, and planets in the 3rd obstruct those in the 11th. The following diagram illustrates this symmetry and raises a question about planets in the 5th and the 9th.

Symmetry of planets forming argala to the sign and planet P at the top of the zodiac wheel, and planets obstructing those argalas. To maintain the symmetry, does the 5th sign from P obstruct the argala from the 9th sign, or vice versa?

The Primum Mobile in Astrology

Recently I had a conversation with an astrological colleague about Ptolemy’s geocentric model of the universe, which consists of a series of nested spheres whose motion depends upon the movement of an outermost sphere called the “primum mobile” or prime mover. Because this Ptolemaic geocentric model rests at the heart of Western astrology, I thought it would be worth investigating it a bit further in this blog.

Over the centuries following Ptolemy, his 2nd century CE theory of concentric celestial spheres was modified by subsequent authors on the basis of new scientific observations and differing philosophical and theological views. The medieval version of the Ptolemaic system defines the primum mobile as an outer sphere which moves around the earth every 24 hours, carrying the inner spheres with it. What initially sets this outermost sphere in motion is the will of a patriarchal God and his love for his creation, although He may send one of his angels from the Empyrean to look after it. A version of Ptolemy’s system was popularized by Dante in his Divine Comedy, in which he made the primum mobile the 9th of the ten heavens comprising his Paradiso.

A popular Renaissance model of Ptolemy’s scheme can be found in the 1539 diagram of Petri Apiani, reproduced here from Wikipedia.

The Nested Celestial Spheres of the Geocentric Universe

In Apiani’s version of Ptolemy’s scheme, the center of the Earth is at the center of the universe. Around the Earth, there appear the spheres of the seven visible planets in order of their relative speeds and distances from the Earth. Beyond the orb of Saturn, the furthest planet visible to the naked eye, lies the 8th sphere of the fixed stars and constellations.

Just outside the 8th sphere of fixed stars and their constellations lies a starless 9th sphere labelled “Nonu coelum cristallinum” or the 9th crystalline sky, presumably added to make the model consistent with the Old Testament account of creation in the Bible (Genesis 1:7) which posits the presence of “waters” above the firmament of fixed stars. The 8th orb of fixed stars and constellations and the 9th crystalline sphere each begin at 0 degrees Aries, suggesting that the zodiac depicted in the 9th sphere is the sidereal zodiac. The zodiac of the 10th and outermost sphere appears to be the tropical zodiac, offset from the sidereal zodiac of the 9th sphere by the factor of the precession of the equinoxes. Thus, God apparently established the tropical zodiac, with its twelve equally sized signs, as part of the 10th sphere when he created the primum mobile at the Big Bang. This idea of the 12 zodiacal signs being essential building blocks of the universe from the very beginning is consistent with Bonatti’s statement that “the signs are not corrupted but the elements are corrupted” by the motion of the stars, which causes the elements to combine in various proportions and thereby generate the multitude of entities in existence.

This card from the 1465 Mantenga tarot depicts the angel in charge of the outermost sphere, that is, the orb of the primum mobile or first moved mover of the system of nested celestial spheres.
Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primum_Mobile

Outside of the crystalline 9th sphere lies the 10th sphere, which is called “Decimum coelum primu mobile” or the 10th heaven, first mover. The metaphor here is that God is a watchmaker who has created an exquisite clock, which we know as our universe. This clock is powered by a spring, the primum mobile, which God has wound up with the force of his will. In his 2016 doctoral dissertation in Philosophy about the Primum Mobile, John G. Brungardt translates “primum mobile” as the first moved mover, meaning that God set the outermost sphere into motion to keep the entire universe running like clockwork. Brungardt also cites a cogent quote about the value of studying the symbolic significance of ancient theories, such as that of Ptolemy, even though they are currently at variance with the world view of modern science:

“From the fact that the experimental sciences go farther in the direction of concretion one cannot conclude that they can be substituted for the philosophy of nature of the ancients. To identify the philosophy of nature with the experimental sciences which are only its dialectical extension is to destroy it in its root, to deny the most certain part of our knowledge of nature, as well as its most noble natural subject. For that reason, the identification of the two misses in the most complete manner the point of the ancients and of wisdom.”
— Charles De Koninck, cited from “Are the Experimental Sciences Distinct from the Philosophy of Nature?“

Finally, Apiani’s diagram shows the Empyrean lying outside the ten celestial spheres. The Empyrean is the dwelling place of God (“Habitaculum Dei”) and the chosen ones who have made their way to heaven. The word ’empyrean’ comes via medieval Latin from Greek empurios, from en- ‘in’ + pur ‘fire’ and is the location of the pure Fire element, which is associated with the light and brightness of the divine spirit. The Empyrean lies outside the scheme of nested celestial spheres, just as the clockmaker resides outside the clock which he has constructed and set in motion.

God as Watchmaker, sitting in his Empyrean, builds an elaborate clock (our universe) and sets it in motion by adding a Prime Mover (primum mobile) to keep it going.
Image from https://tyrannyoftradition.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/watchmaker.jpg

Temporal “Aspects” in Ancient Astrology

Recently I watched a Webinar by Kenneth Bowser on “in mundo aspects” which he had given at the 2022 ISAR conference. In it, he revisits a theme which he wrote about in The Mountain Astrologer in 1996 in which he stated:

“Several terms in contemporary use are huddled under the umbrella of aspects in mundo: mundane conjunctions, squares and oppositions, parans, paranatellontai, mundane aspects and aspects in the mundane sphere. They all refer to that category of aspects which takes the Earth’s equator as the point of reference, hence the Latin word mundo from mundus, that is, “the world.” Accordingly, instead of celestial longitude, which is the argument for aspects in zodiaco, aspects in mundo are generally reckoned in right ascension expressed in time, or less often in degrees of arc without a zodiacal sign attached. Mundane aspects have fallen out of general use because they are regarded as too much of a bother to calculate from scratch, and right ascension has been omitted from most astrological ephemerides for decades.”

The major part of the webinar dealt with several chart examples of prominent individuals whose planets were situated at birth in such a way that at some moment within hours of their nativity those planets would enter into a parantellonta configuration by simultaneously conjoining the meridian and horizon axes. According to Kenneth, the influence of the potential paran configuration is significant even if the planets are not near the Angles at the moment of birth. He writes in his 1996 article:

” the power of the aspect at the birthplace is not diminished because the planets become simultaneously angular later. That the relationship has formed between bodies such that they would be on angles for the birth time and place is what makes the aspect. Moreover, the effect is imprinted on the psyche as with zodiacal aspects; and even though the effect can be diminished by moving to a locale that weakens the aspect, this writer’s experience suggests that mundane aspects effective at the birth parallel are never rendered null and void in terms of the character traits they symbolize, but their circumstance potential is compromised if the native moves away from the places where the planets are strongest.”

Curious about the origin of this idea of hidden or potential parans in the natal chart that would have a powerful influence even though the paran configuration was not in effect at the moment of birth, I searched through several ancient sources (Rhetorius, Porphyry, Antiochus, etc.) to no avail. It may be that such a traditional source exists and I have simply been unable to find it.

What I did find, however, is another type of non-obvious configuration that links planets, is in effect at the moment of birth and presumably can powerfully color the nativity. Antiochus of Athens refers to such configurations as the “temporal differentia, which Antigonus and Phnaes the Egyptian and certain others have recorded, and they named an isosceles triangle of the ascensions of the zoidia” (from page 17 of Robert Schmidt’s translation of the Thesaurus of Antiochus). These are “temporal” or time-based configurations measured in the amount of time it takes for the zodiacal signs to rise to the horizon. In this system, 24 hours = 360 degrees, 8 hours = 120 degrees (a temporal trine), 6 hours = 90 degrees (a temporal square), and so on.

Antigonus gives an example which is repeated by Rhetorius and by Porphyry in their writings. I will summarize the technique from Holden’s translation of Porphyry. Let the Sun be in the 1st degree of Aries, and another planet be in the early degrees of Leo, in a chart cast for Alexandria. Which degree of Leo will be in temporal trine to 0 Aries? The illustration here shows a chart cast for the Sun in the 1st degree of Aries with 0 Aries rising in Alexandria in the year 2022:

Aries rising with Sun in 1st degree of Aries in Alexandria, Egypt in 2022

The rising times of the zodiac signs appear in the center of the wheel. We wish to know the sum of the rising times of the signs from 0 Aries to 0 Leo:

Aries 20.85 + Taurus 24.13 + Gemini 29.80 + Cancer 34.56 = 109.34 degrees, which is less than the 120 degrees in a temporal trine by 10.66 degrees.

The rising time of Leo is 35.69, so to calculate which degree in Leo corresponds to a temporal trine form 0 Aries we multiply the 30 degrees in the sign Leo by the ration 10.66 / 35.69, which equals 8.96 degrees of Leo. Thus, if a planet falls at about 9 degrees of Leo, it will be in temporal trine to the Sun in the 1st degree of Aries.

Following the same method, you can find the temporal sextile and square aspects.

Kurt Cobain Natal Chart

Let’s do a similar exercise with Kurt Cobain’s chart. He appears to have a favorable trine between Jupiter in late Cancer and a Venus/Saturn conjunction in late Pisces. We need to calculate the rising times of the signs between Saturn and Jupiter.

Saturn has 1.27 degrees remaining in Pisces which has a rising time of 15.35, hence 1.27 / 30 x 15.35 = 0.65 degrees to which we must add the rising times of Aries, Taurus and Gemini (15.35 + 19.31 + 27.65 = 62.31), giving a total of 62.96 degrees until the beginning of Cancer.

Jupiter lies at 25.7 degrees of Cancer, which has a rising time of 36.71, thus 25.7 / 30 x 36.71 = 31.45 degrees, which we must add to 62.96 degrees for a grand total of 94.4 degrees measured temporally between Saturn and Jupiter, which is close to a temporal square aspect. Both Claudius Ptolemy and William Lilly commented that sometimes a trine aspect involving signs of short ascension displays the stressful properties of a square.

Modern astrologers rarely consider temporal aspects, but they are part of our tradition and can add subtle nuances which are not apparent from aspects formed along the ecliptic.

The time of the Queen’s passing

As I write this, we still do not have official word of the exact moment of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022. According to an article in the Washington Post, “At 6:41 p.m. London time, more than six hours after the murmurs started, the Twitter account of the royal family made the announcement: ‘The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.’ “

Hours earlier there was several unofficial reports that the Queen had died. Perhaps reporters got the information from various sources but could not get official confirmation. For example, at 3:07 PM BST. the BBC anchor Yalda Hakim tweeted “BREAKING: Queen Elizabeth has died aged 96, Buckingham Palace has announced.” Hakim deleted the tweet 12 minutes later, stating that it was incorrect. Nonetheless, the 3:07 PM time is consistent with the later official announcement that the Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

Curious whether there were astrological indications that might time her passing, I looked at the Queen’s natal chart, her tertiary progression (a method I learned from Richard Houck many years ago), and her Wynn Key Cycle chart cast for Balmoral at 3 PM (mid-afternoon) as an approximate time of death.

Queen Elizabeth II natal chart

In her birth chart, Mercury rules the 8th house cusp and must therefore be active at her time of death. Saturn rules the Ascendant (her body and vital forces) and is the most angular and prominent planet in the natal chart.

True tertiary progression (MC at Naibod rate in RA) to 8 Sep 2022 at 3 PM BST

In the tertiary progressed chart, the natal 8th ruler Mercury lies at 20 Libra 18′, and I reasoned that this degree must be significant in the Wynn Key Cycle chart at the time of her demise.

The Queen’s Wynn Key Cycle Chart for 3 pm BST at Balmoral

As expected, the IC of the Key Cycle chart lies at 20 Virgo 17′ 33″ in almost exact semi-sextile to the tertiary progressed Mercury at 20 Libra 18′ in the 4th house of final endings of the Key Cycle chart. In addition, the Moon rules the Ascendant of the Key Cycle chart and occupies the 8th of death, where it conjoins Saturn.

The Moon, Saturn and the Part of Fortune in the 8th house of the Key Cycle chart are closely quincunx the 4th cusp of final endings. I hypothesized that the Queen’s passing likely occurred when the Moon, or the Moon/Saturn midpoint, or the Part of Fortune exactly quincunxed the Key Cycle IC.

The transiting Moon quincunx 20 Virgo 17′ 33″ at about 1:50 PM BST, indicating a possible time of death. Other possible times would be indicated by the exact quincunx of the Moon/Saturn midpoint to the IC, and by the quincunx of the Part of Fortune (which combines the influences of the Sun, Moon, Ascendant and its dispositor Saturn, ruler of the 8th) to the IC. I gave more weight to the Moon/Saturn midpoint and to the Part of Fortune than to the transiting Moon acting alone.

The Moon/Saturn midpoint quincunxing the IC is quite significant because of Saturn’s importance in the natal chart and the fact that Saturn was time lord of the Queen’s final years in Ptolemy’s scheme of the Seven Ages of Man. The Moon/Saturn midpoint quincunxed the Key Chart IC at about 2:08 PM BST, another possible time of death.

The Part of Fortune of the Key Cycle Chart quincunxed the IC at about 3:11 PM BST, just four minutes after Yalda Hakim’s “incorrect” tweet about the Queen’s passing. Given the close correlation between Hakim’s 3:07 PM tweet, which was later withdrawn, and the 3:11 PM quincunx of the Part of Fortune to the Key Cycle chart IC, I suspected that the Queen had passed before 3 PM BST, most likely between 2:08 PM (Moon/Saturn midpoint quincunx IC) and 3:11 PM (Part of Fortune quincunx IC). The midpoint between these two time is 2:39 PM BST, and I suspected the Queen had died close to this time.

Interestingly, astrologer Victor Oliver in a Facebook post on 11 September 2022 commented: “Lady Colin Campbell, who is well connected and reported the death hours before the announcement at 6:30 pm, says she was ‘reliably informed’ that she died at 14:37 at Balmoral. The PM was informed at 4:30 pm.” If Lady Colin Campbell is correct, then the time of death she reported (2:37 PM BST) is quite consistent with the one indicated by the tertiary progression and the Wynn Key Cycle chart. I assume that at some point the Royal Family will report the actual time of the Queen’s passing.

CBS News also reported that “Britain’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss was told at 4:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. Eastern) on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II had died.” If we calculate the Wynn Key chart for 4:30 PM BST, the IC changes to 20 Virgo 18′ in partile semi-sextile to tertiary progressed Mercury, which rules the natal 8th of death. In other words, at the moment the Prime Minister was informed that Elizabeth II had died, the MC (signifying leaders and prime ministers) was in partile quincunx to the Queen’s tertiary progressed Mercury in the 4th house of endings of the Key Cycle chart.

The Birth Chart of Abraham Lincoln

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is one of the most notable figures in American history. Unfortunately for astrologers, we do not know his exact birth time, although from historical sources we may be able to narrow it to within a couple of hours before sunrise on Sunday 12 February 1809. Let’s look at the evidence.

The site astro.com gives Lincoln’s birth data at 12 February 1809 near Hodgenville, Kentucky (37n34, 85w44) around 6:54 AM LMT (Rodden Rating B, from biographical sources). This estimated time of birth is based on the fact that sunrise occurred around 6:58 AM LMT on that day, and biographical sources mention that Lincoln was born before sunup. A careful reading of the biographical material, however, suggests that the 6:54 AM LMT birth time may be significantly off from the actual time of birth.

The two most important sources are:

1) Carl Sandburg’s biography, “Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years,” which on page 22 cites the “granny woman” midwife Peggy Walters as saying, “The baby was born just about sunup, on Sunday morning” (italics mine). Unfortunately, Sandburg does not footnote his source so that we do not know whether he is simply paraphrasing or directly quoting his source.

2) Citing an interview with Peggy Walters, the Abraham Lincoln Research Website states: “Lincoln was born about dawn on Sunday, February 12, 1809, in Hardin County (now LaRue County) near Hodgenville, Kentucky” (italics mine), but later on the same page the website has Peggy using the word “sunup.”.

Here we have two versions of the same quote, attributed to midwife Peggy Walters, in which she says that Lincoln was born either “just about sunup” (Sandberg’s version and perhaps paraphrase of the quote) or “about dawn” (from the summary on the Abraham Lincoln Research Site, which also attributes “about sunup” to Peggy Walters) on 12 February 1809. We can safely assume that Peggy Walters was not speaking with astronomical precision, and we are left wondering what she meant by “about sunup” (Sandberg’s version) or “about dawn” — and whether she had in mind actual astronomical sunrise or instead the first appearance of morning light (dawn). From the quote at the Lincoln Research Website, it does appear that Peggy used the word “sunup,” but even that site understood her to mean “dawn” rather than astronomical sunrise.

Sandberg reported Peggy Walters as saying “sunup,” which is generally taken to mean sunrise, although when, used loosely, “sunup” can also refer to dawn or daybreak, that is, the time in the morning when daylight first appears. The sky becomes quite bright before the sun actually rises.

The Abraham Lincoln Research Site understands Peggy Walters to mean “dawn,” which refers to the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise. If we take this interpretation to be the correct one, then it was dark when Lincoln’s mother went into labor, and shortly after the birth, the darkness of night was replaced with the first light of day (dawn). Thus, to estimate Lincoln’s time of birth, we would need to determine at what moment dawn occurred on 12 February 1809 in or near Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Using the calculator at the site https://www.sunrisesunset.com/, I generated the following times for sunrise and the various forms of twilight on 12 February at Lincoln’s birthplace.

Times are Eastern Standard (EST).
Sunrise occurred at 7:37 AM EST.
Astronomical Dawn at 6:09 AM EST.
Nautical Dawn at 6:39 AM EST.
Civil Dawn at 7:10 AM EST.

Of the three types of dawn (astronomical, nautical, civil) the first appearance of light, which Peggy Walters was likely referring to in her quote, belongs to nautical dawn when there is enough sunlight present (prior to sunrise) to enable sailors to clearly distinguish the sky from land and water. If Lincoln was born just before the first light of day was brightening the night sky, then he would have been born about an hour before sunrise.

Different types of DAWN
Source of image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twilight-dawn_subcategories.svg

In other words, sunrise occurred at 7:37 AM EST, and nautical dawn (the first light of day in which sky and land or water could clearly be distinguished from one another) began at 6:39 AM EST — some 58 minutes earlier.

Using Solar Fire, I calculated sunrise in Hodgenville, Kentucky on 12 February 1809 to have occurred at about 6:58 AM LMT, which means that nautical dawn occurred at about 6:00 AM LMT (58 minutes earlier). If Peggy looked out the window and saw the first light of day just after Lincoln was born, then his birthtime would have been about 6:00 AM LMT. The chart cast for this time has 4 Aquarius on the Ascendant and 24 Scorpio on the MC.

Nautical Dawn near Lincoln’s birthplace 12 Feb 1809.
This chart is a much better fit for Abraham Lincoln’s birth than the one at astro.com.

This chart for nautical dawn near Lincoln’s birthplace may be a better fit for the description Peggy Walters gave in her interview about his birth. Astrologically, it also fits quite well with Lincoln’s life history. Mars rules the MC and conjoins the 9th Placidus cusp — he was a brilliant lawyer and orator. Mars rules his 3rd house and trines his natal Sun. Saturn is the exalted ruler of the 9th house, occupies the 10th of career, and closely sextiles the Ascendant.

Quickly checking his primary directions, Saturn in the 10th is about 9 degrees from the MC. Lincoln’s mother died on 5 October 1818 when he was 9 years old. Measuring more precisely, the Right Ascension of the MC is 232:06 and that of the ecliptic position of Saturn is 241:30, a difference of 9 degrees 24 minutes of Right Ascension, which by primary direction would indicate the death of his mother at about age 9 1/2.

My impression, based on the midwife’s own words (“born about dawn”) and astrological symbolism, is that a chart cast for nautical dawn on Lincoln’s birth date is significantly closer to his actual time of birth than one cast for a moment or two before astronomical sunrise.

Rising Signs and Body Type

Recently I was reading an old book from 1911 by Alfred John Pearce, his Textbook of Astrology. In Book I of the anthology, Pearce gives descriptions of individuals based on which sign is rising in their birth chart. I have reproduced them here because they are often amusing and also interesting to test in the charts of people you know. He cautions that the rising sign alone is not definitive. One must also take into account any planets that conjoin or closely aspect the Ascendant degree.

Here is the quote from Pearce:

“Modern authors have described the special influences exerted by the respective signs of the zodiac. The following may be accepted as a fair description of them:

ARIES produces a spare and strong body, of stature rather above the average; face long; eyebrows bushy; neck long; shoulders thick and powerful; complexion sallow or swarthy; hair black or sandy; disposition irritable. The first half of the sign gives a stronger constitution, and a greater muscular development, than the latter half.

TAURUS gives a middle stature; a thick, well-set body; a broad forehead; full face and prominent eyes; neck and lips thick; nose and mouth wide; complexion swarthy; dark or black hair, often curly; dis-position melancholy; slow to anger, but, when provoked, furious.

GEMINI usually produces a tall and straight body; complexion dark sanguine; hair blackish; eyes hazel, sight quick; a smart, active appearance; disposition fickle, understanding good.

CANCER — Moderate stature, upper part of body somewhat large; small round face, with pale, delicate complexion; brown hair; small gray eyes; effeminate in constitution and disposition, subject to chest affections.

LEO — A large, fair stature, broad shoulders; prominent and large eyes; hair generally light, and often yellowish; oval, ruddy countenance; of a high, resolute, haughty, and ambitious temper.

VIRGO — Middle stature, rather slender, but very neat and compact; dark sanguine complexion; dark hair; small, shrill voice (but if Mercury ascend in this sign, the native will be a great orator), witty, ingenious and studious, but of a fickle disposition.

LIBRA — Tall and elegantly formed, rather slender; hair brown, smooth, and glossy, yet sometimes jet-black; face having generally great beauty; fine clear sanguine complexion; blue sparkling eyes; good tempered, amiable, and high principled.

SCORPIO — Strong, corpulent, robust body; of middle stature; dark complexion; dark brown curling and bushy hair; neck thick; mind and disposition active, yet reserved and thoughtful.

SAGITTARIUS — A well-formed person; inclined to tallness; sanguine complexion, oval face and handsome; high forehead; chest-nut or bright-brown hair, growing off the temples, bald early in life; long Grecian nose; fine, clear eyes; jovial, active, and intrepid disposition, very fond of horses and hunting.

CAPRICORN — Slender make, in some cases ill-formed or crooked; a long, thin face, generally plain; thin beard; chin long and protruding; black, lanky hair; narrow chest; disposition subtle, collected, calm, witty, and yet melancholy.

AQUARIUS— Middle stature, stout, well-set, robust, and strong; long and fleshy face; good, clear, delicate, and sanguine complexion; sandy or darkish flaxen hair; hazel eyes; of prepossessing appearance, and good disposition.

PISCES — Stature short, body fleshy, crooked, or stooping, round shouldered; brown hair, large, round, pale face, (but if the Sun he rising, a good complexion); in disposition indolent and dull, prone to drinking, more or less.

The foregoing descriptions rarely answer exactly. For the ascending sign (although it has chief influence over the form of the body), will, if a planet be within 5° of the Eastern horizon, or in close aspect with it, have its influence considerably modified thereby.“

Will the real Dr. J. Heber Smith please stand up?

Years ago I purchased a booklet titled “The Transits of the Planets” from the American Federation of Astrologers. It was advertised as being written by Dr. J. Heber Smith, the mentor of Evangeline Adams whose books first introduced me to astrology. This booklet is currently listed on the AFA website as:

S4530 …. 978-0-86690-232-8..Transits of the Planets…. Heber J. Smith
Interpretive delineation of transits of the planets by a homeopathic physician who was a teacher of Evangeline Adams.

Booklet about transits, allegedly written by Dr. J. Heber Smith in the late 1800s and published by the AFA in 1968,

The Barnes and Nobles site gives the following description of the contents:

“This book represents the work of Heber J. Smith, a homeopathic physician in Boston who was born in 1842. He was a professor of materia medica at Boston University and a practicing astrologer who was a teacher of Evangeline Adams. Legend says that Julie Pontin, a rival of Evangeline, paid Heber $150 for a typewritten copy of this material-a large sum in the early 20th century. In addition to the value of the astrological experience and knowledge presented in this book, it is also representative of the thinking of the astrologers of the time, which was decidedly deterministic. Some of the words and phrases are quaintly archaic when viewed from the 21st century, and the writing style is also representative of an earlier time. Nevertheless, much astrology can be learned from the author’s insights into the transiting planets. He also includes examples from his own life regarding the effects of transits and directions. Included are chapters on the transits of Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in both favorable and unfavorable aspect to other planets.”

We know from historical records that Dr. J. Heber Smith was born in 1842 and died in 1898. I have been unable to determine how the AFA established that this text was, in fact, written by Dr. Smith. Apparently, the astrological library of the good doctor was bequeathed to Evangeline Adams, and she would have come into possession of this document when he died in 1898.

A puzzling feature of this booklet about transits is that many of the examples given refer to events that occurred after the year 1900, so that these sections could not have been written by Dr. Smith. except by a medium who was channeling his spirit from the afterlife. One such example is the discussion of the day Teddy Roosevelt was shot before giving a campaign speech in October of 1912, fourteen years after Dr. Smith’s demise.

Another curious example refers to a foot injury which the author sustained, in connection with the sign Pisces: “Under the aspect of Uranus square Mars in Pisces, I had a nasty accident to my foot” (Italics mine). Dr. Smith has his natal Mars in Libra, and Evangeline Adams has her natal Mars in Aquarius, so neither of them could have authored this statement. If the author meant that Uranus was in Pisces and squaring Mars, then Mars would have been in Gemini or Sagittarius. Interestingly, astrologer Catherine Thompson of Boston, who met Evangeline Adams in 1898 and became her teacher for a while, has Mars in Sagittarius. Could Catherine Thomson have appended this comment to Dr. Smith’s original notes during one of her lessons with Evangeline?

A possible explanation is that Evangeline Adams inherited the notes of Dr. Smith about transits and continued to revise and amend them, based on her own work with charts and lessons with other teachers. In her autobiography The Bowl of Heaven Adams uses many of the phrases and keywords from the booklet on transits in her comments to her clients, so it clearly had an impact on how she interpreted charts.

The Transits booklet contains some fascinating comments and techniques which few astrologers use today. Dr. Smith routinely studied both geocentric and heliocentric charts of transits and secondary progressions of the geocentric and heliocentric birth chart. I believe that by using this technique, Adams was able to rapidly and accurately foresee that King Edward VII of England might die in May of 1910 — a prediction for which she received much notoriety.

Dr. J. Heber Smith gets robbed

Dr. J. Heber Smith, professor of medicine at Boston University, is the person who introduced Evangeline Adams to astrology in the late 1800s. We know from Dr. Smith’s obituary that he was born on 5 December 1842 in Bucksport, Maine. He died in Boston on 28 October 1898. Even though J. Heber Smith played a key role in American astrology in the 19th century, his birth chart does not appear in AstroDataBank.

Obituary of Evangeline Adam’s mentor Dr. J. Heber Smith

Because his birth time is unknown, the chart presented here is cast for Noon (mean positions of the planets) in an Aries-rising wheel.

Birth chart of Dr. J. Heber Smith, time unknown

As far as I know, Dr. Smith published very little about astrology, but a brief booklet of his regarding how to interpret transits has been available through the American Federation of Astrologers. Evangeline Adams’ delineation of transits was strongly influenced by her mentor, Dr. Smith.

In the section of his booklet about Jupiter transiting in conjunction or evil aspect to Mars, Dr. Smith mentions that he was robbed because of carelessness on his part and the failure to safeguard his things. His comment is rather garbled, and I suspect that whoever typed his notes did not understand Dr. Smith’s use of astrological glyphs and notation. Here is the direct quote in written English, rather than astrological notation:

“I was robbed under the following configuration; Jupiter entering Scorpio opposite Neptune and Mars radical and square Mercury, helio, with Saturn entering Taurus in opposition.”

It is hard to make sense of this quote, but looking in the ephemeris for the period covering Dr. Smith’s lifetime, we find that Jupiter was entering Scorpio at the same time that Saturn was entering Taurus only during the span from about 11 October to 4 November of 1851, when Dr. Smith was almost 9 years old. Maybe someone stole his bicycle, which he carelessly left unsecured. The most likely date for the robbery was 29 October 1851 when:

Transiting Jupiter was at 4 Scorpio opposite transiting Saturn.

Transiting Saturn was at 0 Taurus 25′ Rx opposite transiting Mercury, Jupiter and Sun.

Transiting Jupiter was at 4 Scorpio 00′.

Transiting Neptune was at 6 Pisces 34′ Rx in square to natal Mercury and Sun.

Transiting Mars was at 2 Leo 43′ in square to transiting Mercury and Sun.

Natal Mars was square to natal Jupiter and Saturn.

Astrologer Wilhelm Wulff’s Rectification of Hitler’s Birth Chart

Theodor Heinrich Wilhelm Wulff was born in Hamburg, Germany, on 27 March 1893 at 8:15 AM (Rodden rating AA). In 1912 Wulff came across the horoscopes which Kepler had cast for Wallenstein, initially in 1608 and then a corrected version, based on more accurate birth data, in 1625. Wulff was so impressed with Kepler’s work that he studied the celestial science and became one of the leading astrologers in Nazi Germany. Below is Wulff’s birth chart as it appears in Astro.com:

In his book Tierkreis und Hakenkreuz. Als Astrologe an Himmlers Hof, first published in 1968 and translated into English in 1973 under the title Zodiac and Swastika: How Astrology Guided Hitler’s Germany, Wulff includes his rectification of Hitler’s birth chart which he and other astrologers have used to successfully predict events in Hitler’s life.

According to Baptismal records from the Brannau rectory, Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 at 6 1/2 in the evening, at Salzburger Vorstadt 219, Branau. A chart cast for the recorded time of 6:30 PM LMT in Brannau has an Ascendant of about 26 Libra 41′ and an MC of 4 Leo 10′. Wulff, however, used a birth time for Hitler of about a half hour earlier, with an Ascendant of 20 Libra 24′. In his book, Wulff attributes this earlier birth time to an ex-army officer named Herbert Volck, describing a visit in the summer of 1923 in which:

“He [Volck] had also brought the birth data of Hitler, Goring, and Röhm with him from Munich and asked me whether the putsch they will planning was likely to succeed. At Volck’s request I first cast Hitler’s horoscope in August, 1923. In it I found particularly unfavorable planetary combinations, and for the autumn of 1923 Hitler’s s ascendant revealed a malefic conjunction of Saturn and Mars. For about twenty-four hours on or about November 8-9, Mars and Saturn were particularly threatening. There were indications of violence with a disastrous outcome.”

It is not clear from Wulff’s account whether he simply used the birth data, as is, provided by Volck or whether he rectified that data on the basis of known events in Hitler’s life. Nonetheless, the chart which, according to his own report, Wulff used for Hitler’s nativity is the following (time here in LMT):

Wulff’s version of Hitler’s natal chart, based on data supplied by Herbert Volck

Wulff comments that his prediction of danger in the fall of 1923 was based on the proximity of the two malefics, Saturn and Mars, to Hitler’s natal Ascendant: “I found particularly unfavorable planetary combinations, and for the autumn of 1923 Hitler’s s ascendant revealed a malefic conjunction of Saturn and Mars. For about twenty-four hours on or about November 8-9, Mars and Saturn were particularly threatening.” If we look at the positions of transiting Saturn and Mars on November 8 – 9 of 1923, we may be able to deduce what methods Wulff used to make his prediction.

DateTimeSaturnMarsMars/Saturn
Midpoint8 Nov 19230 AM25 Libra 38′13 Libra 15′19 Libra 27′9 Nov 192312 Midnight25 Libra 52′14 Libra 32′20 Libra 12′Transiting Saturn and Mars during Nov 8 – 9, 1923

Wulff felt that the autumn of 1923 would be difficult for Hitler because both Saturn and Mars were transiting near his natal Ascendant. He may have focused on November 8 – 9, 1923, as particularly dangerous for several reasons. Transiting Saturn during those days in November was opposite his natal Mercury, ruler of the 12th of hidden enemies and imprisonment, and at the same time was square to the natal MC.

Being from Hamburg, Wulff was almost certainly familiar with the work of Alfred Witte on midpoints and would have noticed that around November 8th the transiting Mars/Saturn midpoint was passing over the positions of the natal Ascendant and natal Uranus and was also sesqui-quadrate to natal Pluto in Hitler’s 8th house of death. The combined influence of Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto all affecting the Ascendant degree certainly sounds ominous to the ears of an astrologer.

If we use the Wulff “rectified” chart to calculate the Wynn Key Return chart for November 8, 1939, the date of the bombing which killed several Nazi officers but spared Hitler, we find that the total solar eclipse of 13 October 1939 at 18 Libra 37′ falls exactly on the Wynn Key Return Midheaven and transiting Venus, Hitler’s natal Asc ruler, lies on the Key Return 12th cusp.

Wynn Key Return of 8 Nov 1939 based on Wulff’s version of Hitler’s birth chart. A solar eclipse occurred on 13 Oct 1939 in the position of the MC of this chart.

The Wynn Key Return chart simply progresses the cusps of the annual solar return at a rate which carries the MC from the position of one return to the next. The planetary positions in the Wynn Key Return chart are the transits of the moment for the date being studied. We can see in the Wynn Key Return for 8 Nov 1939 that Saturn lies at 26 Aries 25′ almost exactly opposite the Asc of the 6:30 PM Hitler birth chart, and Mars lies at 23 Aquarius 16′ in close square to the Placidus 8th house of Hitler’s natal chart.

I don’t know which chart Kart Ernst Kraft used to warn Hitler of an attempt against his life during the period November 7 – 10 of 1939. If he used the 6:30 PM birth time, then the presence of transiting Saturn opposing the natal MC simultaneously with transiting Mars squaring the 8th house cusp is consistent with such a warning.

Miss L and the Wynn Key Cycle

In the last post we looked at Wynn’s delineation of the chart of Mr. J’s Key Cycle. In the 1930s and 40s Wynn continued to publish articles in this astrological magazine with other case examples of the use of his Key Cycle, including the chart of Miss L which I will summarize here.

At the time she consulted Wynn, Miss L (born 27 March 1908) was a woman in her 20s who was interested in a career as a writer or journalist. Wynn does not give details of her place or time of birth. When she met with Wynn, Miss L was a student of journalism at the university. He studied her birth chart and her Key Cycle Returns and predicted that she would obtain a job as a writer in 1927 around the time that transiting Jupiter and Uranus would conjoin her natal Saturn, and she would also need to change her residence to accept the job. Wynn’s predictions turned out to be accurate.

Prior to 1927, Miss L had done research for an elderly gentleman, who was impressed with her skills and who had connections to the news industry. Unbeknownst to Miss L, this older man has given her contact information to a colleague in a news syndicate which was seeking a writer for a new feature about child welfare. The news syndicate contacted Miss L in 1927 and hired her for the new position, which involved her relocating to a different city. How did Wynn arrive at this prediction?

Natal and Wynn Key Return chart of 1927 for Miss L, as provided by Wynn in his journal article

Given Wynn’s description of Miss L’s chart and Key Cycle Return, I was able to approximate the charts by modern computer. Wynn began by studying the significations of the planets in the natal chart. Because Miss L was most interested in career matters, Wynn paid close attention to the MC, its ruler and any planets in the 10th.

Jupiter is the most angular and most elevated planet in the natal chart. Jupiter occupies the 10th of career and is exalted in Cancer, the sign on the 10th cusp. Jupiter in Leo is in a favorable trine to both Saturn and the Sun in Aries in the 6th (service). Jupiter rules the natal 3rd (news, writing, journalism) and 5th (children, fun, games, romance). Mercury, which rules writing, occupies the 5th of children and trines the Moon’s North Node and Neptune in the 9th (publishing, distant travel).

Jupiter’s closest aspect in a trine to Saturn in the 6th. Saturn rules the natal 4th (home, domestic life, early childhood environment) and disposes Uranus in Capricorn in the 3rd (innovative writing) and the 10th-ruler (career) Moon in Aquarius in the 4th.

Approximation by modern computer of Miss L’s natal chart.

During the consultation Wynn noticed an upcoming conjunction of transiting Jupiter and Uranus to natal Saturn, which would occur in the First House of the Key Cycle Return in June of 1927. Planets that are rising toward the Ascendant of the Key Cycle Return show the astrological factors which are coming into the life of the native at that time.

Thus, in June of 1927 Miss L can expect the combined significations of Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn to manifest in her life. With natal Jupiter in the 10th at birth and ruling the 10th in the Key Return, career matters become prominent. Transiting Uranus suggests an unexpected change or opportunity. Natal Saturn ruling the 4th at birth and conjunct transiting Uranus in the Key Return indicates an expected change of residence. In the Key Return of June 1927, Saturn rules the 11th (older friends or benefactors) and 12th (activity done in secret or behind the scenes) houses. Transiting Saturn at the cusp of the 9th (publishing, long-distance travel) trines natal Saturn as well as the transiting Jupiter/Uranus conjunction.

Approximation of Miss L’s Key Cycle Chart of 14 June 1927, the date of transiting Jupiter conjunct her natal Saturn.

Wynn did not include all the planets in his article. In the chart below one can see other combinations of planets which support his delineation. For example, the transiting Moon at the time of the transiting Jupiter/natal Saturn conjunction is conjunct the natal Part of Fortune in the 9th house. Transiting Pluto is conjunct transiting Mercury, ruler of the Key Cycle 4th in the Key Cycle 4th house. Transiting Sun, which rules Leo in the natal 10th and the cusp of the Key Cycle 5th (work environment) is conjunct natal Pluto (transformation, major change). Transiting Mars, which rules the natal 2nd of income, is conjunct natal 10th-ruler Jupiter.

Inside is the Key Return chart for 14 June 1927, the date of the transiting Jupiter to natal Saturn conjunciton. Outside is Miss L’s natal chart.