Anthony Louis's Blog, page 38

The 5-card tarot spread of Péladan

Recently I’ve been looking through the tarot literature in Spanish and Portuguese, and I came across a popular spread which gets little press in the English literature.  It’s a fairly simple 5-card spread in the shape of a cross, often referred to as the “method of Péladan.”  This spread is designed to answer specific questions within a limited time frame.

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Joséphin Péladan (28 March 1858 – 27 June 1918) was an eccentric French novelist and occultist, born in Lyon, France, into a devoutly Roman Catholic family.  The Swiss occultist Oswald Wirth apparently learned this 5-card spread from Péladan and popularized it in his own books on the occult, such as Tarot of the Magicians.

Given his background in Catholic occultism, my hunch is that Péladan modeled this spread after the image of the crucifixion of Christ. The central card (“synthesis”) stands for Jesus on the Cross.  The card to his right (#1) is the good thief who was rewarded by joining Jesus in heaven.  The card to his left (the viewer’s right) is the bad thief who did not repent and thus forfeited heaven.  The cards above and below (#3 and #4) appeared to be modeled after the Judgment card.   Card #3 would be the Angel blowing his horn to announce the Final Judgment, and card #4 would be the resurrected human bodies, who are responding the the angel’s call.  The Angel is even holding a banner with the image of the Péladan spread.

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If you purchase a tarot deck published by the Spanish playing card manufacturer Fournier, you will typically find in the enclosed LWB (“little white book”) a description of the Péladan spread.

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The cards are laid as in the above diagram, with the following meanings of each position:

1. Affirmation (pro): positive, favorable, active or affirming factors or resources in the present situation; who or what the querent can count on.

2. Negation (con): negative, contrary, limiting or impeding factors in the present situation; who or what works against or hinders the querent’s interests.

3. The adjudicator, sometimes referred to as the discussion, debate, argument, or the judge.  This card suggests the most productive path to take or road to follow, based on the other information in the spread, especially the balance of forces pro and contra, as shown in cards #1 and #2.

4. The resolution, sometimes called the sentence (as in a trial), the solution, the result, or the likely outcome of taking the steps deemed advisable in card #3.

5. The synthesis (like a summary statement) represents the basis of the question, highlights its most salient features and shows how the matter is experienced by the querent.  This card indicates how the querent feels about the matter and what lessons may be learned from the situation.

The usual recommendation is that this spread be done with the 22 Major Arcana cards, but there is no reason it cannot be done with the whole deck.  I have even seen it used with the Lenormand cards.

The traditional method of selecting the cards is a bit unusual.  After shuffling the 22 major cards, the reader asks the querent to pick a number from 1 to 22 and then selects that card from the deck and places it in the first position of the spread.  The same method is used to selects cards #2 through #4.  Card #5, however, is decided by adding the values of the first four cards.  If the sum is 22 or less (22 being the Fool), then that number indicates the fifth card.  It is possible that the fifth card could also occupy one of the positions from #1 to #4.  If the sum is greater than 22, the the digits of that sum are added together to get the fifth card.  For example, if the first four cards were: 10 + 16 + 7 +19 = 52, then you would add 5 +2 = 7.  In this case Major Arcana 7 would be both the third and the fifth card.  If you prefer a different method of selecting the cards, there is no particular reason to stick with the traditional method described above.

An interesting twist on this spread can be found in the works of Brazilian author Nei Naiff.  He regards cards #1 and #2 as representing the present situation, cards #3 and #4 as indicating the future path, and card #5 as signifying the vision and thinking of the querent.  What is unusual, if I understand him correctly, is that he defines card #1 as the condition of the positive factors and card #2 as the condition of the negative factors.  Thus, a card such as the Hanged Man in position #2 would indicated that the negative favors in the situation are in a state of inactivity, suspension or immobility — which usually represents something positive for the querent.

In any case, this is a simple and useful spread with a solid tradition in the occult literature.

Let me end with an example.  I asked whether this blog would achieve its goal of explaining clearly to the reader the nature and use of this spread.  Here are the five cards:

 

………………………………………. The Star (17) ……………………………………….

The Tower (16)                     Justice (8)                        The Devil (15)

……………………………………… Temperance (14) …………………………………

 

(Card #5 was arrived at by adding 16 + 15 + 17 + 14 = 62; then, 6 + 2 = 8.)

Card #1 – Affirmation: The Tower often has a negative connotation, but it can represent sudden changes and new insights.  A favorable interpretation would be to focus on providing a novel method of spreading the cards.

Card #2 – Negation: The Devil can warn against being overly ambitious in the undertaking. I took this as advice not to try to be overreaching.

Card #3: The “adjudicator” is the Star, a card of hope and gentle illumination.  The path to follow is one of explaining the matter simply and clearly.

Card #4: The “resolution” is Temperance, which symbolizes a balanced view and the tempering of opposing ideas or forces.  For this reason, I included variations on the use and interpretation of this spread.

Card #5: The “synthesis” is Justice, and my hope is that I have done justice to the original ideas of Péladan and the use of his 5-card spread.

 

 

 

Looking forward to San Sebastian

I’ll be speaking on solar returns on Saturday, 15 June 2019, at the 36 Congreso Ibércio de Astrología in San Sebastian, Spain.  Here is the list of talks at the conference, copied from their website:

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VIERNES 14

9:00 Acreditaciones de los TALLERES PRE-Congreso

Pack de TALLERES PRE-Congreso de 9:00 a 17:45

(Cada Taller tendrá una duración de hora y media, 90′)

9:00-10:30 TALLER 1: Terapia de Sonido con Diapasones Pitagóricos y planetarios. Mª FERNANDA CANAL (Del equipo Prima Luce) España.
10:30-12:00 TALLER 2: Cosmología aplicada a la agricultura: Ciclos lunares aplicados en huerta y jardín. Mª JESÚS AZKUE. España.
12:00-13:30 TALLER 3: Astroanamnesis: taller de interpretación de la Carta Natal Tropical-Sideral e inconsciente. ELISEO GALLARDO. España.

-Descanso-

15:30-17:00 TALLER 4: Lillith-Quirón: Lo que el alma calla y el cuerpo grita. Astro-genealogía. ENZO DE PAOLA. Venezuela.
17:00-17:45 TALLER 5: *Charla: El Universo invariante cíclico; de los momentos óptimos de pesca a la geometría de las cuevas prehistóricas. JAVIER QUEVEDO. España.

*Además durante los tres días de Congreso estará disponible la Experiencia Neptuno, conecta con tu guía (opcional, 40€) con el artista psíquico SERGIO GOZZI. Concertar cita: (+34) 616 97 69 64

15:30-18:15 ACREDITACIONES del 36 CONGRESO Ibérico de Astrología SS.2019

CONGRESO de 18:15 a 20:15

(Todas las Ponencias durante los 3 días tendrán una duración de 45´)

18:15 INAUGURACIÓN
18:30 PRESENTACIÓN DEL 36 CONGRESO IBÉRICO DE ASTROLOGÍA SS.2019
18:45-19:30 El eje del mundo y los mitos del árbol de la Vida. ADELA FERRER. España.
19:30-20:15 Tiempos del Dragón, su simbolismo astral y su significado para los tiempos modernos. RAFAEL GIL BRAND. Alemania.

-Descanso-

22:45-00:00 Mitos bajo las estrellas. ANA Mª SALDARRIAGA. Colombia. *Ponencia especial, salida Astronómica nocturna sobre la bahía, abierta al público.


SÁBADO 15

PONENCIAS de 9:45 a 13:45

9:45 Astrología como cosmología de la Luz. SERGIO TRALLERO. España.
10:30 La Tetraktys pitagórica como modelo de las ciencias herméticas: Astrología, Alquimia y Teurgia. BENJAMÍN MARTÍNEZ. España.

-Descanso-

11:30 (Ponencia sorpresa) ESTRELLA ITURRALDE. España.
12:15 El Relevo Zodiacal y los 7 Partes herméticos. PATRICIA KESSELMAM. Argentina.
13:00 Aspectos astrológicos y sólidos platónicos, una interpretación geométrica. CARMEN DE HITA.

-Descanso-

de 15:30 a 20:00

15:30 El Tema Natal y sus promesas: Los Señores del tiempo. PEPA SANCHÍS y CONSUELO INCHAURTIETA. España.
16:30 Interpretación de Revoluciones solares y Profecciones en las edades del hombre. ANTHONY LOUIS. USA.

-Descanso-

17:45 Los 7 procesos cósmicos y su correspondencia con los septenios humanos. KARMELO BIZKARRA. España.
18:30 La importancia capital de Saturno en las cartas natales y en los ciclos mundiales. JOSÉ LUIS CARRIÓN. España.
19:15 El uso de los Nodos Lunares en Astrología Horaria. NAZARET HERMIDA. España.


DOMINGO 16

PONENCIAS y Mesa de debate de 9:45 a 13:45

9:45 Evidencias experimentales sobre la realidad astrológica. ALEIX MERCADÉ.
10:30 Astrogenealogía: el signo oculto, la sombra familiar y los dones y talentos. CLAUDIA AZICRI. Argentina.

-Descanso-

11:30 Astrogeografía. Un viaje a la caza de la energía planetaria. CLAUDIO CANNISTRÀ. Italia.
12:15 Astrología Electiva: llueve por destino, te mojas por estupidez. MARIANO ALADRÉN. España.
13:00-13:45 MESA DE DEBATE: Los cambios mundiales que nos esperan. Conjunción Saturno-Plutón 2020. Júpiter-Saturno en aire.
13:45-14:00 Ratificación del XXXVII Congreso Ibérico 2020. Elección de la candidatura 2021.
14:00 CLAUSURA DEL CONGRESO

_______________________________________________

* También habrá Ponencias Virtuales:

(disponibles en la web desde el 7 de Junio)

Astro-ciclobiología, VICENTE RAUSELL.
Yoga: Cósmos-Ser, los Tattwas y los elementos. CONCHITA MORERA.
La irrupción del Daimon y la vocación. El código del Alma en la carta natal. RAFA CAÑETE.
*Ponencia sorpresa.

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For those who may be interested, one of my tarot books has been translated into Spanish.  Click on the image to see it in amazon.com.es.

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Book Review: Horary Astrology by Ema Kurent

A few weeks ago I received a review copy of a recently published book on horary by Slovenian astrologer Ema Kurent.  I don’t know Ema personally but I am familiar with her work through an online astrology group which we both participate in.  Ema learned horary in the early 1990s under the tutelage of Olivia Barclay, from whom she received her QHP (Qualified Horary Practicioner) credential.  As a result, her approach is solidly based in the work of 17th century horary astrologer William Lilly.

The first thing that impressed me about the book was its size.  It is a large volume, measuring 11 x 8.5 x 1 inches, containing 460 pages, and weighing just under 3 pounds.  The cover is beautifully designed, and the inner pages are thoughtfully formatted so that they are easy to read and to refer back to.

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The first 152 pages of the text are devoted to the theory and basic principles of horary astrology.  Ema provides a clear and readily understandable explanation of  traditional horary methods, as practiced by Lilly and other Renaissance and medieval astrologers.  She does not simply regurgitate the teachings of these older authorities.  Instead, she critiques these traditional methods and presents her own modifications, based on her own decades of experience as a horary practioner.  She also adds some novel material, such as her use of eclipses, declination, lunar nodes, locational astrology and the seldom used essential dignity of monomoiria (the 360 individual degrees of the zodiac in Hellenistic astrology, each of which was associated with a particular planet).  As a result, Ema gives her readers much to ponder, re-consider and experiment with in their own charts.

The meat of the book (and, to my mind, its most valuable portion) is the Practice section which extends from page 153 through to page 458.  Here Ema delineates in detail 124 case examples from her files, dating back to the 1990s.  Examples of just about any type of horary question you can imagine will be found here.  Each question is accompanied by clear explanations and a full-page astrological chart with tables of the essential horary information needed for delineation.  My recommendation is that readers consider each horary question and delineate each chart for themselves before reading what the author has to say about the chart.  In doing so they will be able to test their own learning and ability to answer a horary question against the technique of a horary expert.  Using the case examples as a workbook in this way, though time consuming, will certainly enrich the reader’s skills as a horary practitioner.

In summary, I would highly recommend this book to astrologers, both beginners and those experienced in the horary art, who wish to learn, review, test or re-examine their knowledge of the theory and practice of horary astrology.  In writing this volume, Ema Kurent has made available a valuable teaching tool, which will be lasting contribution to the literature on this branch of astrology.  Every serious student of horary will want to have a copy in their astrology library.

   ———–

All original material in this blog is copyright Anthony Louis 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign Language Editions

Recently I received a copy of one of my tarot books that had been translated into Japanese.  The book is quite beautiful, but unfortunately I don’t read Japanese.

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I also noticed that the Spanish edition of my first tarot book has gotten several 5-star reviews from readers in Spain.  This is, of course, very gratifying.[image error]

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The Lord of the Orb in Solar Returns

Recently I’ve been reading through the literature on solar returns in preparation for a talk I’ll be giving in June of this year.  This post will review some interesting ideas that are not much discussed in the English-language literature.

The notion of the importance of the transits that occur annually on your birthday dates back to Hellenistic times.  The astrology program Delphic Oracle makes available the unique method of studying “solar returns” found in Vettius Valens.

In the 8th century Masha’Allah discussed annual revolutions (returns), and his method spread to India where it influenced Vedic astrology.  In the following century Masha’Allah’s work was further elaborated by Abu Ma’Shar, who was probably the first astrologer to write about what we moderns now call a solar return, that is, a chart for the moment the Sun returns to the exact position it held in the birth chart.

Solar returns were never interpreted in isolation from the natal chart.  In fact, there was an elaborate set of techniques that were used to interpret the solar return.  These included progressing the MC at a rate of one degree of right ascension for each year of life and using the term or bound of the corresponding directed ascendant as an interpretive principle.  The most recent aspect which the directed ascendant encountered was also significant.

Of great importance was the technique of profecting the natal ascendant at a rate of one zodiac sign for each year of life.  The ruler of the profected ascendant was considered the Lord of the Year.

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Lesser known in Western astrology is the idea of utilizing the Lord of the Hour of the birth chart as representing the first year of life and assigning each subsequent planetary hour to a corresponding later year of life.  The Lord of the Hour was called the Lord of the Orb (or Lord of the Circle of the zodiac).  A discussion of this technique can be found in the early 11th century text of Ali Ben Ragel and in the writings of the 16th century astrologer Junctinus of Florence.

If I have understood the method correctly, the Lord of the Hour of birth was assigned to the 1st house and to the 1st year of life, the planetary ruler of the next hour after birth was assigned to the 2nd house and to the 2nd year of life, and so on throughout the life of the native.  Essentially, this method identified a planet that shared lordship of the solar return year in cooperation with the ruler of the profected ascendant.

To see how this method might work in practice, let’s consider Donald Trump’s solar return that was in effect when he won the 2016 presidential election.  Here is his natal chart with the solar return superimposed.

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Donald Trump was born in 1946 and won the 2016 election at the age of 70 during his 71st year of life.  The Lord of the Hour of his birth chart (Lord of the Orb) is Jupiter.  It is significant that he was born during a Jupiter hour because Jupiter is stationary, turning direct in the 2nd house of income at the moment of his birth.   Stationary planets are extremely influential throughout the life of the native.  Jupiter forms a very close trine to Uranus in the 10th of career.

At age 70, the profected ascendant is the lord of the 11th Whole Sign house, which is Gemini ruled by Mercury in this chart.  Thus, Mercury becomes Trump’s “Lord of the Year” during the 2016 elections.  Solar return Mercury is very strong in Gemini in the natal 10th house of career and conjunct the natal MC.  The Lord of the Year being highly dignified and conjunct the MC suggests significant career success during the 2016 – 2017 solar return year.

The planetary hour lord at birth is Jupiter, which is assigned to the 1st house and the 1st year of life. Planetary hours occur in Chaldean order (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon).  Because only the 7 visible planets rule the planetary  hours (giving us a 7-day week), Jupiter in this chart is assigned to the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, 36th, 43rd, 50th, 57th, 64th, and 71st years of life.  At the time of the 2016 elections, Trump was in his 71st year of life.  Hence, Jupiter was his Lord of the Orb at the time of the elections.

Solar return Jupiter lies in the angular natal 1st house where it conjoins the transiting North Node of the Moon, considered an expansive influence which will increase the beneficial effects of the already powerful Jupiter in his natal chart.  Jupiter as Lord of the Orb during the 2016-17 solar return also “activates” the natal Jupiter/Uranus trine from the 2nd to the 10th house, suggesting significant surprising and unexpected career benefits during this period.

The combination of Mercury as Lord of the Year with Jupiter as Lord of the Orb during this solar return year suggests great career success at the time of the 2016 presidential elections.

A horary with a twist

Lost and Found Horary:  Where are my ear buds?

The querent, my friend Michael whom I was visiting, was unable to find a pair of moderately expensive ear buds. He asked the question on Sunday 10 Feb 2019 at 5:27 pm EST in New York City.  It is a Sun day during a Jupiter hour.

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Leo rises, so the Sun signifies the querent.
Mercury rules the Virgo 2nd house and thus signifies the missing possession.

Mercury has just changed signs and is separating from the Sun, symbolizing the recent separation of the ear buds from their owner. Mercury is also under the beams, suggesting that the earbuds are hidden from view and I told the querent that they might be in or beneath something, like a piece of clothing.

Given that Mercury was angular, I told the querent that the ear buds were likely to be in his home or in a place that he frequents. Its placement in the 7th raised the possibility that his wife might be the one to find them, or that they might be in a place used by his wife.

The Moon can rule fugitives and can co-rule the querent. Here the Moon in the 9th in Aries suggests that the missing ear buds might be with something related to travel (I suggested he look in his car) and might be near something red (Aries).

The Moon’s next aspect to a traditional planet is a sextile to Mercury (the ear buds). This sextile occurs in a little over a degree after the Moon moves into fixed Taurus. The fact that the sextile would perfect in a little more than a degree from a fixed sign and cadent house suggested that he would find the ear buds in a little more than a week.

An interesting twist: two horaries in one

On 12 Feb 2019 (two days after the question) my friend’s wife sent me an email:

“It occurred to me that the inside of my backpack is lined with bright red fabric and maybe the earbuds were in there. I looked, and in a little bag inside the backpack, I found earbuds! But they were my earbuds, not Michael’s.” Strangely, the chart led my friend’s wife to her own ear buds and not to her husband’s!

But the story does not end here. On 18 Feb 2019 (8 days after the question) I got an email from Michael that he finally found his own ear buds in coat closet in the pocket of a raincoat.

In the photo, note the red stripe on the adjoining jacket, the red carpet on the floor and the red umbrella seen faintly beneath the raincoat.  In hindsight, Mercury in Pisces (a water sign) might have suggested a rain coat and perhaps also the bucket on the floor to hold wet umbrellas.

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Another potential clue is that the Sun (signifying the querent) lies in the 6th house and is about to enter the 7th.  The 6th house often indicates pockets, containers, closets, etc., so that the querent was recently involved with such a place when the item was misplaced.

To clarify, Lilly writes on page 33 of Christian Astrology: “…what Planet you shall find to be in that space, you shall say that he is in the first house; yet if he be within 5 degrees of the Cusp of any house, his virtue shall be assigned to the house whose Cusp he is nearest…”  If we read Lilly’s text carefully, we see that he views the house cusps as boundaries of the houses.  Thus, in this chart the Sun lies in the 6th house. The point that Lilly is making is that even though the Sun lies in the 6th house, because it is so close to the 7th cusp “his virtue shall be assigned to the house whose Cusp he is nearest.”  In other words, the Sun in this chart lies in the 6th house but its influence will be felt primarily in the 7th house.

January 5, 2019 Eclipse: Danger for the U.S.A.?

Today (5 Jan 2019) we will experience a solar eclipse in 15 degrees of Capricorn (tropical zodiac).  I wondered how this eclipse might play out in the U.S.A. and cast the Gemini rising chart for America with the solar eclipse outside.  Here it is:

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The eclipse takes place in the 8th house of death of the U.S.A. Gemini rising chart. In addition, Saturn (ruler of the 8th) occupies the 8th and conjoins the eclipse.  Saturn (a natural signifier of loss and death) also rules the 9th and 10th houses of this chart, thus also signifying travel, foreign interests and the government.  Does this portend another terrorist attack by foreign operatives on American soil or in the air (9th house), or perhaps a major transportation accident?

Also troubling is the fact that the transiting lunar nodes conjoin the natal Mercury/Pluto opposition of this chart, with Mercury in the 3rd of local travel being the Ascendant ruler and thus signifying the lifeblood of the county.  Pluto occupies the 9th of long-distance travel and foreigners.

In addition transiting Uranus (sudden disruptive events) in Aries (ruled by aggressive Mars) is making a station on the cusp of the 12th house (undoing, subversion, secret enemies, grief, loss).  This stationary transiting Uranus is also square the Moon’s nodes, which usually indicates a period of crisis or a significant point of inflection.  Essentially there is a major T-square involving transiting Uranus in the 12th square the natal Mercury/Pluto opposition as well as the transiting nodes.

All in all it looks like this solar eclipse portends an extremely stressful period for the U.S.A., which may be marked by some type of violence leading to death in the homeland.

 

How long is a year in predictive astrology? Vettius Valens vs Nakshatra time.

When I was first learning about the technique of zodiacal releasing in the works of Vettius Valens, I was surprised to learn that Valens used a “year” of 360 days to time the unfolding of the various periods.  His system is apparently an idealized version of a year (one complete cycle of the sun around the earth) in which each “day” corresponds to one degree of a circle, and each month is exactly 30 days.

This is the relevant passage from Valens discussion of zodiacal releasing (Mark Riley’s translation, italics mine):

“Since the universal year has 365 1/4 days, while the year with respect to the distribution has 360, we subtract the 5 1/4 intercalary days, then we find the number of years. Only then will we make the distribution.”

“For example: a person in his 33rd year was born on Tybi 15; we are investigating Mesori 20 of his 33rd year. I multiply 30 years times the 5 days for a total of 150. Now I add 10 for the two complete years plus one-fourth of 32 (=8) for a total of 168. Next I take the number of days from Tybi 15 to the day in question, Mesori 20 (=215), and I add this amount to 168 for a grand total of 383. From this sum I subtract 360, and the remainder is 23. So the nativity will be in its 33rd full year with respect to the distribution, plus 23 days. I consider this number of years and days when making the distribution of the chronocratorships.”

Let’s analyze Valens’ example, using 5.25 intercalary days per “year”:

A man is in his 33rd year of life.  He was born on Tybi 15, and we are investigating Messori 20 of his 33rd year.  There are 215 days from Tybi 15 to Mesori 20.

Valens multiplies 30 years times the 5.25 days for a total of 157.5 days.   (This accounts for the first 30 full years of life.)

Next he adds 10.5 for the two complete years plus one-fourth of 32 (=8) for a total of 168.

First 30 years => 157.5 intercalary days.
Years 31 and 32 => 10.5 intercalary days.
The total up to age 33 is 157.5 + 10.5 = 168 days.
215 days from Tybi 15 to Mesori 20 PLUT 168 days = 383 days total from the date of birth.
383 days minus 360 = 1 “year” and 23 days, that is, 33 “years” and 23 days.

To use a modern example, suppose someone is born on 01 Jan 1967 and turns 33 on 01 Jan 2000.  The date 215 days after his 33rd birthday is 03 Aug 2000 in the tropical calendar.  However, 33 “years” plus 23 days takes us to 24 Jan 2000, which is when Valens would make the distribution.

Interestingly, Valens system of “zodiacal releasing” is extremely similar to the Vedic method of nakshatra maha dashas (time periods ruled by planets).   The nakshatra (moon mansions) dashas associate a certain sequence of planets to the moon’s mansions to determine which planet is the time-lord for a certain period of time.  Each of the nakshatra dashas has a different ordering of planets which is paired to the nakshatras.  You begin the counting with the nakshatra where the moon resides at birth and elect its associated planet as the time lord for the beginning of the dasha sequence.  Each planet is assigned a number of years which it rules over, and you follow the sequence to find when the next planet will be activated.  This is essentially the same method as Valens zodiacal releasing, except that the number of years allotted to each planet differs and in the Vedic system the releasing starts with the moon’s nakshatra’s associated planet rather than the Part of Spirit, which is Valens’ preferred starting point.

Another difference between Valens and Vedic practice is the length of the year. As mentioned above, Valens used a year of 360 days, yet modern Vedic astrologers seem to use the tropical or sidereal year, of 365.2422 or 365.2564 days respectively to time the periods allotted to the planets.

Interestingly, Vedic astrologer Vic DiCara has studied the ancient manuscripts in their original Sanskrit and has determined that the original “year” used in Vedic astrology was the so-called “nakshatra year” of about 359 days, based on one “day” being equal to one rotation of the earth against the fixed stars.  This quite close to Valens 360 days, which is referred to in the Sanskrit literature as a ‘Savana’ year and is based on a day being measured from one sunrise to the next.

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DiCara writes: “Surya Siddhanta calculates these practical timespans based entirely upon the revolution of the nakshatras through the sky (nakshatra ahoratra), which corresponds exactly to the rotation of the Earth on its axis.  …  Nakshatra time is the primary way of measuring how time allows events to occur in a particular sequence. It is to be used for anything and everything except what is specifically apportioned to the other systems. What is predictive astrology? It is an artful science of foretelling the sequence of events, portending how events will happen. Therefore what measurement system of time should be used for predictive astrology? The system that is specifically meant for defining how time causes events to unfold in sequence. What system is that? It is Nakshatra time. Therefore to calculate the duration of planetary eras and cycles you must use Nakshatra time, which defines a year as 359.017 days.”

How does DiCara arrive at 359.017 days for the length of a nakshatra year?  Here is the math:

A Savana day lasts exactly 24 hours.
A nakshatra or sidereal day lasts 23.93446972 hours.
The ratio of sidereal to Savana days is 23.93446972 divided by 24 = 0.997269572.
Multiplying this ratio by the 360 degrees used by Valens for a perfect cycle gives 360 x 0.997269572 = 359.017 days.

In one of his videos, DiCara mentions that he has more precisely calculated this figure to be 359.0167 days in a nakshatra year, which was used in the ancient Vedic texts for predictive purposes in astrology.

In summary, it appears that Valens used an idealized “year” of 360 days for zodiacal releasing, based upon a complete cycle or circle having exactly 360 degrees and allowing each tropical day one degree of the circle.

The Vedic maha dasha system is similar, according to DiCara’s study of ancient texts, because each planet is also assigned a complete circle of 360 degrees as a “year,” but each degree of that circle corresponds to one sidereal day, which lasts 23.93446972 hours.  Thus, one cycle (360 degrees) corresponds to 360 x 23.93446972 hours = 8616.409099 hours, which is equivalent to 359.017 tropical days (measured sunrise to sunrise).

 

Void of course Moon in a “lost and found” horary

Recently while reading about Vedic horary astrology, I came across a question analyzed by a Vedic astrologer and wondered if Lilly’s approach would provide a similar answer. The querent had gone to the post office to mail a package but when it came time for payment he discovered that his wallet was missing from his pants pocket.  Thinking that the wallet might have fallen out of his pants in his car, he checked and did not find the wallet.  He then went home and could not find the missing item in his house.

Being a Vedic astrologer, he cast a horary (prashna) chart with Campanus houses to locate the missing object. Following the symbolism in the chart, he was able to locate the wallet in an obscured location in his car. As he opened the driver’s door, the dark brown wallet was wedged between the metal frame and the dark base of the driver’s seat in a spot that was hard to see.

Here is the horary (“Where is my wallet?”) in the tropical zodiac with Campanus houses, as used in the original chart.

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It is a Jupiter day during a Mars hour. Leo is on the Ascendant. The chart appears radical in the sense that a fiery planet rules the hour with a fiery sign on the 1st cusp.

With Leo rising, the Sun is the principal signifier of the querent. The Moon is a co-ruler of the querent and a general signifier of the question and the flow of events.

The missing item is signified by the 2nd cusp, ruled by Mercury, and also by the Moon, a general signifier of things that stray or wander. The 4th house rules hidden treasure and its ruler, Venus, can also signify the missing wallet and point to its location.

The Moon at 15 Virgo 51 is void of course because her next aspect will not perfect until she has reached 4 Libra 53 to complete the sextile with Saturn.  Lilly advised that “in judgments doe you carefully observe whether she [the Moon] be void of course yea or no, you shall seldom see business go handsomely forward when she is so.”

What does a void of course Moon mean in a horary cast to find a missing object? Lilly says that “you shall seldom see business go handsomely forward.”  Does he mean that you won’t find it, that it will be hard to find, or perhaps that the missing item will have a hard time becoming completely lost?

Many years ago in one of her workshops Joan McEvers presented several charts of missing objects. She noted that in her experience with such horaries (“Where is the missing object?”) a void of course Moon often appeared when the object was later found or returned. Joan was using the modern definition of void of course, that the moon perfects no aspects before leaving its sign.

If I recall correctly, Joan’s explanation was that the Moon is a symbol for things (or people) that stray or wander. When the Moon is void, it can’t accomplish much; thus, it can’t stray very far and will likely return or be found. Whatever the astrological reason, her experience was that a void of course moon in missing item horaries generally indicated their return.

Lilly used a different definition of void of course. For Lilly, to be void meant that the Moon was not in orb of applying to a major aspect with any planet at the time of the question. For some authors, being void of course meant that the Moon would not perfect any major aspect in the 24 hours following the question.

In this chart, the Moon is void of course in both the modern and in Lilly’s definition. If we take the Moon to signify the missing wallet, then its location in the second house of the querent’s movable goods means that the wallet is still in the querent’s possession and does not have the energy or ability (void of course) to go anywhere else. The wallet will stay with the querent’s belongings, and he should be able to find it.

The Moon’s last aspect was an opposition to the Sun (the querent). The Moon’s prior aspects show what has already transpired. Most recently the Moon (the stray wallet) has separated (opposition) from the querent (Sun).

Where was the querent (Sun) when this separation took place? The Sun was in the 8th house of other people’s goods. The querent was bringing a package to the post office to mail it to someone else. The Sun in the 8th house suggests that the wallet had been on or near a part of the body symbolized by the 8th house, which Lilly associates with the “privy-parts” (CA 54), bladder, anus, and organs of elimination. Most likely the wallet was in the querent’s pants pocket at the level of the genitals or buttocks. The chart suggests that the wallet fell out of his pocket while he was involved with other people’s movable goods, probably on his way to the post office. The Sun (querent) is separating from Neptune (inattention, distraction), suggesting that the wallet fell out of his pants pocket while he was somehow not paying attention.

The 2nd house ruler, Mercury, is a primary signifier of the missing object. Like the Moon, Mercury is also void of course because it will perfect no major aspect before leaving its sign and its orb is usually taken as 7 degrees. Hence, like the Moon, Mercury will not connect with any other planet and will not stray or wander further from its current location. The fact that Mercury lies in an angular house means that it is likely to be found and is located in a place that is frequented by the querent.

If the signifiers of the querent are the Sun and co-ruler Moon, and the signifiers of the missing wallet are Mercury, Venus and the Moon, then we need to look for applying major aspects between the querent’s rulers and the wallet’s rulers.

Does the Sun (querent) aspect the Moon (strayed walled) ? No, they are very recently separating from an opposition, probably indicating that the wallet recently fell from his pocket.
Does the Sun aspect Venus? No, they are separating from a semi-sextile but they are in mutual reception by exaltation, which is an argument that the wallet (Venus) will be found.
Does the Sun aspect Mercury? No, they are separating from a semi-sextile.
Does the Moon (querent’s co-ruler) aspect Mercury (the wallet)? They are applying to a quincunx (150 degrees, not a major aspect), which indicates that the querent can’t see the wallet because it is not visible or somehow concealed.
Does the Moon (querent’s co-ruler) aspect Venus (the wallet)? They are applying to a quincunx (150 degrees, not a major aspect), which indicates that the querent can’t see the wallet because it is not visible or somehow concealed.

Studying the aspects reveals that the wallet probably recently fell from his pocket into a space which is hard for him to see.

The Part of Fortune is also a possible signifier of the missing wallet. Its position in the angular 7th and right on the Angle is an argument that the wallet will be found in a location frequented by the querent. The dispositor of the Part of Fortune is Saturn. The very next aspect the Moon (querent’s co-ruler) will make, after leaving its void state and entering Libra, is a sextile to Saturn (the leather wallet). This could be interpreted as the querent being relatively inactive and unable to find the wallet (Moon void of course), followed by the wallet’s discovery (Moon sextile Saturn).

Where is the missing wallet?

Moon (strays) in Virgo in the 2nd suggests that it is in an enclosed space (Virgo) with other things that he owns (2nd house).
Mercury (2nd ruler) also rules the 3rd (local travel), so the wallet may be in a place connected with local transport.
Mercury (2nd ruler) in Aquarius in the 7th suggests the location may be related to electronics or modern technology (Aquarius) and will be near to the querent and relatively easy to find (angular house).
Venus (4th ruler) in Aries in the 9th (a travel house) suggests that the wallet will be in a place related to Aries (ruled by Mars) and travel (9th house). Aries is a movable fire sign, and all the movable (cardinal) signs imply movement from one place to another. Mars rules iron and combustion, which are features of modern automobiles. Thus, Venus (4th ruler, hidden treasure) in Aries in the 9th suggests a location in a car.

Putting it all together:

The wallet most likely fell out of his pocket as he was getting into his car to go to the post office. It fell to a location that was hard to see but remained in his possession because it did not leave his car. He will find the wallet because the Sun (querent) and Venus (4th ruler) are in mutual reception by exaltation. Another positive indicator is that the Sun (querent) and benefic Jupiter in the 1st house are in mutual reception by sign.

 

 

 

 

Combining Zodiacal Releasing with Vedic Mahadashas

Recently I’ve been re-reading an old book by astrologer Richarch Houck (13 Apr 1947 – 01 Apr 2001).  My first exposure to Vedic astrology came with reading Houck’s classic The Astrology of Death back in the 90s.  I must confess that at the time, some two decades ago, the Vedic techniques did not make much sense to me.  Since then I’ve studied Hellenistic techniques, such as the use of time-lords, and Houck’s methods are now a lot clearer than they used to be.  Nonetheless, I regard myself as a complete novice with regard to Vedic astrology, so please forgive me if I say something really stupid in the following comments.

It occurred to me to do a comparison of Valens’ method of zodiacal releasing and the Vedic Vimshotarri Dasha time-lord technique in the same chart for a specific event.  Searching the internet, I came across the birth data of a woman, born 6 October 1954, who reportedly had a car accident which put her in the hospital and totaled her car a few days before 23 September 2013.

Here is her natal chart in the tropical zodiac with Placidus houses and the mean node:

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Is there any indication of a serious car accident leading to hospitalization in this tropical chart?  Yes, quite clearly:

Jupiter rules the 3rd of local travel and the 12th of hospitalization.
Jupiter conjoins Uranus (accidents) at the cusp of the unfortunate 8th house.
The Jupiter/Uranus conjunction opposes the Moon (ruler of the 8th) and Mars (violent accidents).   Uranus opposite Moon is almost exact.

At the time of the accident, the native was 58 years old, so her annual profected Ascendant for the year of the event was Libra, which makes Venus the “Lady of the Year” according to Valens.  Venus lies in detriment in Scorpio and squares Pluto in the 8th, warning of a difficult and perhaps life-altering year (birthday in 2012 to birthday in 2013).  The activation of Libra stimulates the Sun and Neptune in Libra, and Neptune is closely square the Uranus/Jupiter conjunction in Cancer and square the Moon/Mars conjunction in Capricorn.  This stressful T-square will thus be activated during this profection year.

Because we are dealing with an accident, out of her control, I will look at zodiacal releasing from the Part of Fortune for the period of the event:

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Unfortunately, I don’t have the exact date of the accident, but we know it occurred “a few days before 23 September,” which gives a range from about 17 Sept to 21 Sep, 2013.  Her zodiacal releasing for this range of dates activates:

L1 – Cancer & Moon:  This activates the T-square Moon/Mars – Neptune – Uranus/Jupiter.  Jupiter rules the 3rd of local travel and the 12th of hospitalization.  Cancer rules the unfortunate 8th house (crisis, loss, accidents).
L2 – Gemini & Mercury:  This activates the almost exact Mercury/Saturn conjunction in Scoprio in the 10th, with Saturn ruling the 2nd of income and Mercury ruling the 7th and 9th.
L3 – Capricorn & Saturn:  This activates Saturn and the Mercury/Saturn conjunction (see L2).
L4 – Cancer & Moon:  Same as L1.  The accident occurred when the natal T-square was activated at this level, reinforcing the activations at higher levels.

Now lets look at her non-lunar hard-aspect transits for this period:

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Amazingly, she had the following transits during the week of her accident:

17 Sep: her Saturn return at age 58!
18 Sep: Transiting Lady of the Year VENUS conjunct natal Mercury and Saturn, activating the natal Mercury/Saturn conjunction in Scorpio.
18 Sep:  Transiting Mercury (travel & transport) conjunct the natal MC.
20 Sep:  Transiting Pluto turns stationary direct at 8 Cap 59 near the natal nodal axis and stimulating the natal Mercury/Saturn conjunction by sextile.
22 Sep: Transiting Mercury square natal Mars.

Now let’s look at her sidereal chart and examine what dashas were in effect at the time of the accident.  Her is her natal sidereal chart with the Krishnamurtia anayamsa and Whole Sign houses, mean node.

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In the sidereal chart the Ascendant is Scorpio, which makes the profected Ascendant Virgo and Mercury the Lord of the Year, thus highlighting the Mercury/Saturn conjunction in the 12th house — a fitting symbol for a possible transportation accident leading to hospitalization.

Here are the dashas, calculated using Richard Houck’s ayanamsa with the program Jagannatha Hora:

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In the dasha system we see the following:

L1 – Saturn, emphasizing the 12th house (hospitalization, misfortune), which Saturn occupies, as well as the 3rd (local travel) and 4th (vehicles in the Vedic system) houses which Saturn rules.

L2 – Mercury, again emphasizing the 12th house, which Mercury occupies, and the 8th (loss, accidents, crises) and 11th (social contacts) houses, which Mercury rules.

L3 – Saturn (see L1).  Viewing Saturn from the point of view of L2-lord Mercury, Saturn rules the 4th (vehicles) and 5th (? travel for pleasure ?) houses from Mercury.

L4 – Venus, which occupies the 1st house (the body, one’s vital functioning) and also the 7th (opposing the Ascendant and thus symbolizing assaults on the body) and the 12th house (hospitalization), which Venus rules.

L5 – Since we don’t have the exact date of the accident, L5 could be ruled by Venus (Sep 15-19), the Sun (Sep 19-20) or the Moon (Sep 20-22).  A case could be made for any of these three. The transits point to 18 September as a likely date, but one could argue that the Moon (Sep 19-20) makes a good L5 because with respect to the ruler of L4, Venus, the Moon in in its 3rd house (local travel) and is very closely opposed by Uranus (sudden disruptive events).

Here is the chart for the moment Pluto turned stationary direct (20 Sep 2013 about 5:39 PM) superimposed on the natal chart in the tropical zodiac.  Venus is moving about one degree per day, so the period from Sep 18 – 20 has transiting Venus activating the natal Mercury/Saturn conjunction in Scorpio.

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