A Look at Public Sexual Deviance
This series is sure to be offensive to many people. However, it is an important matter. Have you ever wondered if ancient astrology has anything to say about sexual behavior that is contrary to social norms? What of people who are publicly prominent (notorious) for such behavior, such as porn stars and prostitutes? There is no specific “porn star” astrological signature, but certain sets of factors show up repeatedly when it comes to adult film stars.
A Note on the Astrology
I draw heavily on Persian astrology in this analysis together with the basic astrological principles and techniques established in the Hellenistic period. I also have my own preferences for what works best from practice. Those interested in Persian techniques concerning sexuality is urged to check out the Persian Nativities
Those desiring a firm foundation in basic ancient astrology should check out the Hellenistic astrology course run by Chris Brennan and his book Hellenistic Astrology. Additionally, Introductions to Traditional Astrology
A Note on Birth Data
Unfortunately, there is a lack of good birth data for porn stars. Typically we have nothing other than a date and a location. There are only a handful of porn stars for which we have accurate birth times. Therefore, in this series, I may oscillate between thorough analysis of stars with good birth data and a more superficial analysis where such data is lacking.
A Caution Regarding Readings
Don’t take these indications and start delineating your friends and loved ones as fornicators with wanton lust. Really. Don’t. Accurate predictions can be made but they are very difficult. Venus with Mars in the same sign, for instance, is a common occurrence, and wouldn’t be enough to judge someone’s sexuality. Think of astrology as a language, with any set of factors potentially indicating a large variety of experiences. Additionally, many factors will not pertain strongly to the individual. They will instead pertain to other prominent people or circumstances in their lives.
The Basic Factors
When delineating sexuality, the single most important factor is Venus. However, when it comes to the person themselves, points of personal importance, such as the Ascendant and its lords, are pivotal. Often, I’ll just focus on Venus and her relationship to the individual and the chart. The most important factors are below:
- Venus: Classical planet with the strongest natural significations pertaining to love, beauty, marriage, and sexuality.
- Eros (Lot of Venus): This is the classic Hellenistic lot for Venus. Valens made this lot from Fortune to Spirit by day (reversed by night), projected from the Ascendant. It was a very important lot for Valens, as one of the four principal lots he looked at for effective places and profections. This form for the lot also came to be the most popular manner of constructing it in the later Middle Ages. Paulus instructed to take the lot from Spirit (Lot of the Sun) to Venus by day (Venus to Spirit by night) and projecting that from the Ascendant.
- 7th Place: The 7th House is the 7th sign counted inclusively from the Ascendant. It is the house opposite the house of the self (rising sign). The 7th is the house of marriages, unions, and partnerships. It also has some pertinence to sexuality.
- The Lot of Marriage: There are a few different lots of marriage in ancient astrological works, but the Persians seem to have preferred the Dorothean one. It is Saturn to Venus from Asc for men (by day, reversed by night) and Venus to Saturn from Asc for women (by day, reversed by night). These lots were used in marriage delineation, and occasionally in delineation of sexuality.
Traci Lords
Traci Lords has certainly faced many challenges related to sexuality in her life. She was raped at 10 and molested in her teens by a drug-dealer boyfriend of her mother’s. Her molester also got her into porn when she was just a teenager. She illegally appeared in dozens of movies at only 16 years of age. She was eventually busted, but then did a little more pornography when of age. Later in life, she claimed that she was in porn solely for drugs. She achieved stardom through her porn notoriety, but she was able to transition in later years to acting for television and B movies.
You can read some biographical info about her at Wikipedia. Besides acting, she has been involved in the arts in other ways as well, including in music.
I remember her as Wanda, in John Water’s 1990 film, Cry Baby (starring Johnny Depp).
Traci Lord’s Chart
Her chart is below, based on AA-rated birth data of May 7, 1968 at 5:19 pm in Steubenville, OH.
Traci Lords Natal Chart (12th parts along outer edge; CTRL-Click to enlarge chart)
Analysis
One of the first things we should note in the chart is that Venus rules the Ascending sign, the 1st place, Libra. Therefore, there is a strong identification with Venus. Additionally, Venus is in Taurus, another sign of Venus, and is in the Venus bound of the sign. The sect light, the Sun, is also in a Venus-ruled sign, Taurus, and is with Venus in that sign. The Moon, Descendant, Fortune, and Spirit are also in bounds of Venus.
The twelfth-part of Venus in the 10th place of rank and recognition. This and the associations between Venus and the Sun connect Venus with social prominence. Venus is also advancing and is the primary career significator in my opinion (advancing; strong dignity at the Ascendant; main triplicity lord of 10th; 12th part in 10th; 8th is a valid place for significator). Venus is identified with, generally prominent, prominent in terms of the career, and connected to a number of key life areas. Venus and her natural significations of art, beauty, aesthetics, and sexuality are centrally important in her life.
For reference, the positions of the relevant lots are Lot of Venus (Eros) at about 15 Gemini (Valens) or 1 Virgo (Paulus) and the Lot of Marriage at 25 Virgo. Two of the lots are with the Moon in the 12th, and all are ruled by Mercury, which is conjunct Mars within 3 degrees. I will not analyze the lots in detail in this article.
Venus
She’s out of sect, in a dark place (8th) and a place that is particularly relevant in terms of fear and violation in power situations, while also with the out of sect malefic Mars. From this we gather that this Venus can signify pretty far along malefic dimension, i.e. that the significations of Venus will often pertain to difficulties, challenges, adversity, and circumstances arising where there seems to be something of a disregard for the person’s well-being and peace of mind. Because Venus rules the Ascendant, she will also tend to direct the person, be representative of the person’s self-identification in some ways.
Lustful Signs
In a previous post, I discussed the lustful signs. Lustful signs are prominent in the chart. The main lustful signs are Aries, Taurus, Capricorn, and Pisces, with Leo, and sometimes Libra, also added by some astrologers.
Significantly, Venus is in one of the main four lustful signs (Taurus), as are the Sun and Mars. Therefore, Venus is with Mars, under the beams, in a lustful sign. Aries is also one of the four main lustful signs and the 7th house and twelfth-part of Mars are in that sign.
When Leo and Libra are also considered, then five of the seven planets and the Ascendant and Descendant are in lustful signs. Important planets in lustful signs include Venus, the ruler of the Ascendant (again Venus), the ruler of Fortune (Saturn), the exalted ruler of the Ascendant (again Saturn), and the ruler of the 7th place (Mars).
Special Indications
There are many special indications or groups of indications in the chart that are discussed by various ancient authors in connection to controversy, adversity, and notoriety related to sexuality that are present in the chart. The following indications are found in the chart of Traci Lords.
Venus in a Lustful Sign
If Venus is in one of the signs of desire, which abound in lust (they are Aries, Capricorn, Pisces, and Taurus), and Venus is under the [Sun’s] rays with Saturn or Mars, then this indicates [something] like what I told you of the act of scandals […] (Dorotheus, Pingree trans., 2005, Book II, Ch. 7, p. 206)
Venus in a Dark Place
Masha’allah appears to associate the 12th and 6th places with being places of longing when Venus occupies one. The 12th and 6th places are two of the four dark places (see the lesson on places). It is possible that the 8th and 2nd should also be included as they are the other two dark places. Interestingly, it is the regard of both Jupiter and Mars while Venus is in such a place that is mentioned.
Indeed for the appetite of longing and sexual impurity, consider the following. For, Venus in a place of longing-namely the sixth or twelfth-under the regard of Jupiter and Mars, or if she would be lingering with the Lord of the Lot in the Midheaven, it defames the female spouse because of prostitution, hides an abortion, presents [her] for sale […] (Masha’allah, Book of Aristotle, Dykes trans., 2009, Book III, Chapter 7, Section 8, p. 146)
Venus Under Mars
Masha’allah also associated connections between Venus and Mars with increased sexual longing, as did Abu’Ali (among many others):
Moreover, Venus with Mars or in his bound, or under his regard from the opposition, advances sexual impurity and longing; indeed under a male birth it will be thus. (Masha’allah, Book of Aristotle, Dykes trans., 2009, Book III, Chapter 7, Section 8, p. 146)
Venus, if she were joined to Mars or in his bad aspect, signifies the foulness of wantonness. (Abu’Ali, On the Judgments of Nativities, Dykes trans., 2009, Ch. 26, p. 285)
Orientality of Venus
Additionally, oriental (i.e. rising before the Sun) sexual significators pertain to initiating and less restrained facets of sexuality. Masha’allah and Abu’Ali (among others) noted this association. However, note that the second passage may have been in reference to a man’s chart, in relation to delineating his love life in marriage.
Their orientality increases it greatly, on the contrary [their] occidentality restrains; but the regard of the Sun reveals sexual impurity. (Masha’allah, Book of Aristotle, Dykes trans., 2009, Book III, Chapter 7, Section 8, p. 146)
And if Venus were oriental, it signifies the boldness of the woman over the man, with a multitude of love and joy. (Abu’Ali, On the Judgments of Nativities, Dykes trans., 2009, Ch. 26, p. 286)
Conclusion
As one can see the delineation of sexuality in ancient astrology involves a rich vocabulary. There is the potential for very complex and detailed delineation. The primary stress was upon Venus, the natural significator of sexuality, rather than upon the accidental significations of a particular house or place of the chart.
The existing literature on sexuality addresses many of its facets from compatibility to homosexuality, and from sexual scandal to fidelity in marriage. The rich set of factors in traditional astrology, go beyond just “signs” to include places, planetary regards, relation to the Sun (oriental/occidental), and the lots. There is the capacity to bring much deeper levels of delineation. The delineations in the existing literature should be used as starting points for the development of practical technique, rather than as authoritative proclamations.
It is my hope that the reader will start looking at the chart from a different perspective. Let’s move away from the modern planet-in-sign approach as well as the stagnant traditionalist dignity-pointing approach to reading the chart.
References
Updates
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Thanks Anthony! You give me back my hope that starving at the stars in the evening is the true about orientality/occidentality and not what I somehow misunderstood from the books 🙂 I will re-read the ITA in the light what you told me. And yes, you was right, this misconception started when reading the passage in the DMA.
Oriental and occidental terms are different for the superior and inferior planets. The superior planets (Saturn, Jupiter and Mars) are oriental when they are before the Sun in zodiacal degree. The inferior planets (Venus and Mercury) are considered oriental when they are after the Sun in zodiacal degree. In this chart Saturn and Mercury are oriental to the Sun and Venus, Mars and Jupiter are occidental to the Sun. A very good explanation is in the Abu Ma’shar & al-Qabisi: Introduction to Traditional Astrology (2010) translated by Benjamin N. Dykes page 93-107.
From this blog entry this wasn’t so obvious this is why I mentioned it.
Hi Csaba,
This was actually a later misconception of Oriental and Occidental to the Sun. In both ITA, and in earlier material, either superiors or inferiors to the right of the Sun, i.e. before the Sun in zodiacal degree, are Eastern or Oriental, and those to the left of the Sun, i.e. after the Sun in later zodiacal degree, are Western or Occidental. This makes sense that a planet rising before the Sun, i.e. reaching the East first and typically visible while in the East before the Sun rises, would be Eastern, and a planet setting after the Sun, i.e. typically visible in the West after the Sun sets, would be Western. Though often planets that are under the rays are not considered Eastern or Western (probably because they are not seen at all).
This was corrupted in later material (and Zoller followed this corruption in his own DMA material), due to confusion between the Oriental/Occidental and the rejoicing conditions related to it, in which Superiors rejoice Oriental the Sun, and Inferiors rejoice Occidental the Sun. This rejoicing condition is one of many pertaining to congruity, such as having planet of the Sun’s sect on the same side of the horizon and those of the opposite sect on the other side (i.e. Hayz), and having masculine planets in masculine signs and feminine planet in feminine signs, and having Superior planets in masculine quadrants and Inferior planets in feminine quadrants, etc. Basically, Superiors should naturally precede the Sun (in rising/setting), because they are of the superior heaven, and Inferiors should follow (in rising/setting), because they’re of the inferior heaven.
Examining al-Qabisi in ITA (p. 100), we see that the diagram of the cycle of the Superiors shows the planet Eastern when on the right side from the rays of the Sun to the opposition. Examining the diagrams on p. 102-104, you’ll see that al-Qabisi also has the Inferiors as Eastern when on the right side and Western when on the left, and that Abu Ma’shar does as well on the next page. It is the same in earlier literature, such as the Masha’allah material cited.
The rejoicing conditions are hit on by Abu Ma’shar and al-Qabisi as translated in Book IV of ITA. See the ending passages pertaining in Section 2 pertaining to “The power of the stars” and Section 3 “The impotence of the stars”, to note that it was a strengthening or weakening condition on an equal footing as quadrant placement for these two medieval astrologers.
Here’s another example from Sahl (On Questions, Ch. 6.1, Dykes trans., 2008, p. 88):
Here it is very clear why the terms oriental and occidental (i.e. Eastern and Western) are used, which is very common sense, because the planet rises in the east in the morning or sets in the west in the evening. We also get the sense in this passage, which is one pertaining to an horary question about illness, that orientality is associated with being more initiating, quick, overt, and manifesting, while occidentality is more passive, slow, covert, and hiding in waiting. It also fits with the idea of planets that are on the right side as being more dominant or influential than those on the left, because they rise before them. I think it was Ptolemy who initially identified Eastern planets with showing quick and even early effects in predictive work and Western planets with manifesting their effects after the time one would predict, but I’m not certain and don’t have a chance at the moment to look into it.
Best wishes!
Reference
Bishr, S. ibn, & Masha’allah. (2008). Works of Sahl & Masha’allah. (B. N. Dykes, Trans.). Minneapolis, MN: The Cazimi Press.