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Seven Reasons Every Astrologer Needs Chris Brennan’s Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune

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  1. Introduction

In commemoration of the second anniversary of its release, it is my pleasure to review Chris Brennan’s Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. I have recommended Brennan’s course on Hellenistic astrology for many years. Chris has an exceptionally deep understanding of the history of early horoscopic astrology and the complications presented by early texts. He also has a knack for clarifying complex issues, whether  historical, textual, or interpretive.

I cannot recommend Brennan’s book more highly. It is an essential reference which you need in your library. His book makes accessible to a general public the origins of the symbols and techniques that astrologers take for granted. It is especially essential for those who would like to explore early astrology.

Seven Reasons You Need This Book

1. Get a Grip on the History of Western Astrology

If you’re like most astrologers then your understanding of astrology’s place in history is pretty fuzzy. When did the system of planets, signs, houses, and aspects come about? Who were the early influential practitioners of that system? How did early astrology fit in with the dominant political and religious movements of the ancient world? What separates later medieval astrology from Hellenistic astrology? Where did modern astrology come from?

These questions and many more are addressed in the book in a captivating and scholarly manner. There are, in fact, a number of books which address the history of astrology. However, this book does the best job of staying concise, scholarly, and entertaining.

A Concise and Entertaining Reference

It may seem strange to call Brennan’s treatment of history “concise”. After all, this is a 600+ page book. However, the historical piece is one among many. The first 5 of the 18 chapters of the book offer a concise, well-organized historical overview.

You’ll learn about the emergence of horoscopic astrology, with its Ascendant and houses, and see what sets it apart. Brennan hits upon all the major questions regarding Western astrology’s origins. He addresses the astrology that came before it, its relationship with other astrological traditions, its major players, and how its fate was interwoven with that of the Roman Empire. The text has a novel-like clarity and momentum to its treatment of history, which keeps it ever fascinating, never dry.

In addition to the historical overviews you’ll find short reference biographies of all the major astrologers of the early period (30 of them!). These bios are in chronological order and discuss each astrologer’s works. There is also a timeline of important developments in the history of astrology by century available in an appendix. Extensive footnotes and a 23 page bibliography will help you dig deeper after your curiosity becomes inevitably piqued by what you learn.

2. Expand Your Understanding of the Basics

This second reason is related to the first but pertains particularly to our understanding and practice of astrology itself. It is one thing to read a modern book about the planets, signs, aspects, and houses, with their significations explained. It is another entirely to examine the way these concepts were understood around the time they were created.

You are in for a very deep dive into the richness and subtlety of the basic elements of the chart with this book. From a 43 page chapter on the meanings of the planets to a 73 page chapter on the signs of the zodiac. Chapters on configurations and on houses go beyond just explaining the history and use of aspects and houses. Brennan examines attempts to reconstruct the many subtle distinctions in meaning associated with complex configurations. He also tackles the confusing and contentious issue of house division. His explanations are always clear and emphasize the significant historical facts.

Who Cares?

As I mention in reason number 3 below, modern astrologers have a lot of misconceptions about traditional forms of astrology. It is often the case that astrologers assume that older interpretations of astrological signs and configurations will be overly fatalistic nonsense. Ancient astrology was more orientated toward fate and objective reality than to subjective psychology. However, it is also true that there was much more richness, nuance, and individuality associated with what things meant in any chart. In other words, the chart has more to say.  In these days of Sun sign astrology, astrology tends to get over-simplified and dumbed-down. 

If you are serious about improving your understanding of astrology and its basics then this is the book for you. The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need is not needed. What every astrologer needs is a clear explanation of the original meanings of the basic components with their myriad distinctions and nuances explained in a lucid fashion. Brennan gives this with an objectivity lacking in most treatments, and he imparts an understanding of how the components fit together. If you want to come at those basic chart elements from a totally psychological angle at that point, that is fine. However, you will do so with a much firmer and richer tool kit of distinctions at your disposal.

3. Clear Up Your Misconceptions

Modern astrologers have a lot of misconceptions about traditional astrology. Traditional astrologers also have a lot of misconceptions about Hellenistic astrology. Heck, even astrologers studying Hellenistic astrology are likely to have some misconceptions about the history of the texts they are studying and the nature of some of the concepts within them.

Is Hellenistic astrology part of an obsession with the ancient Greeks, or was its practice actually more strongly associated with the Roman Empire? Was Hellenistic astrology a gradual melding of late Babylonian and Egyptian astrology with Greek mathematics and philosophy, or was it more of a sudden invention, or both, and to what extent? How did historical events, like the fall of the Roman Empire, impact the practice of astrology? Brennan clearly addresses these questions and topics of contentious debate in an even-handed and scholarly manner.

Origins and the System

Many of the biggest misconceptions that astrologers tend to hold pertain to the history of their art. Are you one of those astrologers who characterizes early traditional astrology too narrowly as one single fatalistic paradigm or set of formulas? Or too broadly as being totally different with each early astrologer?

Brennan provides a good overview of the way that a handful of foundational early texts helped establish a common system used by dozens of astrologers in diverse and broad ways over the following centuries. Chapter 2 which explains the early history has dedicated sections exploring the pros and cons of theories of development, discussing the evidence for each. One can find information about the source of various techniques, whether it be late Babylonian astrology, late Egyptian astrology, one of the foundational texts of Hellenistic astrology, or something else entirely. 

Philosophy and Fatalism

It is not uncommon for astrologers to associate Hellenistic astrology with a rigidly fatalistic perspective. This book is called “The Study of Fate and Fortune” and its author has a fairly Stoic fatalistic view of life himself. However, Chris has a whole chapter (Ch. 6) exploring the diverse philosophical attitudes that existed among Hellenistic astrologers and which flourished in the time of its practice. 

Brennan discusses how astrologers differed as to whether they viewed astrology as a study of signs or causes. Additionally, they differed in terms of how predetermined or fated they thought life to be. They also differed in the extent to which astrology was said to reflect fate. Interestingly, one of many possible perspectives is that everything in life is wholly predetermined, but astrology does not cause anything, only showing signs of some broad aspects of one’s fate, which an astrologer with some difficulty can attempt to interpret. Of course, many additional perspectives are possible.

“Aside from the differing views as to the mechanism underlying astrology, astrologers also held different opinions about the degree to which our lives and events in the world were viewed as predetermined or fated to occur.” (Brennan, 2017, p. 153)

Contentious Issues

Certain issues of practice are more subject to contentious debate than others. Few are more contentious than the nature of house division, the use of the tropical zodiac, and issues pertaining to when planets are benefic or malefic. Brennan devotes an entire chapter to the house division issue (Ch. 11) providing a level of scholarly detail not so readily available elsewhere. While Brennan’s treatment of the zodiac debate is briefer and less detailed (a section of Ch. 8), it does provide some valuable information and food for thought. 

Multiple sections of Chapter 7 (Planets) explain the distinction between benefics and malefics. This includes a discussion of how malefics can signify positively and benefics adversely. Sections on sect and an entire chapter on bonfiication and maltreatment conditions (Ch. 14) help one to more deeply explore this complex and nuanced topic. These distinctions go beyond rote labels of good and bad to get at our deep need to untangle the complicated web of strain, gain, loss, and pleasure so integral to the human experience.

Textual Integrity

I have personally struggled with misconceptions regarding textual integrity. The texts of Hellenistic astrology are very old and many do not survive in an early form in their original languages. Many of our English translations actually reflect later translations from Byzantine compilations, Arabic translations of Pahlavi translations of Greek, or even Latin translations of Arabic translations from the High Middle Ages. It is good to know the source of a given text and whether there is known evidence of corruptions and insertions. Brennan’s chapter on the Hellenistic astrologers (Ch. 4), and its copious footnotes, clarify textual issues pertaining to those astrologers. 

4. Learn Sophisticated Traditional Astrology

This is not just a book on the history and philosophy of early astrology. It is also a manual for using some practical Hellenistic techniques. After taking a deep dive into the history of astrology and the original set of factors, you will want to learn some practical Hellenistic astrology. In this regard, Brennan’s book provides a number of clearly explained useful techniques. However, it should be noted that his treatment just scratches the surface in terms of the available techniques of Hellenistic astrology (see #6 below for more on this). The point is to whet your appetite and inspire you to start reading source texts.

Learn to see the chart the way astrologers did for about the first 700 or so years that horoscopic astrology was practiced. You will learn the significations of the planets, signs, and houses in depth. Brennan will also show you the most intricate and nuanced aspect doctrine that exists in traditional astrology, that of Antiochus (Ch. 9: Configurations). Through numerous examples (over 100) you will also learn some Hellenistic techniques of chart interpretation and timing. 

Chart Interpretation

In addition to thoroughly explaining basic chart factors, Brennan also provides examples of approaches to chart delineation. For instance, Brennan shows how to understand what it means when the ruler of one house is in another house (Ch. 12-13). You will also learn to evaluate complex configurations For instance, you will learn to understand how there can be indications of opportunities which develop into problems or difficulties which develop into opportunities based on principles of bonification and maltreatment (Ch. 14).  You will learn to use triplicity rulers of the Sun or Moon to judge fluctuations in well-being (Ch. 15). There is even a chapter on how to use Lots for more information about topics (Ch. 16). Get ready to see get richer and clearer information out of every natal chart. 

Timing Techniques

The tail end of the book consists of a couple timing techniques. In my opinion, the most important one you will learn is profections (Ch. 17). Profections was the most widespread time lord technique among the Hellenistic astrologers. It is a technique that is easy and quite useful for astrologers of all stripes. On social media I’ve noticed that even modern psychological astrologers are starting to make productive use of profections. Brennan also touches on the more elaborate form of profections used by Vettius Valens, which was Valens’ preferred time lord technique. Finally, Chris presents a technique called zodiacal releasing (Ch. 18) which survived only in the work of Valens but is Brennan’s personally preferred timing technique. Using a time lord technique like profections, you an start to learn why some transits matter much more than others.

5. This is a Beautiful Book

From the striking cover design by Paula Belluomini to the more than 50 figures, diagrams, and tables, this book is a beauty to behold. The text is clear and well-set. Footnotes are helpful and unobtrusive. Reference information appearing in the text, such as a list of planetary periods, is always well-spaced and easy to read. Chart examples are copious (over 100). Charts themselves are of a distinctively clear, simple, and uncluttered style that helps even beginners to stay focused on the factors under discussion.

The Portable Version

At over 600 pages, this is a hefty book. This can make it a bit of a difficult travel companion. Thankfully, an Ebook version has also been released through Google Books. The Ebook is quite a bit cheaper at a regular price of $24, as opposed to about $40-48 for the print version. As of my writing it is even on sale in the US for about $14, which is a steal. I recommend getting a copy of the book in both formats. In some ways the print book is easier to navigate as a reference. However, the Ebook will allow you to search out passages wherever you are. The print version is a strking conversation starter, while the Ebook can be read inconspicuously.

6. It’s Just the Beginning

While Brennan’s book should be regarded as the definitive introduction to Hellenistic astrology, it is not the definitive text of Hellenistic astrology. It is important that we make this distinction. The definitive texts of Hellenistic astrology are the surviving texts of the Hellenistic astrologers. These are sometimes large and complicated tracts. Brennan hits on the central aspects of the system of astrology found in these texts. However, the predictive astrology demonstrated in Brennan’s text has a particular flavor unique to him. Additionally, as he notes in the conclusion, he could not address some aspects of Hellenistic astrology that he regards as very important, such as the doctrine of spear-bearing. 

One potential danger is to confuse Brennan’s demonstration of one approach to Hellenistic astrology with being exactly how Hellenistic astrologers or some specific Hellenistic astrologer would approach the chart. Therefore, it’s important to separate the early reference-oriented part of the book from the latter manual of predictive astrology. I don’t bring this up as a criticism of the book. Both the reference and manual aspects of the book are phenomenally well done. Rather, it is all too easy to take an imposing 600 page book which is in part a scholarly reference as having illustrated all that Hellenistic astrology can do. Brennan doesn’t make this claim and in fact repeatedly reiterates that he is just scratching the surface.

“Hellenistic astrology is a vast subject, and while we have covered a lot of ground in this book, there is still much that I was not able to include.” (Brennan, 2017, p. 591)

Demonstrations

In reason number 5 above, I have extolled the virtues of the manual side of this book. You will learn some valuable practical techniques that come right out of Hellenistic astrology. However, keep in mind that the “manual” part of the book is intended to briefly demonstrate how some Hellenistic techniques can be used by astrologers today. Additionally, Brennan keeps his explanations of examples charts rather brief and terse in order to give the reader a feel for how examples are presented in source texts. 

“To that end, I have tried to pattern my presentation in the example charts after the way they are presented in some of the ancient manuals, especially that of the second-century astrologer Vettius Valens and the instructional texts that he wrote for his students. The purpose of this is to demonstrate not just how the techniques work, but also to partially recreate how they are presented in the ancient instruction manuals, thus providing another preparatory step towards reading the texts on their own.” (Brennan, 2017, p. xxv)

Not Proofs

Perusing reviews on Amazon I was struck by a couple lower ones (3-star) that mentioned they were “unconvinced” by the manual part of the book. For instance, one reviewer noted that Brennan associated a 2nd house profection with Lisa Marie Presley’s inheritance of a fortune on her 25th birthday. The reviewer critically noted that we all have 2nd place profections on our 25th birthday. However, the terse example assumes one would understand the indications of Presley’s 2nd house Jupiter ruling her 8th, and 8th house Mercury ruling her 2nd, as prior chapters explained the meanings of houses and planets.

It is important to recognize that the examples are not intended to prove the efficacy of Hellenistic astrology. Chris didn’t prove 2nd house profections bring a windfall to everyone on their 25th birthdays. But what he did do was to demonstrate how an ancient predictive technique accurately timed out the symbolism of the chart in a way that reflected reality. This suggests that the technique is worth your study.

Beyond Demonstration

The actual prediction of real world events is never simple or easy. Most people say it is impossible to do so with astrology.  It would certainly be more difficult than it appears to be in these one paragraph examples using isolated timing techniques. Hellenistic astrologers looked for confirmation both of the thing symbolized in the birth chart and of the timing by multiple predictive techniques. For important matters like fame and profession, Hellenistic astrologers would often employ special techniques with their own modus operandi. Chris does not explore the full spectrum of techniques that might be required to time a massive inheritance.

Brennan’s book is not intended to prove the efficacy of astrology to non-astrologers, nor of Hellenistic astrology to modern astrologers. It is a reference for those wishing to explore early astrology and its history, which also demonstrates some useful techniques. In this vein, the manual aspect of the book is a strong success. The examples pique the interest of most readers to try out the techniques and do some further exploration. 

Preferences

Brennan’s use of Hellenistic astrology is a product of his influences and preferences. His own style is strongly influenced by that of his teacher, Robert Schmidt. Elements that characterize the astrology in the book are a focus on the reconstructed aspect doctrine of Antiochus, minimal use of zodiacal subdivisions, the use of a concept called “adversity” or “exile” (detriment; a concept actually lacking in the real Hellenistic system), and a strong predictive stress on zodiacal releasing, an obscure time lord technique which survives only the work of Valens. The astrology in this book is a simplified version of Brennan’s approach aimed at beginners. It is important to keep Brennan’s preferences in mind. The texts of the tradition are very diverse. Every astrologer has their preferences, including each the Hellenistic astrologers. One of the virtues of the book is that Brennan recognized and reiterated this fact, especially in his introduction and conclusion.

Omissions

Some of my favorite aspects of Hellenistic astrology are not part of Brennan’s approach. I love the use of twelfth-parts, antiscia, quadrant houses for prominence, solar returns, and primary directions. The lack of detriment in Hellenistic astrology is not something that I think requires “reconstruction”. I also like think special techniques are necessary for important matters such as profession, eminence, and marriage. Some of these things are not even mentioned in the book while others are briefly touched on but not demonstrated. Additionally, only a couple of the many predictive techniques of Vettius Valens are touched on.

While Brennan’s book is phenomenal it is important to recognize what’s not there. The study of primary texts is still needed to resuscitate more aspects of this tradition. Therefore, study this book while studying primary source texts. 

“There is still much work to be done in reconstructing and reviving Hellenistic astrology, and this overview is still just one relatively early step in that process. My hope is that this work will inspire others to take part in this effort by demonstrating the value and complexity of the ancient astrological traditions.” (Brennan, 2017, p. 591)

An Introduction

I feel strongly that astrologers need to frequently study the primary source texts of the traditionm. There is still a great deal of valuable astrology in them that requires recovery, reinterpretation, and application. Brennan’s Hellenistic Astrology is both a great start for beginners and an extremely valuable companion in one’s studies. With just an affordable Ebook copy of this book and some free online text translations, one can start on this enriching study immediately and with rapid progress. Brennan intended his book to be used in this regard.

“Since this is one of the first works of its kind in modern times, I felt the need to attempt to write something that could provide a broad foundation for future studies. While the size and scope of this book may convey the pretense that it is a fully comprehensive work on the subject, in reality it is only an introduction to a vast field; there are many facets of the tradition that I will either have to omit entirely or only given the briefest treatments. It is thus a starting point for future studies, and it is meant to initiate the reader into the subject so that they can independently engage some of the earliest source texts of the tradition.”(Brennan, 2017, p. xx)

 7. Chris Brennan Wrote This

Chris Brennan is an active consulting astrologer in the Denver area. He is perhaps best known to the general public today as the host of the popular podcast, The Astrology Podcast. The podcast takes on all things astrological, from monthly transit forecasts and interviews with popular astrologers to deep dives into historical and interpretive issues. He also offers three courses, including a brilliant one on Hellenistic astrology. Brennan is a young astrologer so we are likely to see much more serious astrology from him in the future. However, Chris is wise beyond his years, with an understanding of astrology that outstrips that of the typical veteran in the field.

Brennan began to seriously study Hellenistic astrology starting in 2005, prompted by a class on the subject at Kepler College. That same year he went to live and study at Project Hindsight. There Robert Schmidt was translating texts of Hellenistic astrology into English, many for the first time. By fall of 2006, Chris became determined to write a book on Hellenistic astrology. That book would take over 10 years to complete. The result is the most thorough and helpful introduction to Hellenistic astrology to date and an indispensable reference for all astrologers.

A Guide for Rocky Terrain

I owe a debt of gratitude to Brennan for his course on Hellenistic astrology, and now for his wonderful book. I went through Robert Zoller’s DMA course, based largely on the natal astrology of Guido Bonatti. Ben Dykes’ later landmark two-volume translation of Bonatti led me to Bonatti’s Perso-Arabic sources. Those Arab sources in turn led me back to Hellenistic astrology for further clarification. The foundational texts of Hellenistic astrology are lost but many early works drawing on them survive. The early textbooks are diverse, complex, and often only available as later medieval translations and editions. There are significant stumbling blocks to directly approaching the early works. These include corrupt and incomplete texts, insertions by later translators or scribes, and difficult or ambiguous explanations.

Brennan’s course on Hellenistic astrology not only provided an introduction to the astrology of the era but also assisted with the trickier historical, textual, and interpretive issues. His book does the same, guiding one through this fascinating but challenging terrain. The Hellenistic source material is full of treasures but errors and misconceptions abound. Brennan’s book clearly lays out the history of horoscopic astrology and the core of the original system, while demonstrating important techniques. It provides the key knowledge necessary to get the most out of the source material. His text is sure to accelerate the revolution toward a richer, clearer astrology practiced by an ever more knowledgeable and respectable astrological community.

References
Brennan, C. (2017). Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. Amor Fati Publications.

 

Astrology with Free Software | Valens is the Best Morinus Yet

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Why Free Software?

I rely on free and open source software options as much as possible in my work.  Free software has a very beneficial and democratizing effect on the practice of astrology.  I prefer free software for the site because it allows readers of any income level to replicate my charts and tables. Furthermore, there is a wealth of free birth data online, particularly on Astrodatabank.  Access to free software allows for easy chart-calculation to test out techniques against a wider range of data than I can present in an article.

What is Morinus?

As readers of the blog will know, my favorite free software program is Morinus. I have used the Traditional Morinus for the examples in almost all blog posts, and I’ve discussed using it in previous posts in this series.

Morinus is not just free astrology software, it is great astrology software. It will allow you to do many things that even some of the more costly programs won’t do. For instance, I can have a wheel in which the terms of the signs, the 7 hermetic lots of Paulus Alexandrinus, and the twelfth-parts of the planets are all immediately visible. I also have quick access to primary directions and zodiacal releasing information.

Importantly, Morinus is open source, so it is truly “the community’s software”. Members of the community with coding experience are free to check out the source code and adapt it to meet their needs. They can develop their own “versions” of the program which expand upon it.  In this sense, the developers (thanks Robert!) have given the astrological community a truly valuable gift. We’d be fools to pass it up for commercial products with less community potential.

Check out this post for more information on Morinus and free software in general, and this post on how to calculate primary directions with Morinus.

Valens

Over a year ago, in early 2014, a new version of Morinus emerged specifically tailored to Hellenistic astrology.  It is called “Valens“, after the 2nd-century Hellenistic astrologer Vettius Valens. Valens was inspired by Chris Brennan’s course on Hellenistic astrology, in which some of Valens’ timing techniques, especially Zodiacal Releasing, figure prominently.  In addition to the inclusion of Zodiacal Releasing, this version of Morinus also features the ability to easily insert the prenatal syzygy, the 7 hermetic lots (a lot for each planet as discussed by Paulus Alexandrinus and sourced from an early text attributed to Hermes), and the twelfth-parts of the planets into the chart.

After trying out the software, I firmly believe it is the best yet for Hellenistic techniques, and will serve readers well as they read the posts on this blog.

You can download the software here (for Windows scroll to the bottom of the page and download the Valensexe.zip).  Follow the installation instructions that you find on that page, as there is one additional step after you unzip the zip file (you will need to install the “Valens” font, located in the “Res” folder, by double-clicking it, or the chart will have letters in place of symbols).

A Few Optimizations

If you want your charts to look like the ones on this blog, here are a few tips. Before you’re begin, hold SHIFT and press U, so that your options will be saved automatically.

First, right click on the chart and choose “B&W” to make your chart black and white. I prefer the clean look of a black and white chart. Of course, this is a personal preference that does not impact practice. Unfortunately, Valens does not save the color setting so it may revert back to color when you reopen.

Secondly, you’ll want to set the Moon’s node to the “true node”, which you can do by holding the SHIFT key and pressing ‘W’.

Thirdly, get rid of any quadrant divisions if there are any by holding SHIFT and pressing F1.

Finally, let’s go into the appearance options (Appearance from the Options menu or hold SHIFT and press ‘A’).  For typical use, I would set my appearance options as shown in the table below, as I do like to see the two main Hellenistic lots (Fortune/Moon and Spirit/Sun – click for more information on the Hellenistic lots) as well as the prenatal syzygy, and the twelfth-parts (click for more information about the twelfth-parts). I don’t use the hermetic lots of the planets all that much so I leave them unchecked. I also find the round chart more intuitive and easy to read, so I choose that over the square (Hellenistic) chart.

You should end up with a chart that resembles the one below:

A Few Bugs to Work Out

As of this writing, Valens still lacks a few of the features that are found in traditional Morinus. For instance, you cannot save a chart and instead must manually use screen-capturing software (or the PrtScn button). Ideally, this should be fixed in the near future.

As I use both Morinus and Valens, an optimal solution would be to port the extra Hellenistic astrology features found in Valens into the generally more feature-rich Morinus. In this way, we can just enjoy (and the programmers can just maintain) one program that does everything we need. However, I’m not a programmer and both programs are free so I really can’t complain. For now, I’ll just keep using both Morinus and Valens together.

More Information

For more information on how to use Valens, please see the documentation on the site for the software. Additionally, check out the other articles on this site which explore specific techniques, such as lots and primary directions.

I hope you’ll start turning to the Valens program as the first one that you use to pull up charts. Please spread the word!

Finding Twelfth-Parts in your head or with Morinus

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What are Twelfth-Parts?

Many of the articles on this site feature the use of twelfth-parts. Those unfamiliar with the twelfth-parts should check out the information I’ve provided on them starting with the introductory article on them.  In this article, we look at finding twelfth-part positions in your head and with free software.

If you would like to use free software to find twelfth-parts then please download the Traditional Morinus software program (click to go to download page). It has undergone a number of great updates, including the addition of twelfth-part calculation. Please see the article on the installation of Morinus.

Finding Twelfth-Parts in Your Head

Of course, you can calculate twelfth-parts with pen and paper.  It’s simple and was discussed in the introductory article on the twelfth-parts. However, I’d like to highlight some quick and dirty techniques for finding twelfth-part sign positions. Below are my tips. The numbers that I give are where the twelfth-part sign starts, so always think in 2.5 degree segments. Remember that 10 goes from 10°00′ to 12°30′ of that sign.

0 = Same Sign

This is the easiest one to remember.  If the planet is in the first 2.5 degrees of any sign, from 0°00′ to 2°30′, then its twelfth-part is in the same sign.

10, 20 = Trine, Same Element/Triplicity

If the position is in the 2.5 degrees following degree 10 or 20 in the sign then it is in the same element. It is in one of the signs trine to that one. 10 is the beginning of the first trine, the one following. 20 is the beginning of the second trine, the one prior.  For instance, if the Moon were at 10°30′ Scorpio, then the twelfth-part Moon is in Pisces, the water sign after Scorpio.  If it had been at 22°00′ Scorpio, then the twelfth-part Moon would’ve been in Cancer, the water sign before Scorpio.

15 = Opposite Sign

If a planet were at 15° (up to 17°30′) of some sign, its twelfth-part would be in the opposite sign.  For instance, you see someone has Jupiter at 16°47′ Cancer. Capricorn is opposite Cancer, so you know that the twelfth-part of Jupiter is in Capricorn.

5°, 25° = Sextile

You see Jupiter at 6°33′ Libra in someone’s chart, but where is it’s twelfth-part?  The segment beginning with 5° is the sign that is the sextile after the one occupied. The segment beginning with 25° is the sign that is the sextile before the one occupied.  5 and 25 – easy enough to remember, especially since 25 is 5 squared, and the sextile is of the nature of Venus who makes a five-pointed pentagram figure in her course.  Returning to our example, the twelfth-part of Jupiter must be in the following sextile, Sagittarius.

30′ = 6 degrees of a sign for twelfth-part

Let’s return to our example with Jupiter.  Jupiter is at 6°33′, and we determined its twelfth-part is in Sagittarius.  However, where in Sagittarius? We know that Sagittarius starts at 5° Libra and goes until 7°30′ Libra.  Every half degree after 5° is another 6 degrees of Sagittarius, starting from 0°.  Jupiter is about 1.5 degrees past 5°, which is 3 time half a degree.  Each half a degree is 6 degrees, so 3 times 6 puts Jupiter at about 18 Sagittarius.

For fine-tuning, note that every 5′ of a degree equals 1 degree for twelfth-part positions.

Examples

In order to get you thinking in twelfth-parts and getting acquainted with these rules, let’s work on a few examples.

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain’s Natal Chart

Where is the twelth-part of Kurt Cobain’s Venus, planet of love, artistry, and beauty?  Venus is at about 26.5 degrees Pisces.  25 is the magic number here as it is in that 2.5 degree segment after 25.  In the rules above I specify that 25 is the preceding sextile. Venus is in the 7th, Pisces, so the twelfth-part is two signs back in the 5th, Capricorn.  How many degrees after 25 is 26.5?  1.5 degrees.  Each half degree is equivalent to 6 twelfth-part degrees, so the twelfth-part of Venus is 3*6=18 degrees into Capricorn.  18° Capricorn as the position means that Venus is in her own bound and in her Joy (the 5th place of children, creativity, entertainment, and performance is called the Joy of Venus).

Bill Gates

Bill Gates’ Natal Chart

Where is the twelfth-part of Bill Gates’ Mercury, planet of commerce, scholarship, and technology?  Mercury is a little more than 16.5 degrees into Libra at 16°36′ Libra.  As Mercury is in the 2.5 degree segment after 15, it is 15 that is the magic number here.  15, being half of 30, also puts us halfway around the zodiac from Libra to the sign that is its opposite Aries.  What degree of Aries is Mercury’s twelfth-part?  Mercury is a little more than 1.5 degrees past 15, and 1.5 is equivalent to three 1/2 degree segment.  Again, each 1/2 degree segment equates to 6 degrees, which puts us 18 degrees into Aries.  There is an extra 6′ though, and every 5′ is another degree, so it must be at 19° Aries.  Therefore, the twelfth-part of Bill Gates’ Mercury is in its own bound in Aries, with the sect light, the Moon, in the 10th house of authority, honors, and profession.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

Where is the twelfth-part of Whitney Houston’s Venus?  The magic number is 10, as it’s in the 2.5 degree segment after 10° Leo.  As mentioned in the rules above, 10 puts is in the next sign of the same element. The next fire sign or first trine is Sagittarius, the 10th house. What degree in Sagittarius?  Venus is at 11°12′ Leo, so it is two 1/2 degree segments plus 12′. Each half degree segment gives 6 degrees, bringing us to 12.  Then every 5′ segment is a degree, and there are two of them in 12′.  This brings us to 14° Sagittarius. Houston’s Venus twelfth-part is in its own bound in the 10th house of authority, honors, and profession.

Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama’s Natal Chart

Where is the twelfth-part of the Dalai Lama’s Jupiter?  The Dalai Lama’s Jupiter is in the 2.5 degree segment after 12.5, so it doesn’t fit exactly with any of our rules.  However, our rules can lead us right there.  12.5 is one segment after 10, and one before 15, so Jupiter is one sign after the first trine and one sign before the opposition.  We can go either way.  If thinking in terms of “10, plus one sign”, then we would find Pisces, which is the next water sign after Scorpio, and we would put Jupiter in the next sign, Aries.  In terms of “15, minus one sign”, then we would find Taurus, the sign opposite Scorpio, and put Jupiter in the one before it, Aries.  In any case the twelfth-part is in Aries.  But what degree of Aries?  Jupiter is at 13°28′ Scorpio, so it is nearly 1° past 12°30′ Scorpio.  Each 30′ equates to 6°, so it is nearly 12° into Aries.  5′ is equivalent to a degree and it is only short by 2′, so it is less than 12°00′ Aries, but by less than a full degree.  This puts the twelfth-part of Jupiter at 11° Aries.  The twelfth-part of the Dalai Lama’s Jupiter is in the Venus bound in the 10th house of authority, honors, and profession.

Finding Twelfth-Parts in Morinus

Recently, the developers of the free, open-source, astrology program, Traditional Morinus, added twelfth-part capability to the program. Please read the article on basic installation and chart entry in Morinus.

Settings

Once you have Traditional Morinus installed and ready to go, load one of your charts, or the chart that it comes with. Let’s look at its default chart, that of Morinus (Jean-Baptiste Morin), the prolific 17th century French astrologer and mathematician.  Then go to the Option menu and Appearance I, or hit SHIFT-A (that is, hold Shift and press A). Click the bullet in front of “Dodecatemoria” to turn on the twelfth-parts, which will appear marked along the outer edge of the wheel.

I also recommend adding the terms (bounds) into the wheel, making the wheel black and white, and thickening up the lines for the angles, as shown below.

A couple other things you can do quickly to set your charts like mine include pressing SHIFT+F6 to switch to whole sign houses, and pressing SHIFT+W to have the Node position be the true position (note: I may have still had the Node at mean position in some examples).  Finally, make sure you press SHIFT+U, so that your settings will be saved for the next time you start up the program.

Morinus Twelfth-Parts

Morinus’ Natal Chart with Twelfth-Parts

Look at Morinus! The twelfth-part of Jupiter is right on the Ascendant.  The twelfth-part of Mercury is in its own bound in his 10th.

The Example Charts

Below are the charts that I discussed above, but this time with the twelfth-part placements included.

 

Cobain with Twelfth-Parts

Gates with Twelfth-Parts

Houston with Twelfth-Parts

Dalai Lama with Twelfth-Parts

Have fun and feel free to discuss in the comments!

Featured Image Attribution

Frescoes in the Camera degli Sposi by Andrea Mantegna (1473) (cropped) [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

Astrological Predictive Techniques | Primary Directions | 2. Software Calculation

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Primacy of the Ascendant

In the first article of this series, I discussed a little bit about the history and use of primary directions.  One point that I made was on the primacy of the Ascendant.  Other directions are used in Hellenistic and Persian predictive literature, but directions to the Ascendant, and particularly those of the bounds, have an immense primacy in early directions literature that was lost in later eras.

This primacy of the Ascendant was still evident in the Persian period.  In fact, the entire Book III (Distributions) of Abu Ma’shar’s On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities is devoted to primary directions involving the Ascendant. From his jarbakhtar technique and his look at planets (and Lots and even Twelfth Parts) conjoining or aspecting the Ascendant by primary motion as partners with the jarbakhtar direct everything relative to the Ascendant. There is also an exposition of how to direct the Ascendant through the Indian Ninth Parts and their subdivision into thirds (Abu Ma’shar claimed that this was how the Indians directed the Ascendant, and so he recommended it as an alternative).

Getting Ready

In that first article, I discussed how to roughly estimate directions involving the Ascendant with the use of ascensional times. I also examined how to play with astro-clocking how to calculate directions through the bounds with the free astrological program, Morinus. This is going to be a very short article in which I’m going to show how other primary directions can be found with the Morinus software. We will be adjusting settings in Options->Primary Directions within the program.  First, make sure that The Primary Key is set to Ptolemaic and and the type of direction is only Direct. You can do this in the Tables->Primary Directions settings. Those settings in that section will not change for the reasons noted in the last article.

Basic Settings

Basic settings for looking at aspectual directions will be very much the same as those discussed in the last article.  We’ll just add in the traditional aspects, the points we want to see directed and directed to, and consider a few settings.  Below is how I would look at directions to the Ascendant.

Significator and Promissors

The Ascendant would be the significator. The significator is a point that we want to stand still relative to the location. Everything else (the promissors) rotate through by primary motion. A promissor and the zodiacal degrees it aspects will arrive at the significator by primary motion.Check as promissors all the planets and other points you might want to direct to it.

Semiarc and Zodiacal without Latitude

Semiarc and Zodiacal without latitude were the standard means of directing until about the 15th century.

Aspects of Significators?

In zodiacal options, the first option should definitely be checked, but the second is more controversial. Traditionally, the second option would not be used. You direct aspects of promissors to the significator, but not vice-versa.  Some may opt to include these though as they also involve primary motion.

The difference between the two pertains to a notion of what aspects what, and from what direction. Ptolemy called these direct and converse. However, they are different from the modern sense of converse directions (modern sense is backwards directions, opposite the primary motion). Basically, if you check the second option then besides looking at when a planet or its aspects direct to the Ascendant, you will also be looking at when a planet directs to a spot in the sky that at birth was occupied by a degree that aspected the natal Ascendant degree. For more on this see the last section of Chapter 1 of Martin Gansten’s 2009 book, Primary Directions: Astrology’s Old Master Technique.

Asc and MC as Promissors?

Look at the third option on the bottom left. There are some arguments for treating the Asc and MC as promissors. However, they were not treated that way traditionally.  In this scenario, the degrees of the Asc and MC move away from the actual Asc and MC by primary motion. Therefore, you are basically treating the natal degrees of the Asc and MC like the planets. These two degrees and all the degrees they aspect arrive at natal positions like the Asc and MC.  In this way, an aspect of the Ascendant degree as promissor can actually be carried to the Ascendant as significator.

I would argue against their use, especially initially. They are very different from directions to an actual angle, but are often confused for them. Unlike a direction of the a planet to the Ascendant, which reflects a planet rising after birth, a direction of the Ascendant’s degree as promissor to a planet as significator, goes from the Ascendant degree up to a planet that has already risen. It has a sense of backwardness to it.  Note that the direction of the Ascendant degree to a planet is not likely to be as significant as the direction of a planet to the Ascendant (eastern horizon).

Secondary Motion of the Moon

The second thing that I’ve highlighted is accounting for the secondary motion of the Moon.  When we use the astro-clocking method we are accounting for secondary motion. Secondary motion is very slight in the few hours following birth for all planets but the Moon.  The technique examines connections made by the planets, especially to angles, after birth, in a natural manner. The hours after birth are symbolic of the lifetime with every 4 minutes of clock time as a year.

It doesn’t appear that secondary motion was accounted for in the traditional technique, especially when ascensional times were used. However, an argument can easily be made for accounting for the secondary motion of the Moon so that directions more accurately reflect the reality in the relevant time after birth.  If you do use this option, then you’ll have to figure out what the three different iterations mean, because I’m not sure. They could pertain to accounting for some combinations of secondary motion, parallax, and refraction that affect lunar positioning.  There is more on this topic of secondary motion in Chapter 7 of Martin Gansten’s aforementioned work, Primary Directions: Astrology’s Old Master Technique.

Adding More Significators

From here, if you want to look at directions to additional signficators, just check their boxes.  As mentioned in the last post, in order to pull up the table of directions just click Tables->Primary Directions, choose only Direct, select the age span, and hit OK.

I would caution against starting with too many significators. Ultimately, you want to stick with a very limited number of significators. After the Asc, expand to the MC, the lights (Sun and Moon), and Lot of Fortune. Directing through the bounds is the most important for the Ascendant and the sect light.

Have fun!

Featured image of Etalon-1 is in the public domain.

Astrology with Free Software | 2. Morinus Updated with Location Lookup

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Introduction

I mentioned Morinus in my initial post on free software options, as it is the best free astrology program available for traditional astrologers.  In fact, for those doing primary directions, it’s important, even among competing programs that cost a lot of money.

Updated Morinus

Today, I was notified of an extremely important update to the program made by one of its developers, Endre Csaba Simon of Finland.  The program now allows lookup of location using the online geolocation database.  This is a very important advance in terms of making the program easier to use. One previously had to manually discover and enter the coordinates, time zone, altitude, and other features of a location.

The new version can be downloaded from the official site for the program – Morinus: Free Open-Source Advanced Professional Astrological Software.

Entering the Location

From the data entry page click Place.

After entering the place in the location blank, you hit “Search”. If there is just one matching selection, it will automatically plug the correct data into the proper fields on this page.  If there is more than one place then you will get a screen like the following with a list of locations.

Still Free and Open Source

This is a great advancement for this program.  It’s important to remember that the program is not only free but also open source.  The nature of open source software is such that the more people use and enjoy the software, the faster and more focused the development becomes to meet the needs of the user community, and the more people will work on the development of the software.  Free and open source software means community property. This is a program that the astrological community should wholeheartedly endorse, support, and take pride in.

Astrology with Free Software | 1. Best Options

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Free Software Can be Better Software

You don’t need expensive astrology software to do great astrology. In fact, expensive astrology programs are often loaded with various interpretive modules and default settings that make it harder to think for yourself. Some of these out-of-the-box setting turn the program into a bad astrologer, rather than a tool to help astrologers find the information they need.

I think that charting should be done with free software if adequate programs are available. It is even better if the software is open-source. Open-source software has freely available source code allowing astrologer-programmers to improve the program to their heart’s content. This type of free modifiable software is truly the software of the community, as it can be adjusted to fit the needs of particular astrological practices.

Morinus

I particularly advocate the use of Morinus, a free open-source astrology program with a plethora of settings. Morinus has the ability to do accurate primary directions. It also has different varieties, including a traditional version that cuts out some of the clutter.  It is written in Python, which is itself a very popular open-source programming language. Python is so powerful and intuitive that it is the programming language used by NASA, CERN, Google, Yahoo!, and other big names.  Nearly always, the charts on my blog will be from Morinus.

There is sometimes a slight learning curve with initial chart entry, compared with other programs, but they are continuously improving in this area.  I’ve addressed installation and chart entry in a past article, which I urge the reader to check out.

A Morinus Chart: Marvin Gaye’s Natal Chart w/twelfth-parts

Astro-Databank

Additionally, I advocate the use of Astro-Databank for researching celebrity chart data. Astro-databank provides the birth data for tens of thousands of celebrities and notable persons. It also has the times and charts for many significant events. You can even quickly view a chart for the data, albeit with modern chart features. You are free to copy birth data into an astrological program like Morinus to see a traditional chart information.

On Astro-Databank, be careful of using anything that doesn’t have a Rodden Rating of A or AA (at least B). Furthermore, understand that the ratings are a bit subjective, so check the source notes. For instance, James Randi’s birth data came from James Randi who was quoting his birth certificate. It is still given a C, rather than an AA, because the people writing the entry just don’t want to believe him.

In conclusion, I advocate the use of Astro-Databank, but I caution against uncritically taking the rating and chart data at face value without reviewing source notes.  In the next post in this series, I will show how to use Astr0-Databank as an aid for building up a chart database in Morinus.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab’s HORIZONS Interface

The HORIZONS web-interface is a generous offering by NASA.  This is a great resource for generating ephemerides.  It is of particular value to astrologers who use asteroids, but of less value to traditional astrologers.  The reason it is so great for asteroid astrologers is that pretty much every asteroid with an identifying number and/or name can be found. Additionally, you can see the asteroid’s orbital dynamics and even generate ephemeride tables. These tables make it easy to find a planet or asteroid’s position on any given day and to pinpoint times of stationing.

Be sure to change the “Table Settings” such that #31 is checked, so that the table gives the Observational Ecliptic Longitude and Latitude of the planet.  The observational ecliptic longitude is the position in the zodiac. A position of 270.5* is 270 degrees past 0 Aries, which is 270/30 signs into the zodiac. It has exactly traversed 9 signs already (1. Aries, 2. Taurus, 3. Gemini, 4. Cancer, 5. Leo, 6. Virgo, 7. Libra, 8. Scorpio, 9. Sagittarius), so it is at 0 degrees Capricorn, plus 1/2 a degree. Therefore, the position would be 0*30′ Capricorn.  I won’t be working with this interface much on this site, but it can be very fun, particularly for those that work with asteroid.

Fun with Asteroids

As an exercise, try to find where asteroid Linux is today (9* Capricorn at the time of this writing). Next, try to find the degree of its last 1st (i.e. direct) station by changing the time settings to encompass a much larger past period and finding the day when longitude switches from descending to ascending (July 21, 2011 at 4* Sagittarius prior to this article).

One day, I spent hours installing Linux operating systems on about a half dozen computers for friends and family. I got a real kick finding out that asteroid Linux was conjunct my MC within a degree the whole day.  Now go find out where asteroid 911 Agamemnon was on 9/11/2001.  And where was the Sun on that day?  Yes, there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your traditional astrology – but you’ll find the traditional astrology (at least the Hellenistic and Persian varieties) most useful for prediction – trust me on this!

Astro.com

In addition to offering some of the worst new age chart interpretation packages available, Astro.com also offers a very cool online chart calculator and chart drawing module. You can also store a short database of charts on their website for easy retrieval from anywhere with internet access.  I’ll address this at greater length in a future post on calculating and storing charts with their online software.

Another awesome resource on their site is the section with free ephemerides for 6,000 years.  Every astrologer should print (or even buy) an ephemeris. It makes it easy to scan and track the planets, to observe when stations, eclipses, important aspects, and other such stuff occurs.  Astro.com is also the host for Astro-Databank. Their contribution to providing free astrological resources to astrologers is a great one, for which I’m very thankful..

Others

Those above are just my most highly recommended free charting resources.  There are many additional free resources out there for astrologers.  The comments area is a great place to help draw awareness to other free resources that are out there.  Thanks!

Featured image of an Apple II computer is in the public domain.

Top Seven Free Ancient Astrology Texts Online in English | Valens, Ptolemy, Maternus, and more

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Online Hellenistic and Persian Texts

It is rather exciting time in the study of ancient astrology. Most of the Hellenistic and Persian source texts available in English today were first translated in the last two decades. Additionally, a lot of that material has become available online. What are the seven best free online ancient astrology texts?

Free Astrology Texts from the First Millennium

1. The Anthology by Vettius Valens, Mark Riley trans.

Last year (2010), something amazing occurred in traditional astrology. Classics scholar Mark Riley released, for free on his website, his full translation of The Anthology of Vettius Valens in searchable PDF format. While it is a translation by a non-astrologer, it is the first full English translation ever released. Books VIII and IX were previously unpublished in English. Those familiar with the Project Hindsight translations of Books I-VII should know that they were relatively expensive to purchase.

The Riley translation is a high quality English translation of what is arguably the most important text of Hellenistic astrology as far as predictive techniques are concerned. The Anthology was written in the 2nd century CE. It consists of nine books of practical ancient astrology. There is a stress on predictive techniques and Valens provides a wealth of examples.

2. The Tetrabiblos by Cladius Ptolemy, Frank Robbins trans.

The Tetrabiblos is another pivotal 2nd-century Hellenistic text. Click here to read the Tetrabiblos in English in its entirety online. The 1940 Robbins translation has its flaws but it  is a decent translation overall and great as a free reference. Bill Thayer re-typed the entire text onto his website as the text is now in the public domain.

Ptolemy is the most famous of the Hellenistic astrologers, namely due to his astronomical work (e.g. the Almagest). His intricate geocentric model of the heavens was the standard prior to the Copernican revolution. In terms of Hellenistic astrologers, his influence on European astrology of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance is considerable. As a Hellenistic astrologer he was atypical in that he rejected some elements of the typical Hellenistic system and sought a naturalistic explanation for astrology, rather than one based on signs.

The Tetrabiblos has material on birth charts (natal astrology) and also material on interpreting charts for weather and political events (mundane astrology).

3. Mathesis by Firmicus Maternus, Jean Rhys Bram trans.

In the fourth century CE, Firmicus Maternus wrote one of the most important works of natal astrology of the Hellenistic era. The 1975 English translation by Jean Rhys Bram is not without its defects, due primarily to the fact that the translator was not an astrology. A better translation, by James Herschel Holden, was published in 2011, though it also has some idiosyncracies and comes at a high price (~$60). The Bram translation is freely available in PDF from the Astrologia Humana website of astrologer Clelia Romano.

Maternus is significant for his cookbook-style listing of example delineations for factor combinations. What might it mean to have Saturn in the 9th house during the day, as opposed to at night? Maternus will give you his opinion on some indications. This large work of 8 books is sure to give any astrologer a lot to work with in natal astrology.

4. Treatise of the Fixed Stars by Anonymous of 379, Daria Dudziak trans.

Also available for free online is an English translation of the Treatise of the Fixed Stars by Anonymous of 379 (click here). The treatise is the most notable ancient text on the effects of the fixed stars.  Those who wish to study the effects of the fixed stars from a Hellenistic standpoint will not be let down by this text.

The fixed stars were primarily used for judging eminence, character, and chronic illness. While there are many techniques for judging eminence in ancient astrology, bright fixed stars in prominent places such as conjunct the Moon or an angle, provide the strongest indications. Perso-Arabic astrologers of the early Middle Ages continued to incorporate bright fixed stars in their approaches to eminence.

The link provided above provides access to the treatise as well as a table of the constellations and maps of the constellations which show the star positions.

5. Definitions by Serapio of Alexandria, Eduardo Gramaglia trans.

Serapio is a Hellenistic astrologer from about the 1st century CE whose works are mostly lost. A nearly complete set of definitions survives from him. The last page of his manuscript is lost to history. However, note that the definitions are from a late Byzantine compilation and are known to contain additions and alterations from the Middle Ages. An English translation of the text by Eduardo Gramaglia was made available as a PDF in late 2013.  Click here to access the translation.

The text is notable because it is an early text in the Hellenistic tradition and explicitly defines key parts of the system. For instance, Serapio marks out which houses are malefic and which are benefic. He also discusses how planets earlier in the zodiac have “superiority” over planets later in the zodiac when in aspect, and even when in the same sign.

An even more influential early set of definitions is attributable to Antiochus of Athens. That set of definitions forms a large part of Porphyry’s Introduction to the Tetrabiblos. It is also included in Rhetorius of Egypt’s Compendium. Serapio’s Definitions were translated together with the Porphyry text in one volume by James Herschel Holden, published in 2009. Holden also published a translation of Rhetorius the same year.

6. Carmen Astrologicum by Dorotheus of Sidon, David Pingree trans.

While an excellent translation of Dorotheus emerged in 2017 by Ben Dykes (image below), the older Pingree translation is partially available for free. Deborah Houlding has made the first three of the five books available free as PDFs on her website, Skyscript: Book I, Book II, Book III (her notes on Book III). She has stated her intention to make all five books available so stay tuned to the page for updates. This is a pivotal text but I position it near the bottom of this list as only 3 of the 5 books are freely available at this time.

Dorotheus wrote the large and influential Carmen Astrologicum (Song of Astrology) in verse in the 1st century CE. It has 4 books on interpreting charts of birth time (natal astrology). It also has 1 book on choosing lucky times to start activities and judging matters from the time of an event (electional/inceptional astrology). Dorotheus is perhaps the astrologer with the greatest influence on Perso-Arabic astrology. In addition to containing important natal astrology, he is the source for original Hellenistic electional astrology. His rules for electional astrology also form the foundation for the later practice of horary astrology.

7. Centiloquium by Pseudo-Ptolemy, Henry Coley trans.

The Centilogquium is a set of astrological aphorisms by an unknown author, which was ascribed to Ptolemy. The aphorisms likely come from the Perso-Arabic period (~9th century CE). The aphorisms are available for study on Deborah Houlding’s website, Skyscript. While it is a lesser work, and somewhat disorganized, the aphorisms deal with all areas of astrology. They were also historically influential, as discussed on the site.

Hellenistic Critical Editions Online

I’ve focused on free English texts online. However, you may also be interested in critical editions of Hellenistic texts in their original languages. There are many available online. Chris Brennan has organized a valuable list of free critical editions on his Hellenistic Astrology website.

Note on 2018 Update

This article was updated on 10/01/2018 to drop a dead link, add more online texts, and restructure the article as a Top 7. Some of the texts – the partial translation of Dorotheus and Serapio’s Definitions – became available after the publication of the original article. 

Featured image of third-century Heracles papyrus is in the public domain.

Great Free Traditional Astrology Software Program | Morinus – New Version Released

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Free Software?

Would you believe that you can do all of your traditional astrology charting and calculations with a free software program?

When I discovered Morinus a few years ago it was quite a revelation.  This program does it all, and there’s also a Traditional version that’s tailored to the traditional astrologer.

The program’s most recent update as of this writing was on Oct. 2, 2011, and is version 3.5.

If you are absolutely new to astrology and just need to be able to pull up and print charts in a basic way, then I recommend using the free online chart calculation at Astro.com (Astrodienst) instead.  I’ll cover basic use of the Astrodienst charting in another post.

Install Traditional Morinus on Windows

  1. Download your copy by following this link.  The download link (MorinusWin.zip) is at the bottom of that page.  Right click it, choose Save As, and save it somewhere you can find it.
  2. After downloading, then open the zip folder and click “Extract all files”, choose a place you’ll remember and click “extract”.  That is where the program now resides on your computer.  It is installed.
  3. Open that folder, find the file morinus.exe and right-click it, choosing “Create shortcut“.  Then cut and paste or drag and drop the shortcut onto your desktop.

Install the Swiss Ephemeris Files

In order to make sure that charts for earlier time periods are accurate, please install the swiss ephemeris files into Morinus by following the instructions below:

  1. Download each of the 4 Ephem.zip files available at the bottom of the page linked to here (Ephem1.zip, Ephem2.zip etc.).
  2. Open the Ephem1.zip file which you just downloaded. Click the menu option (should be near the top of the window) which says “extract all”.
  3. Click browse and find the folder for your copy of Morinus. For Traditional Morinus the folder should be called “MorinusWin”. Open the folder “SWEP”, and then the folder “Ephem”.
  4. Click “Select Folder”, then click “Extract”.
  5. Repeat this step for the other 3 ephemeris zip files.

Draw Up a Chart in Traditional Morinus

  1. With the program open, click Horoscope then New, or simply hold CTRL and press N, notated CTRL+N.
  2. You will need the following information: Name, Date your charting (for instance birth date), Time (do this in 24 hour time, i.e. 1pm is 13 hours 0 minutes), Place of Birth, and two very tricky things, coordinates and time zone of your location, if you weren’t born in one of the major cities on their small list.  I recommend putting those last two in while adding your location to the list, by clicking on the “Place” button.
  3. With the “Places” dialog box up, you first enter the longitude and latitude of the location.  You can go to this website, zoom out of the special Google map, zoom in on your location, and then click the relative location, and it will give you the longitude and latitude which you can enter here.  To enter the timezone, use this timezone map to find how many hours west (-) or east (+) of Greenwich time (GMT) your place is designated, for selecting the + or – and then putting the number where it says Hour under that.  Also, put the name of the location, and the altitude if known (not significant for most work), then click Add and your location is added to the Places database.  Once the location is there, then in the future just click Place and select it.
  4. Finally, before you do a chart, make sure you know if the location had daylight saving in effect at that time of year.  You may need to do some investigation to find this out, and this link is a good place to start.  If it was in effect then make sure you check the “Daylight saving” box.
  5. Once your chart is up, be sure to type CTRL+S to save the chart for later access.

Have fun!

I’ll explore some of the uses of Morinus in future articles in the Software category. Click here for an article on doing primary directions with Morinus.

When dealing with the more ancient varieties of traditional astrology, there is not as much need for software beyond chart calculation. An exception is primary directions where Morinus can be of considerable help.

Featured image is a reconstruction of the Antikythera mechanism modified from an image by Mogi [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5 ], from Wikimedia Commons