When delineating the astrological chart, it is very important to recognize the symbolism and to check it against timing techniques. In that interest, I will note a few key symbolic factors in the chart of a well-known life, that of Adolf Hitler. The symbolism of these factors is checked against annual profections and solar returns.
I think it goes without saying that I don’t like this guy, but I’ll say it anyway. I’m analyzing this chart to illustrate astrological symbolism and its activation across time. This analysis is in no way intended to show any support, sympathy, or affection for Hitler. I detest Hitler’s beliefs, his actions, and racism in general.
Note About Principles and Techniques
Some readers may be unfamiliar with the principles or techniques used here. I rely upon traditional symbolism and techniques of Hellenistic astrology. In terms of the significations of planets, houses, lots, signs, and so forth, please see the series of lessons on the site. Also see links in this article to articles on specific techniques employed. I strive for consistency with traditional basic symbolism always.
I focus on just a couple of basic predictive techniques in this article, namely profections (annual profection of the Ascendant) and solar returns (the transits at the Sun’s return to its natal zodiacal position). These are two of the oldest and most important predictive techniques of horoscopic astrology, being found in texts that date back almost 2,000 years. I link to basic explanations of their use in the article. They continued to be popular techniques through the Middle Ages. Typically, I also bring in planetary years, primary directions, and an additional ancient techniques which give a fuller picture. Here I wanted to keep things simpler.
In terms of my philosophy of chart interpretation or what astrology is, it is an uncommon one. I take a symbolic approach to the chart, not one that depends on factors having any intrinsic indexical link to some underlying reality, psychological or occult. For more on this, please see the 8th lesson on the site.
Birth Data
Adolf Hitler’s was born on 4/20/1889 at 6:30 pm in Braunau, Austria per birth records (AA-rated source).
Rise to Power
In Hitler’s chart, one of the clearest indications of his rise to power is the Moon’s applying conjunction to Jupiter. The Moon signifies power by its light and its rulership of the 10th house (Cancer), as well as its separating trine from the Sun. Jupiter signifies fortune and opportunity, connecting it to the Moon and the 10th house. Jupiter is also the exalted ruler of the 10th house and both planets aspect it.
Adolf Hitler’s Natal Chart
Age 45: Seizes Power
Hitler seized dictatorial powers in Germany on 08/02/1934. He was 45 years old. Age 45 is an annual profection of his Ascendant to Cancer, the 10th house, ruled by the Moon. As noted, the Moon is conjunct Jupiter in the natal chart, with both pertinent to the 10th.
The solar return for the year had the return Moon in the 10th house. Therefore, the Moon, lord of the year, highlights here significations related to the 10th house, which pertains to leadership, authority, and actions. Additionally, return Jupiter was transiting in the 1st house of the self, in the Jupiter bound of Libra. The indications for the Moon-Jupiter conjunction with respect to matters of leadership become realized.
Hitler Solar Return Age 45 Around Natal Chart
Marriage and Death
In 1945, much of Germany was in ruins and it was clear they had lost the war. Hitler made his last public appearance on his 56th birthday. Eight days later he married his longtime companion Eva Braun. Two days after that they both committed suicide.
In Hitler’s natal chart, Venus rules the Ascendant by sign and bound and occupies the 8th house. This connects the symbolism of the self (1st house and Ascendant) with death (8th house) and love (Venus). The applying partile (same degree) conjunction between Venus and Mars puts passion and violence into the equation of both symbolic statements.
Mercury also connects to both themes in the natal chart as it rules the Lot of Love (Gemini) and is in the 7th house (partnership). It is on the descendant (setting/death) in the bound of Saturn (death) and ruled by Mars which is in the 8th conjunct Venus. Mercury also symbolizes death by rational decision (calculated suicide).
Hitler’s Chart with Lot of Love
Saturn’s Shadow
Saturn, the natural significator of death, squares the natal 8th house Venus-Mars configuration, reinforcing its relevance for death. As Venus is Hitler’s Ascendant lord, strong connections between it and significations of malice (Mars and Saturn) and death (8th and Saturn) go a long way toward characterizing his identity.
What is less obvious from the natal chart is that Saturn and Venus-Mars are antiscia each other almost exactly (within half a degree). Saturn’s shadow (antiscia) in the 8th conjunct Venus-Mars certainly brings out the configuration’s connection with death as well as other significations of Saturn.
Hitler’s Natal Chart with Antiscia Positions Around the Chart
Saturn’s Secret Spot
Saturn rules the Moon-Jupiter conjunction in the natal chart. That connects its themes of death and endings to it. This connection is much more apparent by the twelfth-part position of Saturn. Saturn’s twelfth-part is in Capricorn with the Moon-Jupiter conjunction, adding to the potential combination of their symbolism.
Hitler’s Natal Chart with Twelfth-Part Positions Around the Chart
The twelfth-parts of the chart are actually very revealing on many levels. For instance, Venus-Mars with their twelfth-parts in the 2nd, opposing their natal positions. Both are still in dark houses and the opposition symbolizes increased tension inherent in their symbolism and and with respect to the symbolism of Hitler’s father (Sun and Saturn; more on this below). There’s much more, but we’ll focus on Saturn for now.
The End: Age 56
As noted, age 56 quickly brought Hitler’s marriage and then death. Those were the two biggest events in that 10 day last year of his life.
The profection at age 56 was to Gemini, ruled by Mercury. Gemini is the Place of Love (location of Lot of Love). I’ve noted how Mercury, ruler of the Lot of Love, conjunct the Descendant in the 7th house and the bound of Saturn readily signifies regarding death and marriage. The other thing to note about Gemini is that it is aspected by only two natal planets, Mercury and Saturn.
The solar return shows Mercury (lord of the year) in return in the 7th house with return Venus. Therefore, the connections with both marriage (Venus, 7th) and death (7th, 8th lord) are both reinforced.
Saturn Comes for the Moon
Perhaps even more strikingly reinforced is the symbolism of Saturn with respect to the natal Moon-Jupiter conjunction. The Moon-Jupiter conjunction was noted as pertaining to the rise to power (10th house). Its vulnerability to the symbolism of Saturn shown by Saturn’s rulership of it and the twelfth-part position of Saturn on the configuration. At the return, Saturn was at 5 Cancer, in the 10th house, opposing the natal Moon-Jupiter.
Similarly, the Moon in the return was in Leo, with natal Saturn. Therefore, the symbolism of a final end to the personal fortune signified by Saturn with the Moon-Jupiter is clear and dramatic. Another instance of it is return Saturn’s position in the same bound of Cancer as the natal Lot of Fortune itself.
Hitler’s Solar Return Age 56 Around Natal Chart
Death Transits
The transits at the time of death again reveal the importance of the symbolism thus discussed. The Mercury-Venus conjunction became partile at the time of death. Saturn’s opposition to the natal Moon was near exact (2′ of a degree), with death on a Moon day and Saturn hour. Interestingly, Hitler died as the transiting Sun (9TAU51) was in partile conjunction with his 8th house twelfth-part Sun (9TAU36). The fatal gunshot was heard at the setting of Mars and culmination of Saturn, at about 3:30 pm.
Event Chart: Reported Time of Death of Hitler in Berlin
Hitler’s Death Transits to Natal Chart
Early Years
We’ve seen the symbolism of some pivotal years in the personal rise and fall. Let’s look now at some pivotal early years of life.
Hitler moved to Germany when he was 3 (profection to 4th house Moon-Jupiter), but he and his family returned to Austria a couple years later.
Father
Both Saturn and the Sun connect to Hitler’s father, but particularly Saturn. This is because Saturn can both naturally signify the father and it rules the 4th house of fathers. Saturn also rules the Place of the Father by lot (Aquarius).
Hitler’s Chart with the Position of Select Lots
Hitler was often in conflict with his father (Saturn) over Hitler’s lack of discipline (Saturn) and skill or interest in farming (Saturn). The conflicts would often turn physically abusive (Venus in 8th conjunct Mars, squared by Saturn).
Hitler’s father died suddenly on 01/03/1903 when Hitler was only 13 years old. This represented an annual profection to the 2nd house, ruled by Mars. The solar return saw Saturn (death) in the 4th house (father) Capricorn (cardinal/sudden). It is sharply squared by return Mars (lord of the year) in Aries (cardinal/sudden; violent) within 2 degrees. Return Mars is in partile conjunction to natal Mercury and Descendant (setting/death).
Hitler’s Age 13 Solar Return Around Natal Chart
Mother
Hitler’s mother is most readily signified by the Moon in the chart. Not only can the Moon signify the mother naturally but she is here in the 4th place of home and origins. Venus can also naturally signify the mother and Mercury rules the Lot of the Mother.
Post-Father’s Death and Mother’s Death
After the death of his father, Hitler was more free to pursue his main passion which was art. Hitler’s self-identification with art is symbolized by the strong role played by the signs of Venus and Venus herself in the chart. Venus rules the 1st house of self and is in her domicile Taurus where she is with and rules the sect light. While his father conflicted with his artistic ambitions (Saturn square Venus), his mother was supportive (Moon trine Venus).
However, Hitler’s mother died on 12/21/1907 when Hitler was just 18. This left Hitler leading a Bohemian artist’s life of selling paintings to survive, catching musical performances for entertainment, while living in Vienna. It is thought that his racist ideas developed in Vienna or soon after.
Mother’s Death
The death of Hitler’s mother when he was 18 was a very important event in his life. He was very fond of his mother (Moon-Jupiter conjunction; Venus ruling 1st). As with his father’s death, it was marked by a year with Mars as lord of the year, actually the first profection to one of Mars’s domiciles since the death of his father. This time it was to the 7th house, Aries.
The solar return at age 18 is absolutely striking. Return Mars, the lord of the year is at 8 Capricorn, conjunct his natal Moon-Jupiter (partile to Jupiter). The return Moon (mother) was at 14 Leo conjunct natal Saturn (death) within a degree. Additionally, return Venus and return Saturn are conjunct each other within a degree in the 6th house of illness (death was from breast cancer).
Hitler’s Solar Return at Age 18 Around Natal Chart
Younger Brother’s Death
As might be expected from a chart with a strong focus on an 8th house cluster that is square to Saturn, this is a life defined by death. One of the more influential early deaths in his life was that of his younger brother Edmund on 02/02/1900 from measles. Hitler would’ve been age 10 (11th year), so the profection would have been to the 11th house ruled by the Sun and occupied by Saturn.
Both the Sun and Saturn have connections to death in the chart. The Sun is in 8th and rules Saturn. Saturn naturally signifies death, squares the 8th cluster, and rules the Lot of Death. Younger brothers are typically shown by Mercury though. Also, in Hitler’s chart Jupiter rules the Lot of Siblings (Pisces) and the 3rd house (house of siblings).
Jupiter and Death
It is worth noting that Place of Death is also in the house of siblings (Lot of Death is at 6SAG54). Both Jupiter and the Lot of Death are pertinent for the house of siblings. Jupiter as there were 6 children in total from his parents (his dad had more from a previous marriage. The Lot of Death as the three before Hitler died in infancy and the one after him (Edmund) at age 5. Only his young sister, Paula, lived a long life.
Age 10
As noted, the profection at age 10 put a focus on the Leo 11th house, ruled by the Sun and occupied by Saturn. As the Sun is the lord of the year and is in return, we will be particularly concerned with return transits to the Sun, through Leo, as well as those involving Saturn (Leo’s occupant).
Hitler’s Solar Return at Age 10 Around Natal Chart
What we find in the return is Mars, the natal out of sect malefic (harm), at 2 Leo, in the house of the profection with natal Saturn (death), sharply square the 8th house Sun (within 2 degrees). Return Saturn (retrograde at 23 Sagittarius) is in the 3rd house of siblings, which is also the Place of Death, and it is square to the Lot of Siblings (20 Pisces). The return Moon, Venus, and Jupiter are all in dark places of the natal chart.
Conclusion
It is my hope that this is a useful exercise in pertinent symbolism and its activation. Any planet in a natal chart will symbolize across a number of different domains. Different significations emerge in these different domains and over time. It is not knowing whether a signification is “good” or “bad” that is important but in what ways it can signify good and bad and which signifies are reinforced. A full palate of traditional Hellenistic factors, including lots, antiscia, twelfth-parts, and more get us closer to a sophisticated understanding of the symbolism.
Profections and solar returns are two of the most ancient and most important timing techniques we have in astrology. The profection shows where the highlighter goes. It tells us the factors to focus on. The solar return provides an opportunity for the symbolic signatures in the natal chart to be reinforced, whether they are obvious or subtle. Even with just these two basic techniques, applied in a very basic way against a few pivotal years in a life, we see strong evidence of the symbolic relevance of astrology.
Modern Factors
On a final note, I’d like to add that the symbolism of the traditional factors serves as a great framework for making sense of new modern factors as well, if you use them. For instance, when you understand many of the significations of the 8th house Sun in this chart and its rulership of Saturn in Leo, then the partile conjunction between the Sun and asteroid Phaethon takes on deeper significance. Midpoints, asteroids, and other such modern factors can help to further add nuance and depth to the traditional symbolism.
Some such modern factors can complement rather than compete with traditional interpretation. Given the tendency of the ancients to employ as many additional symbolic factors as possible, from bounds and decans, to twelfth-parts, antiscia, and monomoria, I would hardly expect that they wouldn’t have been exploring midpoints and asteroids too if those had been available to them.
Don’t take the deeply traditional focus of this site as implying that modern factors have no place in traditional astrology. Rather, the implication is that the traditional symbolism and techniques are sufficient to structure the interpretation and provide for rich information. Where you go from there is up to you.
And the changing of the planets must be understood, which has five parts: the first, if [a planet] were in the second or first station. The second, while it is being hidden from the Sun or goes out from being hidden […] (Abu Ma’shar, The Abbreviation of the Introduction to Astrology, Book IV, 34-36, Dykes trans., 2010, p. 233)
Digging Deeper into Planetary Prominence
In the introductory lesson, we looked into the history of astrology. Then we looked at the basic significations of the planets, how to pull up charts for free on the internet, and how to judge planetary prominence by “advancement”. Please read the first articles in this series and familiarize yourself with a few charts and the techniques before proceeding. The first lesson can be accessed by clicking here, and the second by clicking here. In this lesson, we will continue to explore some additional forms of planetary prominence.
Chart of Jesus Christ with a 12/25 midnight birthday (from Sibly’s Astrology of 1806). Was Jesus born at this time with Jupiter rising? Nah. He wasn’t even born on the 25th of December.
Distinguishing Planetary Prominence from Relevance and Benefit
Astrologers of the Perso-Arabic period, such as Abu Ma’shar and al-Qabisi, distinguished the strength or prominence of a planet from its tendency to signify benefit or difficulty (benefic/malefic). Additionally, both of these were distinguished from the matters in life which are relevant to the planet’s indications. The evaluation of a planet’s prominence relates to what’s called planetary strength. A planet may be mixed, being strong in some ways and weak in others. The benefic (beneficial) or malefic (challenging) indications of a planet may also be mixed, and in fact usually are. Additionally, all planets will have varying degrees of relevance to given life topics (i.e. planetary relevance).
Over-Reliance on Signs in Traditional Astrology
These are very important distinctions. It is too often the case that one or more of these distinctions is missing in an astrological system or that they are mixed together such that the sign a planet is in plays too much of a role determining all three. When I first got into traditional astrology, it was common for me to meet traditional astrologers who would determine both strength and benefit according to the sign of the zodiac a planet was in.
For instance, Venus, signifying young women, the arts, sexuality, and marriage, when in Scorpio might be considered in the sign of her detriment. In this view, her ability to bring about successful relationships might be hampered (poor strength). Similarly, other matters signified by the houses she rules or topics she is given responsibility for in the chart can’t be realized (poor strength). Some astrologers would even say that because of the so-called detriment she tends to signify bad quality women or relationships, such as malicious women, sexual problems, or misfortune through the arts (malefic). I do not use the sign as the main indicator of either strength or beneficence, and I have argued against this approach.
Over-Reliance on Signs in Modern Astrology
In modern astrology, there tends to be a strong focus on the quality of various aspects of the psyche (planets). These are again mainly determined by the zodiacal signs of the planets. For instance, one might assert that Venus, signifying the love nature, would in Scorpio make for an intense, passionate, jealous, and secretive sexuality. In this case, the planet itself is a stand-in for some important aspect of the individual’s character or pscyhe.
Does the Planet Connect to the Character?
Unfortunately, it is used in this way whether or not it actually connects strongly with the symbols for the individual and their character in the chart. Venus can provide indications pertaining to the native’s love life and sexuality on her own. However, those significations are not as significant if they don’t associate strongly with the native’s personality; if they don’t connect with the indicators for the self and character in the chart.
Is the Indication Strong or Superficial?
Similarly, the indications from Venus regarding relating may only apply superficially to some situations. If the indications from Venus are not reinforced by similar indications in the natal chart then they are just superficial. Such superficial indications may become relevant on rare occasions when timing factors strongly reinforce them but are not representative of typical circumstances. Reinforcement must come from other factors such as the twelfth-part of Venus, the 7th house and its ruler, relevant lots, and the houses of Venus.
Indications from a Planet Go Deeper than the Sign
When the essential quality of an indication is determined by the zodiacal sign this ignores other factors that might more directly influence the indications given by the planet. For instance, another planet in the same sign will often have a stronger and more direct impact on the significations of a planet than its sign. The sect of Venus, her prominence, the planets regarding her, the state of her ruler, and additional factors all should come into play when interpreting the significations of Venus.
Moving Away from Over-Reliance on Zodiacal Signs
The signs are rather abstract divisions of the sky. I believe that too much emphasis has been placed on the signs especially when it comes to strength and beneficence considerations. I will introduce the signs of the zodiac in the next lesson. In this lesson, I would like to focus on some additional significations of planetary prominence in a chart. As with advancement, discussed in the previous lesson, these factors don’t depend on a zodiac, a house system, or a system of planetary aspects. They have a greater sense of immediacy than such concepts, and are in my opinion the three most important factors for what I call “general prominence”.
General Prominence
The Luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, are naturally prominent.
Distinguishing Types of Prominence or Strength
Ancient authors tend to lump together both prominence and grit (or follow-through), under the label of strength. In my own experience, I’ve found that one should separate out these strength factors as pertaining to at least three different things.
General prominence pertains to loud or pervasive significations in the life.
Personal prominence pertains to personal importance to the individual, being influential over key areas of the life such as the character.
Grit or follow-through pertains to the stability or instability of what is signified.
In this way, it becomes possible for a planet to be strong in one sense but not in another. There can be a person who is constantly surrounded by artists (Venus generally prominent), who is an intellectual (Mercury personally prominent), and whose relationships tend to start out strong but lack staying power (relationship significators with weak follow-through).
Prominence Changes with Time
For predictive purposes, it is very important to evaluate the range or variance of a planet’s indications. We don’t just want to know the central tendency. For instance, a planet might be generally strong in one sense, such as strongly advancing, and generally weak in another, such as stationing retrograde. In such a case, I would likely judge the planet to be centrally prominent due to having a major prominence indication but for the fall from prominence to be triggered at times when a retrograde station of the planet was highlighted. There will be more on this in future lessons, but the main idea is that life is long and complex, so we must take inventory of both the tendency and the variance.
Three Indications of General Prominence
The three most basic indications of general prominence that I look at are:
Advancement – Covered in the last lesson. These are the approaching alignments of a planet with a location which happen 4 times each day.
Stations – This is when a planet appears to stop and reverse its direction of travel relative to the stars as observed from Earth. The direct stations mark out days when a planet is particularly prominent. Some planets station more often than others. For instance, Mercury stations multiple times each year.
Phasis or Appearance, also Combust and Cazimi – This is when a planet appears for the first time after emerging from the beams. Note that for Paulus Alexandrinus of the 4th century CE this condition only applies to planets emerging from the beams and not to those setting into them. A planet setting into them may be considered forcefully under the beams of the Sun. This also marks out days of planetary prominence which vary in frequency depending on the planet.
Stations
Spend a little time reading astrological chit-chat on the internet and you will surely encounter a lot of commotion about Mercury going retrograde. When a planet turns retrograde or back to direct, it must station. In order to understand the terms, “station” and “retrograde” we must talk a little bit about the secondary motion of the planets.
Secondary Motion
In the last lesson, we looked at planets moving clockwise around the chart, where they rise on the left side of the chart, culminate at top, set on the right side, and anti-culminate at the bottom. This is the “primary motion” of the stars caused by the Earth’s daily 24-hour rotation. However, the planets move much more slowly in the opposite direction, through the sky against the backdrop of the fixed stars (i.e. through the signs of the zodiac).
They follow nearly the same path followed by the Sun (as viewed from Earth). The path is called the ecliptic. Think “eclipse”, as an eclipse happens when the Moon conjoins or opposes the Sun while she’s on the ecliptic. The “secondary motion” of the planets is the motion of each planet going slowly counter-clockwise around the chart, from west to east, each at its own pace.
No Retrogradation in the “Solar System”
The secondary motion of the planets is the same motion that you would’ve studied in high school astronomy class when you observed the Earth and other planets traveling around the Sun. However, in astrology, we study it from the position of the observer, on Earth, as astrology is oriented to the observer on Earth.
In astronomy, an external abstract point is the center of reference with regard to the system. Not exactly the Sun as most assume, but the center of mass (barycenter) of the solar system. The barycenter usually resides within the Sun, so we think of the Sun as the center. In actuality, the barycenter can move up to about a full solar radii outside of its surface at times due to the massive gravitational pull of Jupiter. Using the Sun as a frame of reference, the planets appear to run their circuits around it, never reversing direction.
Geocentric Perspective
From the vantage point of the Earth, things are different. Planets farther out from the Sun than Earth appear to stop and move backwards when overtaken by the Earth, as seen in the video below.
Similarly, planets closer to the Sun (i.e. Mercury and Venus) appear to move backwards when on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, as seen in the video below. The retrogradation is the backwards loop that appears to be traced in the sky when Venus is opposite the Sun from Earth.
Here is one more video in which you can see a real time-lapsed video of Saturn moving retrograde against the stars. The video includes a good look at the way that the 2nd century astrologer Ptolemy modeled these motions using the Earth as a static frame of reference. Ptolemy added a second cycle called the epicycle that would account for the retrogradation. In this way, astrologers could better predict planetary positions at any point in time.
You can read more about the mechanics of apparent retrograde motion and the frequency with which the planets are retrograde in the Wikipedia article on “Apparent retrograde motion“.
Stations in Ancient Astrology
Ancient astrologers attached a lot of importance to the points where a planet appears to stop and change directions. These points were called the “stations” of the planets. The “first station”, or “retrograde” station, was when the planet appeared to move backwards. In Hellenistic and Perso-Arabic astrology it was considered to signify a weakening of that planet’s significations. The “second station”, or “direct” station, was when the planet appeared to move forward again after a period of retrogradation. It was considered to signify a strengthening of the planet’s significations.
In the introductory works by Abu Ma’shar and al-Qabisi they discuss strengthening and weakening conditions. Both astrologers first point to the retrograde station as a major weakening condition. Some authors, such as Sahl quoted below, have also given helpful metaphors for understanding the stations.
“If a planet were to stand toward retrogradation (that is, if it were in its first station), it signifies the dissolution of a purpose, and disobedience; and if it were to stand toward direction (that is, if it were in its second station), it signifies forward direction after the slowness or duress of the matter. And every planet which is a significator and wished to go direct (that is, if it were in its second station) signifies the renewal of the actions of matters, and their action and strength or forward movement. And if it were in the first station, wishing to go retrograde, it signifies their destruction and slowness and dissolution.” (Sahl Bin Bishr, The Fifty Judgments, #48, Dykes trans., 2010, p. 107)
Effect of Stations and Retrogradation
While retrogradation is given a lot of hype in modern astrology and even in late traditional astrology, I think its importance is overblown. Retrogradation is very common. For instance, Saturn is retrograde about a third of the time and Mercury goes retrograde three-to-four times per year for about three-to-four weeks each time. Retrogradation itself is only a little bit weakening. A tendency toward contradiction and antagonism were often associated with the action of retrograde planets in ancient literature.
On the other hand, the stations are very significant. Typically, within about a week of the station, the planet may be considered as being more or less prominent depending on the nature of the station, and how close it is in time. For instance, someone born within a day of Mercury stationing direct would be considered to have a very prominent Mercury in their chart. Someone born within a day of Mercury stationing retrograde would have a very weakened Mercury. One born 6 days from a Mercury station would also have Mercury strengthened or weakened but to a lesser extent.
Finding Planetary Stations
Let’s pull up some charts to look for stations, and also look again at advancement.
Install Morinus
We are going to pull up charts in the free, open source, traditional astrology program called Traditional Morinus. I’ve previously discussed installation and pulling up charts in Morinus on this blog. My article discussing the installation of Morinus is here. Since that article, the program has undergone many updates. The newer versions are easier to use because they now have a location lookup, which I discussed here. Not only is Morinus a free program, but it is also one of the programs with the best traditional capabilities. It is open source, meaning that programmers are free to examine the code and improve upon it. Morinus is truly THE astrological program of the astrological community.
I recommend Morinus above all other astrological programs, even for advanced students Nearly all of the charts and charting examples on this site come from the program. Please take the time to download the program and familiarize yourself with it by pulling up a few charts and saving them before proceeding.
Settings in Morinus
Once you have the program installed and have a chart up, you should modify a few settings. Hold “Shift” and press “u”, or go to “Options” and make sure there is a check next to “Automatic save” so that changes that you make to settings will be saved for the next time you open the program. Hold “Shift” and press “F6”, or go to “Options” then “Housesystems” and select “Whole Sign”. For charts that look like mine, you will want your appearance options (Shift+a or Options>Appearance I) to be as in the picture below, where Terms is selected and the chart is black and white.
Week Before, Week After
The surest way to determine if a planet stationed within a week of someone’s birth is to compare the birth chart with the chart 1 week before the birth and that 1 week after the birth. Retrogradation is symbolized by a little symbol of an “R” with a line through part of it, which is next to the planetary glyph in the chart. Also, if one presses the F11 key, then a table of the planetary speeds appears in which negative speeds by longitude indicate retrograde motion. The Sun and Moon never have retrograde motion, so they are not examined in this respect.
Steve Jobs’ Chart
Let’s look at Steve Jobs’ chart (click here for chart data). First, you’ll notice that the Moon, followed by Jupiter and Venus, are the most advancing planets in the chart. You’ll also notice that the Sun and Saturn are retreating and that Mercury isn’t advancing much. In the chart below I’ve highlighted that Mercury and Jupiter are retrograde. It is important with any chart that you make an initial mental note of which of the planets are retrograde.
Natal Chart – Steve Jobs
In order to check if any planets stationed within a week of Steve Jobs’ birth, we change the day of birth to one week earlier, pulling up the chart to see which planets are retrograde, then we do the same for one week after the birth. If there are no stations then Mercury and Jupiter would be the only retrograde planets one week prior and one week after birth. If this is not the case then there has been some type of station and we’ll have to do some deeper digging.
A Week Before Birth
To start hold CTRL and press “d” or go to “Horoscope” and then “Data”. Jobs was born on the 24th so we’ll switch it to the 17th, which will show the chart below.
Steve Jobs – One Week Before Birth
One week before birth, Mercury and Jupiter were retrograde while Venus, Mars, and Saturn were not. This is just as in the natal chart, so there were no stations in the week prior to birth.
A Week After Birth
Seven days after his Feb. 24th birth would be March 3rd. So we put that date into the Data area and pull up another chart, again checking for some difference in retrogrades. This time we do find some differences. Jupiter was still retrograde a week after birth, but Mercury was no longer retrograde. Therefore, Mercury stationed direct at some point within the week following his birth. Additionally, Saturn is now retrograde, while it was not in the birth chart, so it stationed retrograde at some point in the week following his birth.
Steve Jobs – One Week After Birth
Mercury Retrograde or Mercury Stationing Direct?
Now, we know that Mercury is stationing direct in Steve’s birth chart and that Saturn is stationing retrograde, but we don’t know to what extent. How close were the stations to Steve’s birth? I like to start with one-day increments from the birthday. I look first at February 25th, then the 26th, and so on. Doing this I find that by February 25th, within 24 hours of the birth of Steve Jobs, Mercury had stationed direct. This is a very prominent Mercury direct station!
We initially noted that Mercury wasn’t really advancing much, so by advancement, Mercury didn’t seem prominent at all. However, we now know that Mercury is very prominent in the chart because it was stationing direct very strongly when Jobs was born. This means that the natural significations of Mercury have a type of prominent influence on his life. This is quite significant as Mercury is the planet of intellect, business, technology, and computing.
Saturn Stationing Retrograde
On the other hand, when we progress day by day, we don’t find Saturn retrograde until we get to March 1st, which is five days out, so Saturn stationed retrograde between four and five days after his birth. Saturn was weak by retreating, and here we see Saturn a little bit more weakened by the fact that it was gradually stationing retrograde at the time of birth. Therefore, we expect the significations of Saturn to be in the background in his life rather than prominent.
Changing Your Perspective on Retrograde Planets
What about your chart? Were any planets stationing at your birth? If so, how do the indications of the stations compare with the indications from advancement?
One of the interesting things about this technique is that a planet that seems retrograde often is revealed to be stationing direct, as with Steve Jobs’s Mercury. Unfortunately, little attention is paid to planetary stations near one’s birth in astrology today, even in traditional circles. Additionally, too much stress is placed on retrogradation. In this way, it happens that prominent planets are often thought to be weak from retrogradation. Get in the habit of checking the week before and the week after a chart, with every chart, and you won’t make this mistake.
Station Meanings
In terms of meaning, the retrograde station has significations of drifting out of reach, being involved in delays and so forth. The direct station has significations of a pioneering and determined start, such as with forceful resolve. A retrograde station is like someone coming to the party and saying, “oh wait, I’m sorry, I forgot something, and I need to go home to get it”. The direct station is like someone who had been tied up for some time and now can move forward with some established plans.
Appearances or Phasis
Just as famous celebrities and politicians make important appearances, so do the planets. Their appearances pertain to meetings with the Sun, the king of the chart.
The Sun on his throne from a Persian Manuscript 373 CE
Under the Beams
The Sun is like the king of the astrological chart, signifying powerful authority and leadership. When a planet appears close to the Sun in the sky it becomes obscured by the light of the Sun. In ancient astrology, the standard distance is typically 15 degrees from the Sun. When a planet is within 15 degrees of the Sun it is “under the beams” or “combust”. Planets under the beams can be weakened in the sense of being more hidden or covert. You could think of this as akin to a person who is employed in some special government operation. The agenda (Sun) outshines their own personal expression, forcing them to come under a more restricted code of conduct and more limited communication.
Cazimi
An exception to this rule of planets under the beams being “hidden” is when planets are within about 1 degree from the Sun, which is called “cazimi” or “in the heart of the Sun”. This is like being able to rule in the king’s stead or taking on the authority of the throne. A planet in such a position becomes much more prominent, but planets which are cazimi are rather rare. A particularly forceful cazimi would be an occultation of the Sun, such as the “Transit of Venus“. In the article on the 2012 Transit of Venus, I explored the history of the concept of cazimi.
In Phasis
Many astrologers are aware of combustion and cazimi, but another very important solar-related doctrine, that of “appearance”, has been forgotten. A planet makes its appearance (or is “in phasis”) just when it comes out from the beams of the Sun. For some, phasis is also when a planet is about to go under the beams (disappearance). These phenomena are also known as the heliacal risings and settings of the planets. Think of it like the planet having an important visit with the media either right before its going to have to encounter the authorities or immediately after it has.
A planet coming out of the beams (making appearance) is more prominent. There is more controversy regarding whether a planet going into the beams is. Such a planet may be regarded as more prototypically and forcefully under the beams. After all, it is is actually going under them around the time of birth. However, a planet in its own bound, domicile, or exaltation it was sometimes considered to be made more powerful under the beams. Therefore, this may sometimes be weakening and sometimes strengthening.
Ancient Mesopotamian tablet giving dates (columns 1,2) and positions (column 3) of consecutive reappearances of Venus as the evening star, for 24 years – Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
Phasis and Profession
A planet making an appearance is called “in phasis”. A consideration of phasis tends to be included in ancient techniques for finding professional significators. It seems that its link with the Sun ties it to a sense of what someone becomes known for.
We, then, looking out for the topic of injury, entered into the type of action in this way: the givers, then, of actions are Mercury, Venus, and Mars; the effective houses are the ascendant, the midheaven, the IC, and the [houses] succedent to these, but also indeed the sixth houses, and the Lot of Fortune, and the application of the Moon, and the [star] making its morning appearance or its evening rising seven days before or seven days after. (Rhetorius, Astrological Compendium, #82, Holden trans., 2009, p. 134)
Rising and Setting Relative to the Sun
The passage above is from Rhetorius. Paulus Alexandrinus (4th century CE) also discussed the phases of the stars and the terminology associated with phasis. A planet in phasis which is coming out from the beams is called rising or arising, as it is in its heliacal rising (rising out from the beams). A planet which is going into the beam is also called setting (occasionally called disappearance), as it is in its heliacal setting. Be cognizant of these other uses of the terms “rising” and “setting”. There are times when rising and setting planets are discussed in the literature where an unknowing reader might assume it is relative to the horizon but it is actually relative to the beams of the Sun.
Variation in Terms of Heliacal Setting
Paulus Version
For some ancient astrologers, only the heliacal rising is viewed as strengthening for professional matters. Paulus Alexandrinus of the 4th century CE advised to look at heliacal rising as a factor making a planet more significant for signifying the person’s actions (profession), but did not advise to look at heliacal setting in that sense.
Porphyry Version
However, Porphyry (3rd century CE) advised to look at both in the context of finding the lord of the nativity. This suggests that possibly in an earlier doctrine both phases marked out prominence. The Porphyry passage highlights how stations and phasis were both associated with prominence and thus relevant to finding the lord of the nativity.
And the first, the Lord of the ASC or the one that is posited on it in the domicile and the terms, either the one of the Moon, or the one of the MC, or the one of the [Lot of] Fortune, or the one 7 days before birth, or within 7 days making a phase of the rising or the setting or of a station. (Porphyry, Ch. 30, Holden trans., 2009, p. 24)
In Practice
In practice, I’ve found consistently that both can confer prominence and both can be relevant for the professional significator. For instance, in the example of Hitler given in this post, the planets in phasis are Venus then Mars, both setting into the beams, but both very significant for his professional development and aspirations in his life, first to be an artist, then to be an aggressive conqueror. However, planets setting into the beams do seem to take on many of the significations associated with being under the beams, so it is something of a mixed bag. Valens associated a planet going under the beams with troubles, interruptions, and possible secret difficulties.
Under The Beams and its Modification
I personally associate being under the beams with the sense of something powerful causing things to go underground, into hiding, but not necessarily good or bad in a blanket sense. For instance, do you feel that you can fully and entirely be yourself with your parents, grandparents, or boss? This seems to be analogous to the behavior of a planet under the beams.
Under the Beams but with Rulership
I think that this helps to explain why planets in a place where they held some authority or power (a house or bound they had some rulership over) were thought to be strengthened or made more benefic rather than weakened by being under the beams. Such planets are under the influence of the Sun but also have a type of independence as they are in their own place. It is like a person visited by a king but without a need to subjugate oneself to that king.
“The planets are in their own chariots when they are found in their own domicile or exaltation or terms; and they rejoice in these places even when they are found under the Sun beams, for the benefics increase their good and the malefics are changed into a good influence.” (Rhetorius, Ch. 43, Holden trans., 2009, p. 25)
Morning and Evening Stars
A related distinction to know is that between morning stars and evening stars. Those rising (above the horizon) before the Sun are said to be to the “right” of the Sun, oriental the Sun, or morning stars. They are seen in the morning before the Sun rises. Those rising (above the horizon) after the Sun are said to be to the “left” of the Sun, occidental the Sun, or evening stars. They are seen in the evening after the Sun has set.
Morning stars were thought to have quicker and more outgoing significations. For intance, they are viewed as bringing about their significations quickly when activated and pertaining to events earlier in life. They also indicate proactive rather than lazy people or things. Evening stars were thought to have slower and more progressive significations. They can signify things that are lazy or develop slowly as time goes by, such as things realized only later in life.
Star of Ishtar, representing Venus, 12th century BCE, from a kudurru of King Melishipak I of Mesopotami.
Checking for Appearances
We are interested in appearances within about a week from birth. Therefore, our habit of checking one week before and one week after birth has a dual purpose; we check for stations and appearances.
When looking for appearances, we are concerned with the degree position of the Sun and that of the planets near the Sun. Mercury and Venus always stay pretty close to the Sun, so they are in phasis most often. The degrees of the planets are shown in the chart (as well as the minutes in smaller type). Each sign has 30 degrees, so if the Sun is at exactly 25 degrees of one sign, and Mercury is at 10 degrees of the next sign, then Mercury is 15 degrees from the Sun (in phasis). We are not concerned with the Moon when it comes to phasis. The combustion of the Moon is significant though, lending a sense of covertness to the Moon’s significations.
Find Phasis in Steve Jobs’ Chart
Natal Chart – Steve Jobs
You’ll notice that Steve’s Sun is at 5 degrees of the sign numbered VII (Pisces). Besides the Moon, Mercury is the fastest planet and moves up to about 2 degrees per day. Therefore, if a planet is more than about 30 degrees from the Sun it won’t be in phasis.
Mercury Presents a Possibility
Mercury is the only planet within about 30 degrees from the Sun. It is at 14 degrees of the prior sign, Aquarius. The Sun and Mercury are a little bit over 21 degrees from each other. Mercury is moving backward and is in a sign before, so they are moving away from each other. Given this, we know they won’t be within 15 degrees of each other at any point after birth. The question is whether Mercury and the Sun were ever within 15 degrees the week before birth. To answer this question, we’ll look at the chart from a week before birth.
A Week Before Birth
Steve Jobs – One Week Before Birth
Look at the chart from a week before birth. We find the Sun at 28 Aquarius and Mercury at 17 Aquarius. This is a distance of about 11 degrees, which is less than 15 degrees. Therefore, Mercury was under the beams within the prior week then made an appearance.
Now we need to find out when. So starting with the 23rd, we move back one day in the birth data, pulling up charts until we get to the point that Mercury ends up being less than 15 degrees from the Sun. Doing this you’ll find that it is on February 19th, 5 days before Steve’s birth, that Mercury is under the beams (i.e. within 15 degrees from the Sun). Therefore, Mercury made its appearance four-to-five days prior to Steve’s birth.
General Prominence in Steve Jobs’ Chart
We have looked at all three of the general prominence factors in Steve Jobs’ chart. While the Moon was strongly advancing, Mercury, mildly advancing, was strongly stationing direct and was in phasis. Therefore, Mercury indicates very prominently concerning the life circumstances of Steve Jobs. Recall that it is particularly relevant to the profession due to both stationing and being in phasis.
General Prominence Chart Examples
I’m going to run through a number of examples very quickly. I’ll note the important information obtained from the three general prominence factors. The data for all examples are from Astro-Databank.com. If you have any questions, please comment and I will do what I can to assist.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler’s Natal Chart (Ctrl-Click to enlarge)
Hitler has a very complicated chart. Mercury, the Sun, and Saturn are the most prominent planets by advancement. Jupiter and the Moon are retreating. Looking at stations, Saturn is even more prominent due to a direct station about 6 days before birth. Additionally, Jupiter is even more weakened by a retrograde station about 4 days after birth.
Mercury is somewhat weakened (or at least hidden/covert) due to being deeply under the beams and not in phasis. Mars and Venus are both between 15 and 16 degrees from the Sun. They are strongly in phasis, but going into the beams. Venus goes into the beams within 24 hours and Mars within 3 days.
Saturn is Most Prominent and Jupiter is Most Weakened
Hitler’s chart has many prominent planets but Saturn (lack, hardship, loss, darkness, discipline, and control) is most prominent. The Sun, planet of leadership, authority, and influence is also very prominent. Saturn and the Sun pertain very strongly to Hitler’s ability to rise to power and his dictatorial style.
Venus and Mars are prominent in their own ways as both are advancing and very strongly in phasis. Venus goes very quickly and deeply under the beams while Mars slowly descends into them. These pertain to his career aspirations, from trying to be an artist (Venus) to trying to be a conqueror (Mars). Mercury is very important in the life, but covert, which may indicate secretive activity of an intellectual nature. Jupiter, the planet of opportunity, abundance, generosity, goodwill, friendship, kindness, and spirituality is very weak.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain’s Natal Chart (Ctrl-Click to enlarge)
In Kurt Cobain’s chart, Mercury is conjunct the Descendant. With Mercury, Venus and Saturn are also strongly advancing, while the Sun is retreating. Therefore, we expect Mercury (voice, writing, intellect, cleverness, business), Venus (the arts, love, women, sensuality), and Saturn (hardship, darkness, loss, obligation) to all be quite prominent in the life. We expect the Sun (leadership, authority, honors, power, confidence) to be backgrounded in the life, at least in a general sense.
Mercury is in phasis, though setting into the beams, within 2 days after birth, so very strongly. However, Mercury also stations retrograde within 3 days after birth, which is strongly weakening. Therefore, Mercury’s significations in the life are complex. It is very significant but with a potential for a reversal. It’s setting under the beams can signify covert action.
Alfred Witte
Alfred Witte’s Natal Chart
Witte was an early 20th-century astrologer who pioneered a new system of astrology. His Uranian astrology is very different from other modern forms of astrology. It is based on symmetrical relationships of planets to each other. Witte ended up committing suicide after being targeted by the Nazis.
Jupiter Prominent with Mercury-Venus Prominent in Another Manner
Notice that Jupiter, the planet of wisdom, spirituality, abundance, generosity, and elevation is strongly advancing, conjunct the IC. Mars, Mercury, and Venus are also advancing, while Saturn is retreating and under the beams.
There are no stations in his chart. Saturn is barely in phasis, setting under the beams about 7 days before birth. Mercury and Venus are very close to each other in the same degree. Both are about 15 degrees from the Sun, so they are strongly in phasis. Venus is morning rising, rising out from the beams, while Mercury is morning setting, falling under the beams. Therefore, it is Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter which are the most prominent planets in Witte’s life by these basic methods.
It is interesting that Mercury and Venus are so strongly joined to one another. Witte’s astrology, dependent upon symmetry, has a sense of mathematical harmony to it. It has a visual elegance which shows a fusion of the intellectualism of Mercury combined with the aesthetics of Venus.
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo’s Natal Chart
Kahlo was born with the Moon very strongly advancing toward the Midheaven. Venus is the next most advancing planet, while Mercury was retreating. Jupiter was under the beams. Mars was retrograde but not stationing. Saturn stationed retrograde within 4 days of birth. Mercury stationed retrograde within 5 days of birth.
The Moon Above All
Overall, we would judge Mercury to be weakened and placed in the background, both from retreating and the retrograde station. We’d also judge Saturn to be somewhat weakened.
The Moon, the power of irrationality, subjectivity, nurture, ubiquity, mothers, instincts, the wild, and vivid depth, is extremely prominent. Venus is also quite prominent. She is advancing toward the Midheaven (and rules the Midheaven; rulership will be addressed in a future post).
Where Do We Go From Here
It’s my hope that you’ve found in this post some new and valuable techniques for evaluating planetary prominence. If you are a beginner and are having any trouble with this material please comment below.
In future lessons, we will start to explore the signs, houses, and configurations. These form the core elements of the Hellenistic system of astrology. However, it is good to get in the habit of initially checking the indications of general prominence. They will tell you which planets are loudest and have something important to say about the life as a whole.
Solid Footing
Unfortunately, it is much easier to identify which sign a planet is in than to check for stations and appearances. However, we are looking at something much more concrete when examining advancement, stations, and appearances.
Most considerations in ancient astrology are based on abstract mathematical divisions of the ecliptic into signs. Here we have dealt with more basic observations of wandering stars rising, culminating, setting, changing direction, appearing and disappearing. These things have been observed for thousands of years, including in astrological systems which predate Hellenistic astrology.
Practice Makes Perfect
Practice with these three basic techniques on your own chart and as many charts as you can (visit Astro-Databank). Feel free to expand upon them with the other distinctions we discussed (combustion, cazimi, morning vs. evening stars). Discuss your findings in the comments.
Critical thinking is very important. For instance, why is it the case that Kahlo’s Venus was under the beams rather than in phasis? Ancient astrology is very vast and we are still only dealing with general prominence. Prominence relative to the self and specific topics such as profession bring in additional considerations and concepts. The complexity and vastness of ancient astrology is a good thing because human life is even more complex and vast.
The Map is not the Territory
Of course, no astrological system can ever predict the full complexity of any human experience. No communication can ever fully convey an experience. The map is not the territory. Nevertheless, by learning more and honing our skills in ancient astrology we may defy what is generally considered possible. We observe that the sky speaks volumes about the past, present, and future. The language of the heavens, arranged by some intelligence beyond our own, highlights our humble place in a brilliantly intelligent universe.
References
Ma’shar, A., & Al-Qabisi. (2010). Introductions to Traditional Astrology. (B. N. Dykes, Trans.). Minneapolis, MN: The Cazimi Press.
Porphyry, & Serapio. (2009). Porphyry the Philosopher. (J. H. Holden, Trans.). Tempe, AZ: American Federation of Astrologers.
Rhetorius of Egypt, & Teucer of Babylon. (2009). Rhetorius the Egyptian. (J. H. Holden, Trans.). Tempe, AZ: American Federation of Astrologers.
Image Attributions
Featured image of four elements from Isidore of Seville’s De natura rerum is in the public domain.
Sibly’s chart of Jesus Christ image is in the public domain.
Illustration of the Sun and the Moon with a lion by Jaroš Griemiller (Prague 1578) is in the public domain.
The Sun on his throne image from a Persian manuscript 373 CE – See page for author [CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Tablet of Venus evening appearances image is in the public domain.
There is a secret key to the zodiac. Inside every zodiacal sign there are another twelve-signs. This division of the zodiac dates back to Babylonian times and was a key element of Hellenistic and early medieval astrology, but is extremely neglected today. Key elements of natal delineation and timing have been lost due to ignorance regarding this important feature of the zodiac. In this article, I explore the origins and use of twelfth-parts.
Pray examine now a matter trivial in appearance, yet one of great moment, which does not permit description of itself save by a Greek word. I speak of the dodecatemories, of which the name proclaims the principle. The signs each consist of thirty degrees, and every total is further divided by twice six; the calculation therefore shows that in each division there are two and a half degrees. (Manilius, Book 2, 693-700, Goold trans., 1977, p. 137)
Who Used the Twelfth-Parts?
Hellenistic Astrologers
In addition to Manilius, the twelfth-parts were used by almost every Hellenistic astrologer. Early Hellenistic astrologers who used twelfth-parts include Dorotheus of Sidon (1st Century CE) in Book I, Ch. 8 and other sections of Carmen, Ptolemy (2nd Century CE) in Book I, Ch. 22 of the Tetrabiblos, and Vettius Valens (2nd Century CE) in multiple sections of his Anthology. Julius Firmicus Maternus (4th Century CE) strongly advocated the use of twelfth-parts in Book II, Ch. 17, and many other sections of his Mathesis. Additionally, Porphyry of Tyre (3rd Century CE) in Ch. 39 of his Introduction to the Tetrabiblos used twelfth-parts, as did Hephaistio of Thebes (5th Century CE) in Book I, Ch. 18 and in Book III of his Apotelesmatics. Rhetorius (7th century) also used twelfth-parts in Ch. 18 of his Compendium.
Early Medieval Astrologers
The twelfth-parts continued to be a basic component of astrological technique as practiced by later Perso-Arabic astrologers of the early medieval period, including Sahl, Masha’allah, Abu Ma’shar, al-Qabisi, Abraham Ibn Ezra, and more.
Abu Ma’shar made extensive use of twelfth-parts in his predictive methods. He made over 20 mentions of twelfth-parts in his work on predictive natal astrology, On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities. Ma’shar advocated their use in nearly all predictive techniques. He explicitly advocated their use in solar returns (see Book I, Ch. 5-6; see Book II, Ch. 3 in relation to the profected Ascendant), lunar returns (see Book II, Ch. 1), primary directions (see Book III, Ch. 1), and transits (see Book V, Ch. 9). The twelfth-parts are key not only to natal delineation but also to predictive astrology.
Pre-Hellenistic Use
However, the use of the twelfth-parts predates Hellenistic astrology. The twelfth-parts. like the twelve-sign zodiac itself, have their origins with the Babylonians, who used them in omen lore at least as far back as the 5th century BCE. Therefore, the twelfth-part divisions of the zodiacal signs are nearly as old as the regularized twelve-sign zodiac itself.
What are the Twelfth-Parts?
The twelfth-parts appear in the earliest strains of Hellenistic astrology. They are also known as dodecatemory/dodekatemoria, duodena/duodecimae, or dwad/dwadashama. As the 1st Century astrologer, Manilius, explained in the opening quote, the twelfth-parts are divisions of each astrological sign into 12 equal parts. Each of the twelve parts are assigned a zodiacal sign beginning with the greater sign itself.
Finding Twelfth-Parts
Some authors, including Manilius, give two ways to calculate these, both leading to the same result. One way is to think of the first 2.5° as belonging to the sign itself, the second to the next sign, and so on until you get to the last 2.5° which belongs to the sign preceding the greater sign. For instance, if Mercury were found at 28° Scorpio, then it would be in the last 2.5° of the sign, and thus its twelfth-part would be Libra.
A second method is used for greater accuracy. We take the degrees and minutes of the position within the sign and multiply it by 12, then add that many degrees to the beginning of the sign the planet is in. For instance, with Mercury at exactly 28°00′ Scorpio, we would take 28 and multiply it by 12, yielding 336, then we would add this to the beginning of the sign Scorpio, so 30 would bring us to Sagittarius, 60 to Capricorn, 90 to Aquarius, and so on until we get to Libra with 6 degrees left over; the twelfth-part of Mercury would therefore be 6°00′ Libra in this case.
Chart Calculation of Twelfth-Parts
The FREE, open-source, traditional astrology program, Morinus, has twelfth-part calculation built-in. Some of the developers of the program have been very kind to me and gave given me the chance to check out the functionality before it was implemented. It is great to have a program that can lay out the twelfth-part positions quickly and visually, because as we’ll see, these positions are informative and early astrologers placed importance on them.
Morinus Chart Appearance Options
In order to pull up twelfth-parts in Traditional Morinus, after installation using the instructions I’ve provided, first pull up a chart. Then hold Shift and press A, or click on Option from the top navigation menu and click Appearance I. Select Dodecatemoria from the In Chart options and click OK. The chart will then have the twelfth-part positions apparent around the outside.
Bruce Lee’s Natal Chart with Twelfth-PartsVariations
Some Variations
Manilius Division
Manilius asserted that the twelfth-parts are further divided into 5 segments of half a degree each, assigned to the five non-luminary planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury (see Manilius, Astronomica, Book 2, 738-748). However, Manilius didn’t specify the order that the planets are assigned to these subdivisions, and no other early astrologers addressed these divisions. Typically, the Chaldean order, either from slowest to swiftest (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury) or the reverse (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) is suggested. While the first one of these orders is certainly the most logical, supported by the use of such order in many other types of zodiacal division from decan to monomoiria, we can’t be sure. I don’t recommend the use of these subdivisions in practice.
Paulean Thirteenth-Parts?
It is also worth noting that Paulus Alexandrinus (4th Century CE) provided an idiosyncratic type of twelfth-parts. The twelfth-part explanation in Paulus is most likely in error, as he multiplies the position by 13, rather than by 12. He gives a paragraph explaining his justification for multiplying by 13 rather than 12, but there isn’t much logical sense in the explanation in my opinion. Paulus seemed to imply that multiplication by 13 was necessary to allow the 12th parts to come back to the sign that the planet is in. This is hardly a noteworthy argument, as the first 2.5° of the sign already fall to that same sign in the standard system.
Commentary on Paulus
In the commentary on Paulus by Olympiodorus the Younger (6th Century CE), he found it necessary to explain the more typical form of twelfth-part first to preface the discussion. He then explained the idiosyncratic Paulean form. As far as I know, this idiosyncratic form of twelfth-part isban innovation of Paulus and was used by Paulus only, so I will not pursue it further here.
And we say: the ancient Egyptians used to call it the 12th part, since the number is found in the position of each star multiplied by 12. However Paulus, having come later and examined the matter closely, [said] that the multiplication by 12 is never returned to the same zoidion where the star is, where we seek the dodekatemorion — but often the dodekatemorion of the star happens to fall in the same zoidion where the star is. (Olympiodorus, Commentary on Paulus Alexandrinus, Ch. 21, Greenbaum trans., 2001, p. 102)
How were Twelfth-Parts Used?
The twelfth-parts produce a secondary zodiacal position for each planet and point in the chart. It is as if each point is projected into an additional hidden zodiacal position.
There are four main ways in which the twelfth-parts were used in Hellenistic astrology: 1. The twelfth-part of the Moon gave indications regarding the physical sex of the person; 2. The twelfth-part of the Sun gave indications about the Ascendant when it was unknown; 3. The twelfth-part of the Ascendant revealed thoughts/intentions; 4. Twelfth-part positions gave additional information about planetary significations that are on par with the natal positions of the planet.
I will briefly explore three of these four uses; for sex, finding the Ascendant, and interpretation of cognition. However, I want to make it clear to the reader, that the last use is by far the most fruitful and important.
Sex of a Person from the Natal Chart
Both Dorotheus (Book I, Ch. 8 of Carmen) and Valens (Book IX, Ch. 8 of Anthology) used the sex of the sign of the twelfth-part of the Moon for delineation of the native’s sex.
Dorotheus
For Dorotheus, the basic idea is that if the Moon’s twelfth-part is in a male sign (i.e. a Fire or Air sign) then the native is male, but if in a female sign (i.e. an Earth or Water sign) then the native is female. However, there are some exceptions that can override this indication of the sex of the sign of the twelfth-part of the Moon.
The exception are as follows: 1. Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are in signs of the opposite sex, 2. the Light of the opposite sex (i.e. Sun is masculine and Moon is feminine) is in the Ascendant in a sign of its same sex, 3. planets of the opposite sex occupy the 1st and the 7th, 4. both Lights are in signs of the opposite sex and a planet of the opposite sex rules the Ascendant (example given is of both Lights in masculine signs and Jupiter ruling the Ascendant, this overriding a feminine twelfth-part of the Moon to indicate a male child).
Valens
For Valens, the sex of the sign of the twelfth-part of the Moon and the sex of the sign occupied by that sign’s ruler give strong indications for sex of the child.
Results
This method is poor for predicting sex. For instance, Kurt Cobain has Sun, Moon, and Ascendant all in feminine signs, which would override the fact that the twelfth-part of the Moon in his chart is in Sagittarius, a masculine sign. Additionally, the ruler of the twelfth-part of the Moon is Jupiter, which is also in a feminine sign.
Cobain’s Natal Chart
One might argue that perhaps Dorotheus was incorrect and the twelfth-part of the Moon should be given the primary consideration in this endeavor. However, examine the chart of Traci Lords. Her Ascendant is in a masculine sign, Sun and Moon in feminine signs. The twelfth-part of the Moon is in a masculine sign, and its ruler, Saturn, is also in a masculine sign, so if they were given primary consideration we’d judge her to be a man.
Traci Lords’ Natal Chart
Junk Technique
In conclusion, we cannot rely upon the twelfth-part of the Moon methods of Dorotheus or Valens to guess the sex of a person by the birth chart. Perhaps Dorotheus and Valens have given us leads for the eventual development of a technique for guessing the sex of an individual from the chart that involves use of twelfth-parts. So far we don’t have a reliable technique for such a determination.
Twelfth-Parts for Finding the Ascendant
Another one of the more spurious uses of the twelfth-parts is to rectify the sign of an individual’s Ascendant when it is unknown. It is Valens that discussed this use of twelfth-part of the Sun in Book I, Ch. 4 and Book IX, Ch. 7 of his Anthology. It is only one method among many rectification methods discussed by Valens.
The method involves first knowing if the person was born by day or night and knowing the Sun’s position accurately enough to be able to find the sign of its twelfth-part. The Ascendant for a day birth will either be the sign opposite the sign of the Sun’s twelfth-part, or one trine to that sign, with preference given to the “left” trine (i.e. the one that is 120° after the sign of the twelfth-part of the Sun). If it is a night birth, then it will be one of the signs opposite to these, again with the same preference.
Example
For example, if someone was born with the twelfth-part of the Sun in Taurus, then for a day birth the most likely Ascendant would be Virgo, but could also be Scorpio or Capricorn. If a night birth then the most likely Ascendant would be Pisces, but could also be Taurus or Cancer.
Results
I’m a day birth with the twelfth-part of the Sun in Taurus, and my Ascendant is none of the three relevant signs, nor any of the three signs for night births. A technique that narrows the Ascending sign to one-fourth of the signs of the chart, but still doesn’t give you an accurate indication is not a very valuable technique.
Interpretation of Cognition
One of the more fascinating niche uses of twelfth-parts is in the interpretation of cognition. This use was common for consultation charts, and later in medieval horary astrology. The technique originates with unknown Indian astrologers and Hephastio of Thebes. Importantly, it was adoped by Masha’allah. The basic idea is that the twelfth-part of the Ascendant gives indications about the thoughts and intentions of a native or a querent (the one asking the astrologer to divine the answer to a question). The native is really concerned about matters pertaining to the house represented by the twelfth-part of the Ascendant. The qualities and conditions of that place such as the quality of the sign, its domicile lord, and occupants of the sign are all relevant to the native’s true concerns.
The Search of the Heart
Dr. Benjamin Dykes explored this use of twelfth-parts in considerable depth in his translation of, and commentary on, Hermann of Carinthia’s “The Search of the Heart”. I highly recommend this work of Dr. Dykes for those interested in delving into this use of twelfth-parts in greater depth. Dykes explores the technique in his introduction, translates a work which uses the technique, and provides commentary on that work. Additionally, he includes appendices with further discussion and translations, including a table of the entire 144 significations given by Hephastio for each twelfth-part of the Ascendant.
Horary Astrology
The primary use of this technique in medieval astrology was to anticipate a client’s area of concern. This usage appears to have started in Indian and/or Hellenistic use of consultation charts. This use of consultation charts preceded, and likely lead to, the development of horary astrology.
Masha’allah in On Hidden Things (from the Works of Sahl and Masha’allah translated by Dykes in 2008) suggested that the twelfth-part of the Ascendant provides the best indications regarding a querent’s intention in an horary reading. If a planet is in that place then you look to that place as signifying the person’s intention. If the place is empty then you look to the place of its ruler.
Masha’allah: Twelfth-Part Ascendant and its Ruler
In an example given by Masha’allah (the same example was given by Hermann of Carinthia centuries later but attributed to the Indians), the Ascendant was the 12th degree of Aries, which has its twelfth-part in Leo. As the Ascendant was in Aries, Leo was the 5th place from the Ascendant. Leo was empty in the horary chart and the Sun was in Libra, the 7th. Masha’allah surmised that the question involved the 5th in the condition of the 7th or the 5th seeking the 7th. The indication was that of a child seeking a woman (or seeking the querent’s wife).
Masha’allah said that if the Sun had been in the 6th then it would’ve suggested a question about a sick child, and so forth. As you can see the stress in this technique is primarily on the significations of the place/house. One can combine the significations of the place with its ruler, in the sense of the place being fulfilled by or meeting the condition of the ruler’s place. This is one of a few different techniques given by Masha’allah and later authors for interpreting the intentions of a querent.
Chart Projections
Used with natal charts the technique puts an interesting twist on the idea of personal focus and fulfillment. The ruler of the Ascendant shows a particular pull towards a certain place in the natal chart. Consider its accompanying themes and significations. Similarly, the twelfth-part of the Ascendant and its ruler may reveal a personal emphasis for the individual.
In the next article on twelfth-parts, I’ll explore their use in natal delineation in more depth. I’ll draw heavily on Maternus, who found in twelfth-parts the secret to more accurate delineation. I highly recommend the use of the twelfth-parts of all chart factors. I also recommend their use in predictive astrology as advocated by Abu Ma’shar. However, let’s start by looking at twelfth-part of the Ascendant.
Hitler’s Twelfth-Part Ascendant
Hitler had the twelfth-part of the Ascendant in Leo with the greater malefic Saturn, in the bound of Mercury. It is in the networking and popularity-oriented 11th House (house of friends), in the sign of leadership, Leo. Its ruler, the Sun, was in the 8th, pertaining to death and harm. The twelfth-part of Hitler’s Sun is also in the 8th, and its ruler too is in the 8th. This gives interesting additional valuable information that we can add to our knowledge that his Ascendant lord (Venus) and the sect light of his chart (the Sun) are in the 8th of his natal chart.
Using the Masha’allah-style of place combination, we might suggest that he has some intention to achieve a Saturnine standing in groups through death, fear, and destruction. I also think that Leo and the solar element both contribute meaning here, as does the bound of Mercury.
Hitler’s Natal Chart
Dahmer’s Twelfth-Part Ascendant
Looking at Jeffrey Dahmer’s chart, we find the twelfth-part of the Ascendant in the 8th of death. It is also in the bound of Saturn. It is conjunct Venus, the lord of the Ascendant, which is also the ruler of the twelfth-part. They are both in the same bound of Saturn in the 8th. Therefore, the personal intentions and focus on Saturnine-Venusian, death, fear, and destruction themes are very pronounced.
Dahmer’s Natal Chart
Explore Twelth-Parts
Start playing around with twelfth-parts in natal, horary, mundane, and electional charts. For electional astrology, putting the twelfth-part of the Moon in strong and good places is recommended by Sahl and others. Experiment, and if you have any revelations, feel free to share them in the comments.
References
Dorotheus of Sidon. (2005). Carmen Astrologicum. (D. Pingree, Trans.). Abingdon, MD: Astrology Center of America.
Manilius, M. (1977). Astronomica. (G. P. Goold, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Loeb Classical Library.
Paulus Alexandrinus & Olympiodorus. (2001). Late Classical Astrology: Paulus Alexandrinus and Olypiodorus. (D. G. Greenbaum, Trans.). Reston, VA: Arhat.
Image Attribution
Featured image of Dodecahedron Aventicum (cropped) by Woudloper [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Many modern astrologers may not realize that each of the planets has certain numbers of years assigned to it. Even in today’s traditional astrological circles the years of the planets are underutilized for prediction.
Most of the techniques for using the planetary years disappeared in the late middle ages. However, in Hellenistic astrology, planetary years are the basis of a large number of predictive techniques. This is especially so in the techniques of Vettius Valens (2nd century CE) and Julius Firmicus Maternus (4th century CE).
In this article, I introduce the most common type of planetary years, the Minor Years of the planets. I discuss how they can be used as indicators of when a certain configuration in the chart will “ripen”. Also discussed is how they can be used to divide the year into time lords.
The Minor Years of the Planets
What are the minor years of the planets? They are consistently given in many different texts. One source is at the end of Book III of the Anthology by Valens (free download). Below I provide the Minor Years of each planet.
Saturn – 30
Jupiter – 12
Mars – 15
Sun – 19
Venus – 8
Mercury – 20
Moon – 25
The rationale for these numbers concerns times when the planets return to the same positions in the sky with the Sun (synodic cycles). However, the Sun’s number, 19, is based on the metonic cycle. The Sun and Moon meet at the same position in the sky every 19 years. The Moon’s number, 25, is based on a relationship between the lunation cycle and the Egyptian calendar that repeats every 25 years.
Minor Years as Ripening Planets
In various sections of the Anthology, especially Book VII, Valens uses the years of the planets for prediction. He combines the minor years of planets that are in configurations. Valens also combines minor years of planets with those of their ruler. Additionally, he combines planetary years with the number of years of the rising time of the sign. There are techniques with planetary years, planetary months (i.e. 1/12 of the planetary years), rising times of signs, and even fractions of planetary years.
For our purposes let’s focus initially on planetary years and their combinations. The basic idea is that a planet’s effects are likely to manifest or ripen near to the number of years of the planet. Multiples of the years are also used. For instance, Venus ripens every 8 years, so at age 16, 24, 32, and 40 she may also come into focus. Note that I say age 16, but the native’s 16th year is actually when she is 15, so the indication can also be for the year leading up to that age.
Combining Years
Combinations include summing the Minor Years of two planets. We can sum the Minor Years of a planet and its ruler for activation of the planet in the sign. For instance, age 27 may be an activation of the Sun in Taurus (Sun 19 plus Venus 8). Additionally, to time out the ripening of configurations we combine the years of the planets involved. For instance, age 27 may see the activation of a Jupiter (12) square Mars (15) configuration in the chart.
The Place of Minor Years in Prediction
Delineation is the act of analyzing the natal chart to see what is indicated for the person’s life. In delineation, it is always a good idea to make sure there are multiple factors indicating the same thing or something similar. Multiple factors (such as natural significator, twelfth-parts, house, lots, etc.) provide for confirmation that something is really a significantly indicated in someone’s life.
Repetition is Necessary
When doing predictive work, too many astrologers toss out this rule of confirmation through multiple factors. Too often astrologers predict based on just one technique, whether transits, directions, returns, or one of the many time lord techniques. However, when an important event occurs in the life that is an activation of the natal chart, you will see it activated in a number of ways through a number of predictive techniques.
Don’t assume that such-and-such will happen because it is indicated by a set of transits, by profections, by zodiacal releasing, or any other single technique. When you see an indication of something with one technique, check a variety of other predictive techniques to see the same or related activations. Planetary years provide a valuable addition to your predictive toolbox.
Example 1: The Death of Whitney Houston
In a prior article, on the death of Whitney Houston, I noted that she died in her 49th year. I also discussed how Sun-Saturn configurations ripen at 49. Whitney had a Sun-Saturn opposition across the 6th and 12th houses of her chart. The 6th and 12th house are often the most difficult houses of the chart, as they related to health crises and other difficult events.
Saturn is the natural signficator of death and the Sun is the natural significator of life. The Sun’s years are 19, and those of Saturn are 30. Therefore, the activation of this configuration at 49 years confirms the indications at death. Those indications and their relationship to the Sun-Saturn configuration are explored in more detail in that article.
Example 2: Hitler’s rise to power
In the summer of 1934, Hitler became leader of Germany after the death of President von Hindenburg. Hitler was 45 years old. The sum of the years of Saturn (30) and Mars (15).
This saw the realization of his scrutinizing (i.e. within 3 degrees) Mars-Saturn square from Taurus to Leo. The square is from the 8th pertaining to death to the 11th pertaining to organizations. Saturn in Leo advances toward the MC in his chart, promising leadership. Mars in the 8th pertains to death. Death (of von Hindenburg) precipitated Hitler’s rise to organizational power.
Hitler’s Natal Chart
Hitler was able to eliminate obstacles and seize supreme unimpeded power over Germany’s direction by early 1938. At the time, Hitler was nearing his 49th birthday. This is the realization of his role as a culminating Saturn in Leo. The combination is of the years of Saturn (30) and its ruler the Sun (19). The Sun also dominates Saturn from the 8th, so it also is the activation of the Sun-Saturn square configuration.
Example 3: The 1st edition of Witte’s Rules of Planetary-Pictures
Alfred Witte’s “Rules of Planetary-Pictures” is the definitive foundational text of Uranian astrology. Alfred Witte turned 50 in 1928, the year of the first publication. This coincided with the ripening of Mercury-Saturn configurations (20+30) and those of the Moon itself (25+25).
Alfred Witte’s Natal ChartWitte was born with Mercury in Aquarius (ruled by Saturn), and that Mercury was also conjunct the Moon. Therefore, both Mercury in Aquarius (20+30) and Witte’s Moon (25+25) ripen at the time of the publication (age 50).
Mercury in Aquarius is in the 5th house of Witte’s chart, that of creative output, children, and entertainment. Mercury in this place is significant of teachings and publications. Saturn’s rulership indicates structure and foundations.
An interesting tidbit about Witte’s Mercury at 27 Aquarius and Moon at 28 Aquarius is that they closely oppose the modern planet Uranus (father sky) at 26 Leo and the asteroid Urania (muse of astrology) at 25 Leo.
More Examples
I’d like to leave it to the reader to find some additional interesting examples. Examine your own chart, those of friends, and those of celebrities. Look at the years of the most significant events in those lives. Which planets, planets in signs, and planetary configurations were activated at those times? How do those activations pertain to the events? Feel free to share interesting cases that you encounter in the comments section.
Planetary Days and Their Eerie Sum
One of the most fascinating things about the minor years is that the sum of each’s double, half, and third is 365.5. This is almost matches the precise number of days in a year (365.2422).
These sums of the double, half, and third also are the days of each planet. They are given in Book II, Chapter 29 of the Mathesis by Firmicus Maternus (“The Division of the Year”) with a couple minor errors. A more precise list is given by Vettius Valens at the beginning of Book IV of his Anthology. The planetary days are given below:
Saturn – 85 = 60+15+10
Jupiter – 34 = 24+6+4
Mars – 42 1/2 = 30+7 1/2+5
Sun – 53 5/6 = 38+9 1/2+6 1/3
Venus – 22 2/3 = 16+4+2 2/3
Mercury – 56 2/3 = 40+10+6 2/3
Moon – 70 5/6 = 50+12 1/2+8 1/3
The sum of all the planetary years = (85 + 34 + 42 1/2) + (53 5/6 + 70 5/6) + (22 2/3 + 56 2/3) = 161 1/2 + (124 2/3 + 79 1/3) = 161 1/2 + 204 = 365 1/2 days. Spooky, isn’t it?
Dividing the Year
These planetary days are used in a few different Hellenistic time lord techniques. Probably the simplest and most intuitive use is given by Firmicus Maternus in Chapter 29 of Book II of the Mathesis. Maternus uses them to divide the native’s year (birthday to birthday). We start with the ruler of the annual profection (click for an article on profections). The ruler of the annual profection is also called the lord of the year. From the lord of the year. we proceed from one planet to the next based on their order in the natal chart.
I will only use one example of this technique, as it can be time consuming to lay out. However, once you’ve laid out the days of the year when rulership switches, you can reference it throughout the year. It provides a nice map of the timing for the manifestation of different planetary indications for that year.
Bernie Madoff Example
Annual Profection: Mars in Gemini in XI
Madoff was arrested at age 70, on December 11, 2008. Mars, the out of sect malefic in his chart is in Gemini. Mars is ruled by Mercury, planet of commerce, and is in the 11th which pertains to groups and networking. This Mars is particularly relevant to his capture, as he was arrested in an 11th house, Gemini, annual profection. Therefore, the profection came to Mars and was ruled by Mercury.
Bernie Madoff’s Natal Chart
Planetary Years: Mars-Mercury relationships
Interestingly, the year 70 is also a year of the ripening of Mercury-Mars relationships (20+20+15+15). Therefore, by planetary years, his Mars in Gemini, Mercury in Aries, and their sextile relationship were activated. This reinforces the indication of the profection to Mars in Gemini.
Transit at Arrest: tMoon in Gemini conjunct nMars
Note that on the morning of his arrest, December 11, 2008, the transiting Moon was in early Gemini, conjoining his natal Mars. Mars and Mars were also transiting opposite (by sign) his natal Mars.
Transits to Madoff’s natal chart on the morning of 12/11/2008
Planetary Days
The breakdown of the days of the year is also interesting. It starts on or around his birthday April 29th. His arrest is December 11th. To calculate the number of days between them we can use a duration calculator (click to go to calculation site). Using the calculator we find about 226 days between Madoff’s birthday and his arrest.
We begin the year with Mercury. This is because Mercury rules the sign of the annual profection (Gemini). Then we proceed in the order of the planets in the natal chart. The order that we follow is the zodiacal order, which is the same order with which the planets rise.
Mercury 56.666+ Moon 70.666+ Sun 53.8333+ Venus 22.666 = 203.83. Therefore, approximately 204 days after his birthday, the rulership went from Venus (in late Taurus) to Mars (in early Gemini). The period of Mars is 42.5 days, so it went from about 204 to about 246 days after his birthday. Therefore, at the time of Madoff’s arrest it was Mars that was the active planet pertaining to those days.
Conclusion
I leave you with a quote from Firmicus Maternus on the interpretation of the day activations from Mathesis, Book II, Ch. 29, #2 (Holden trans., 2011):
“when illnesses, when debilities, when gains, when losses happen, when joys, when sorrows. For when the benefic stars receive the days, we are freed from all evil; when malefics, the sudden blows of misfortune strike us.”
Have fun experimenting with the basic use of the minor years of the planets and the planetary days! Feel free to share experiences in the comments.
References
Maternus, J. F. (2011). Mathesis. (J. H. Holden, Trans.). American Federation of Astrologers.
