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Astrological Predictive Techniques | Primary Directions | 1. Ascensions and Bounds

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This article was significantly updated in April of 2018.

Primary Directions Buzz

Few techniques are accompanied by more hype than primary directions.  Late traditional astrology was a time when the complexity of an astrologer’s mathematical abilities were more important than the veracity of one’s predictions. It is little wonder that primary directions were the key predictive technique of the era and that they grew increasingly complex.

I often hear it said that primary directions are the key to predicting the time of death. Also, that a type of primary directions can time out all of the major events in a person’s life to the very day that they occur. Additionally, because of the last belief, I’ve heard that birth times need to be rectified (even if recorded with a stopwatch at birth) so that important life events line up with primary directions to the exact day.

Primary Directions in Ancient Astrology

While primary directions are over-hyped, they are an important addition to the astrologer’s predictive toolbox.  They also have their origins in Hellenistic astrology and were popular in Persian medieval astrology. Directions through the bounds and directions to angles, especially the Ascendant, were the earliest types of directions used. They are also among the most important types of directions.

I feel that it is best to start from the beginning, with the way primary directions were used in early Hellenistic astrology. We will progress gradually from there.  I will not explore the increasingly diverse approaches to primary directions that arise during and after the Renaissance. I’m of the rather cynical opinion that the reader will be better off for that.

According to Martin Gansten who wrote the definitive text on the subject, prior to the 15th century, directions were always in the zodiac (i.e. in zodiaco as opposed to in mundo), without latitude, used semi-arc proportions, and without any relationship to particular system of quadrant house division (Gansten, 2009, p. 61). That dispenses with about 90% of possible software settings for primary directions. Let’s keep it simple and stick with primary directions as they were done for about the first 1500 years of horoscopic astrology.

What are Primary Directions?

As you’ve probably heard, the Earth spins once around over a 24 hour period.  The planets rise, culminate, and set with this spin. The apparent motion of the planets as they rise, culminate, and set with this spin is called their primary motion.

The Primary Motion of the Planets and Signs

Now imagine we were to freeze copies of the positions of the planets in the sky relative to the Earth at the moment of birth. Then we were to let everything spin as usual and watch the planetary conjunctions and aspects that occur in the sky relative to those copies as the day goes on, with the planets continuing to rise, culminate, and set. If we did this we would see planets arrive at (i.e. be directed to) our birth planets and our birth angles by the primary motion. These are the primary directions of the planets.

The clock time that it would take for these conjunctions and aspects to occur is the timing of these directions. For instance, we may say that 4 minutes of elapsed clock time is symbolic of 1 year of life.

Right Ascension

The 24 hours of spin is given a constant measure called Right Ascension (RA), such that 30 degrees of RA pass over the Meridian of the location in exactly 2 hours of clock time. Therefore, 360 degrees of right ascension passes over the meridian in 24 hours. Since 24 hours equals 1,440 minutes, each of the 360 degrees corresponds to about 4 minutes of clock time (i.e. 1,440/360=4).  In other words, if a planet were to culminate (i.e. reach the MC) 8 minutes of clock time after birth, then we’d convert this to degrees of RA as being a direction to the MC 2 degrees (of RA) after birth.

The Annual Key

To convert these degrees of RA into years of life, we use an annual key. The original key is 1 degree of RA equals 1 year of life.  This key is sometimes called the Ptolemaic key. However, it was not Ptolemy that originally used it. This is the annual key used for primary directions until about the Renaissance, and thus it’s the only one we’ll use.  Remember, 1 degree of RA = 1 year of life = 4 minutes of clock time. 

Smaller Units of Time

We now know that 1 degree of RA is symbolic of 1 year of life, but there are 365.25 days in a year, so how much RA is a day?  1 degree is equivalent to 60 minutes of a degree which is equivalent to 3,600 seconds of a degree.  By dividing 3,600 by 365.25 we get that a day is about 9.86 seconds of a degree of right ascension.

We really don’t need that sort of precision, as primary directions are not the appropriate technique for timing to the day anyway.  When we do want greater precision we can let a good software program do the calculation for us.  It was common practice in the ancient world to approximate with a 360 day year. This would give an even approximation of 10 seconds of a degree for one day (i.e. 3,600/360=10) and 5 minutes of a degree for one month (i.e. 10 seconds * 30 = 300 seconds = 5 minutes).

Estimating Primary Directions to Angles with Astro-Clocks

Because about 4 minutes of clock time is equal to a year of life by primary directions, one can actually use an astro-clock to find key years quickly. Look at the time in minutes that it takes from birth to when a planet conjoins or aspects an angle of the chart. Take that time, divide by 4, and you will get a rough approximation of the year (and quarter) when an event is likely to occur.  Out of all of the primary directions that are aspect-based (as opposed to the time lords discussed below), these directions to the angles are the most pivotal, especially the direct hits. It is handy to be able to approximate these with an astro-clock or by manually time adjusting a chart.

Example: Kurt Cobain

The divorce of Kurt Cobain’s parents when he was seven years old is often cited as a very influential event in his life.  Looking at his natal chart we see that Jupiter is the ruler of his 4th of family, and that Venus (one significator of the mother in the chart) is conjunct Saturn in his natal chart. This Venus-Saturn conjunction was a particularly significant combination in his musical career, his marriage to Courtney Love, and his suicide.

Kurt Cobain’s Natal Chart

30 Minutes After Birth = 7.5 Years

Sure enough, about a half hour (about 30 / 4 = about 7.5) after Kurt’s birth Jupiter, ruler of the 4th, exactly aspects the Descendant, and Venus conjoins the Descendant.  The setting of Venus is more significant here because it is a direction to the horizon itself, rather than a direction of an aspect of a planet to the horizon (the Jupiter direction is from the trine of Jupiter to the horizon). While a traumatic parental separation may not strike one as a particularly Venus and Jupiter type of event, Jupiter, in Cancer and ruling the 4th shows the emphasis on parents, and Venus, being conjunct Saturn, shows the effect on his sense of relationships, and the loss and burden associated with that.

30 Minutes after Cobain’s Birth

48 Minutes After Birth = 12 Years

At age 12, his mother granted full custody to his father. Age 12 would correspond to about 48 minutes after birth (4*12=48), and sure enough Saturn sets in the chart about 48 minutes after birth. The setting of Saturn rounds out the impact of this very powerful Jupiter-Venus-Saturn configuration coming due by direction to the Descendant.

Play with Astro-Clocking

I invite the reader to take a few minutes to play around with this on one’s own chart and other working charts. I want you to get a rough idea of when directions to angles occur in the life, especially those that are complex configurations involving a series of hits over a few years.  Think in terms of natal significations that could be unlocked by the prominence that lining up with angles can bring.

Early Primary Directions

According to Gansten (2009, p. 11), there is evidence of the use of primary directions as far back as the 1st century CE. They appear in the Carmen Astrologicum of Dorotheus and possibly also in a paraphrase of the early 1st century CE astrologer Balbillus.

There are three things that you should know about the earliest primary directions:

  1. There is an exclusive focus on the Ascendant. 
  2. The rising of the bounds of a sign give rise to a time lord of the period and this bound lord sets the tone of the period.
  3. Directions of planets to the Ascendant and planetary aspects to the Ascendant mark transitory events.

As noted in the series of lessons, the Ascendant is symbolic of the self, so this focus on the Ascendant makes sense. As with the metaphorical journey of the self through the houses by profection of the Ascendant, the directed Ascendant shows a journey of the self through the bounds of the planets. Directed aspects to the Ascendant show the self encountering significant sets of circumstances.

Directing through the Bounds

This second point about directing the Ascendant through the bounds was lost to later traditional astrology. Today, primary directions are used as a suped-up set of transits rather than as a time lord system. However, this was a critical facet of this technique from the beginning right on through the Persian period. During the Persian medieval period, the bound lord of the directed Ascendant is known as the jarbakhtar (distributor of time, much like the Greek chronocrator). In Hellenistic and Persian astrology, this use of directions appears to have been given more stress than the aspectual type.

The bounds used were the Egyptian bounds. Note that the “Egyptian” bounds were the only set which were widespread and independently attested in multiple Hellenistic sources, and are rooted farther back in Mesopotamian astrology.  You can find a table of Egyptian bounds online at Altair Astrology’s blog here, or download a free pdf of the bounds and more from Project Hindsight here.

Astro-clocking can be used to roughly estimate the distributor as well. Simply note the time it takes for the Ascendant to change bounds.

Dorotheus on Directing through the Bounds

When Dorotheus directed the Ascendant through the bounds in Book III, Ch. 2 of Carmen, he emphasized both the bound lord and planets aspecting the bound. For instance, when the Ascendant reaches 24-30 degrees of Scorpio, the bound of Saturn, he gives the distribution to Saturn and Venus. Venus in the chart is at 27 degrees Leo, aspecting the bound, so Venusian events occur. Overall, the period is marked by difficult Saturnian events though.

I would interpret the bound lord as the overall distributor characterizing many key events which take place over the period, The aspecting planet then comes to the forefront and characterizes important during the year when the aspect is close. Study the following excerpt of Dorotheus (Book III, Ch. 2, 2017, Dykes trans., p. 193; note that information in {} brackets is mine):

Then the distribution reached Saturn, and Venus cast rays to 27° of Scorpio from the square: so Saturn and Venus governed this distribution together. {…} And because of the place of Saturn his mother died in that time, and he acquired goods because Saturn indicated these {Saturn was in the 2nd}, and he will marry a woman with a dowry, and a child will be born to him ([and]live a little bit, and die) in the third year; so his joy will be from women and children due to Venus, and his weeping and the death of his children due to Saturn.

Distributor Sets the Tone

In this case, the native has many difficult events occur as the main distributor is Saturn. This is due to the natural significations of Saturn as well as his indications in the chart. In the chart, Saturn is in the 2nd, rules the 3rd and 4th, dominates the 5th, and is closely dominated by an out of sect Mars who squares him within a degree. However, around the 3rd year, when the aspect of Venus is effective, he marries and has children. Venus naturally signifies marriage, she rules the 7th and is the exalted ruler of the 5th, and she is in the 10th house where she confers children. Thereafter, misery strikes again with the death of the child due to the fact that Saturn is still the distributor.

Estimating Ascendant Directions with Ascensional Times

The ecliptic is at an angle to the horizon, so signs rise somewhat diagonally. For this reason, they take more or less than 2 hours to rise, rather than a steady 2 hours per sign. The length of time it takes for a given sign to rise depends on the latitude of the location, and this length of time is measured in Right Ascension (RA).  You will recall that 1 degree of RA is basically 4 minutes of clock time.  Therefore, if a sign rose uniformly, then all 30 degrees of the sign would rise in 30 degrees of RA or 2 hours (30 degrees RA * 4 minutes clock time = 120 minutes clock time).

What are Ascensional Times?

When a sign takes longer than 2 hours to rise, it is called a sign of long ascension. Let’s say it rose in 3 hours, then we’d call this 3 hours its “ascensional time” for that latitude. However, we want to express the ascensional time in RA.  2 hours of clock time is 30 degrees RA, so 3 hours of clock time would be 45 degrees RA. Therefore, the ascensional time for that sign which took 3 hours at that latitude would be 45 degrees of RA.

Ascensional Times as the Years of the Signs

The ascensional times of the signs for the latitude of birth are important to know. They are used in various Hellenistic predictive methods.  The ancient key of 1 year for each degree of RA was used in multiple ways in Hellenistic astrology.  For instance, an activation of the sign in the chart was thought to occur around the same number of years as the ascensional time of the sign.  In our 45 degree sign example, we might expect some special activation of that sign in the birth chart at 45 years of age.

Ascensional Times in Valens

For instance, in Book II, Ch. 2 of Anthology, Valens advised to look at the sect light and its triplicity lords to assess if one has an overall fortunate life or not. The position of the sect light itself is important, but the triplicity lords, which typically indicate supportive influences, preside over certain periods of life. The first triplicity lord assists in the first period of life, with the second taking over after that, and then the third after that. Valens instructs that the time that the first triplicity lord rules is either its minor years or the ascensional time of the sign it occupies.

For nativities which are badly situated (whether day or night births), if the predominant houseruler is unfavorably located, but its successor is at an angle or otherwise configured well, the native will experience ups and downs during his early years or until the rising time of the sign or until the cyclical return of the chronocrator, but will afterwards be vigorous and effective–except for being unsteady and anxious. (Valens, Book II. Ch. 2, 2010, Riley trans., p. 25)

There are many other areas in the Anthology in which Valens uses the ascensional times of the signs. See for instance Book II, Ch. 28, Book III, Ch. 14-15, Book IV, Ch. 29, and throughout much of Book 7. The examples in Book VII are particularly revealing as he considered the age corresponding to the ascensional time of the sign to activate events symbolized by planets in and aspecting the sign. He also does quite a bit of adding the ascensional times of the signs to the minor years of the planets in or aspecting the sign to show combined activation.

Ascensional Times in Primary Directions

Additionally, the ascensional times were used to estimate primary directions pertaining to the Ascendant. They were also sometimes used as a sort of rough symbolic direction of other points, even though it is not astronomically correct to use them for directing other points.  Gansten (2009, p. 14) mentioned that at least Valens and Paulus Alexandrinus employed this short cut method. The method is as follows: take the ascensional time of the sign, divide it by 30, and use that as a conversion unit for the RA of one zodiacal degree of the sign.

To better understand how this is done, the reader will have to first obtain a table of sign ascensional times for the latitudes.  One such table is available from Project Hindsight for free as the last pdf link on this page.  Please download that table at this time and refer to it for the discussion in the next few paragraphs.

Calculate Kurt Cobain’s Directions by Ascensional Times

Let’s return to Kurt Cobain.  He was born at about 47 North, for latitude, and his Ascendant is Virgo.  At the intersection of latitude 47 and the sign Virgo, you will find the ascensional time of 40°29′.  Dividing by 30 we get 1°21′ or 1.35°, which is our conversion factor.  In other words, while the Ascendant is in Virgo, we pretend that 1° of zodiacal longitude is equivalent to 1.35 years of life (about 1 year, 4 months, and 1 week).

Bounds of Virgo

Kurt’s Ascendant is at 20 Virgo in the bound of Jupiter but the bound switches to that of Mars in a degree, and thus at about age 1 year, 4 months.  Mars rules that time in the life until the Ascendant enters the bound of Saturn which starts at 28 Virgo, 8 degrees past the Ascendant. We calculate the entry into the Saturn bound as 8*1.35=10.8 years, or about 10 years and 9 1/2 months of age.  In other words, from about age 1 1/2 until almost age 11, Mars is the lord of the time, and will set the tone for events. The Saturn bound lasts for 2 degrees, or 2.7 years (1.35*2=2.7), until he is about 13 1/2.  After that point the Ascendant enters the first bound of Libra, which is another Saturn bound.

Bounds of Libra

When entering a new sign we have to find the conversion factor for the new sign.  However, in this case it is easy, because Virgo and Libra have the same ascensional times, and thus the same conversion factor. That Mars and Saturn as time lords set the tone during Kurt’s childhood for the other directions is significant, particularly in relation to our speculations about the meaning of the Jupiter and Venus directions above.

Aspects

We can do the same thing for aspects to the Ascendant.  The Ascendant is at 20 Virgo and Saturn is at 28°44′ (about 28.75) Pisces.  When 28°44′ Virgo rises this direction of Saturn opposite the Ascendant (same direction we mentioned as occurring around age 12 above on astro-clocking) will be complete.  Therefore, we are interested in the age that corresponds to about 8.75 degrees of zodiacal longitude.  Multiplying by our Virgo conversion factor for this latitude of 1.35, we get 11.8 years of age for the setting of Saturn, which is pretty close to the estimate we got by astro-clocking.

Quick Pen and Paper Primary Directions

Hopefully, you now have a good grasp of how the sign conversion factors can be used to convert zodiacal distance into years of life.  This is simply a rough estimate because each sign does not rise at a constant rate. It is not precisely accurate to equate any arbitrary zodiacal degree of Virgo with the same particular unit of time. However, it is useful when you don’t have access to a program that can calculate primary directions or even an astro-clock.

Directing through the Bounds with Free Software

In a future article, I’ll give more details about finding primary directions with free software.  However, I want to leave the reader with at least the chance to create and print off tables for the Ascendant jarbakhtar periods of any chart.  This is done with the free open-source traditional astrology program Traditional Morinus.

I won’t get into the details of installing the program and entering basic chart data here because I’ve addressed it in this prior post, and further in this one.  If you are new to Morinus, please check out those posts. Please download, install, and get a chart in there, before continuing on.

OK, now that you have a birth chart up, you should have a screen that somewhat resembles the following:

Settings

First, let’s set the Key.  Click Options, then Primary Keys (or press SHIFT-K).  Select “Static” and select “Ptolemy” from the list, then click OK.

Second, let’s set the other Primary Directions options for some traditional Ascendant through the bounds type of directions.  Click Options, then Primary Directions (or press SHIFT-D).  Make sure your selections look as follows. You can do this by deselecting everything (by clicking “reset”) and then selecting the options shown (Terms as the only promissor; Conjunction as the only aspect; Asc as the only significator). Recall that semiarc and zodiacal without latitude are the standard approaches prior to the Renaissance.

Pulling Up the Distributors

Now we are ready to calculate the tables.  Go to Tables in the top menu, then Primary Directions.  You might as well check 0-100.  Make sure only Direct is checked.  Converse here are actually not traditional converse primary directions at all, but a sort of reverse primary direction where we imagine that the signs are moving across the sky in reverse (i.e. moving opposite the primary motion), so they are a very weird modern experimental thing which we we’ll ignore, always choosing Direct.

When you hit OK, you should end up with a Table of primary directions of the Ascendant through bounds.

Example: Whitney Houston’s Death

For the example below, I pulled up the jarbakhtars for Whitney Houston from Age 25-50.

One thing that we notice is that for the period from April 18, 2009 until March 3, 2013, the Ascendant directs through the Saturn bound of Taurus (22 to 27 Taurus).  This tells us that Saturn is jarbakhtar for the period and sets the tone as a time lord. Saturn characterizes very significant events as it is located in her 12th House, opposite her natal Sun.  Houston died during the period on Feb. 11, 2012. For some more on the importance of Saturn in the timing of her death, please see the article on her death.

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

Pulling Up Distributors and Aspects

As mentioned above, the distributor (bound lord) and the aspectual directions to the Ascendant were typically looked at together. These primary directions are the most important ones due to the symbolic nature of the Ascendant, so I highly recommend that you save a table which includes just these directions for your own chart and all the charts you analyze.

Let’s pull up the table. Go back into primary directions options (press SHIFT-D). Now you will need to check some additional promissors and aspects, but everything else will remain the same. For promissors, check all of the 7 classical planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury Moon). Also, check that the secondary motion of the Moon is accounted for (i.e. check Sec. Motion). For aspects, check Conjunction, Sextile, Square, Trine, and Opposition.

Example: Trump’s Political Rise

Let’s pull up the table of directions for the Ascendant for ages 50-75 for Donald Trump (birth data AA rated).

We find that the Ascendant is in Libra, going through the bounds of Jupiter, Venus, and Mars during the final 20 years of the period (ages 55-75).  Libra is ruled by Venus (ruler of the MC) and occupied by Jupiter (ruler of the 5th house of children) in the natal chart. Interestingly, Jupiter is located in the bound of Jupiter, and Venus strongly aspects her own Venus bound in the sign, so both planets make eventful aspects during their distributorships.

Trump’s Natal Chart with Twelfth-Parts (outer wheel) – CTRL-Click to enlarge

Jupiter Distribution

The Jupiter distribution from 2002-2010 saw a number of important Jupiterian events in his life, especially as it relates to Jupiter’s position in the 3rd house and rulership of the 5th house. Also, there is the presence of twelfth-part of Mercury in the Jupiter bound.

Trump became a television star with the start of the Apprentice in 2004. He married his third wife in 2005. However, the most important period is when the aspect of Jupiter aspects his bound, which is in 2006 and sees the birth of his fifth child. 

Venus Distribution

By 2011, Trump is in his Venus distribution. Venus rules the 10th house of rank and authority and she has her twelfth-part in the 10th house. There is a strong orientation toward political leadership during the period.

This is a particularly important bound. It is aspected by 5 planets, including its ruler (Venus), both lights (Sun and Moon), and both malefic (Saturn and Mars). The fact that the lights aspect the bound highlights themes of leadership and authority shown by the fact that the ruler of the MC (Venus) also rules and aspects the bound. Saturn and Mars highlight that this is also going to be one of the most difficult periods.

Trump has had a political aspirations as various points in his life, but his real political career within the Republic party kicks off in 2011 during this period. It kicks of with a 2011 CPAC speaking engagement. After that engagement, his political contributions, which had been mixed but mainly to Democrats, decidedly shifted to Republican candidates.

In 2013, with aspects from the Sun and Moon within a degree, the political direction intensifies. We see our first intimations of candidate Trump. While Trump does not announce his candidacy until 2015, Trump spends a million dollars in 2013 to research a possible presidential run and is a popular featured speaker at CPAC. His popularity with the conservative base takes off.

However, the most important period is when Venus aspects her bound. The aspect is exact in January of 2017 and sees Trump sworn in as the President of the USA.

Conclusion

If you’ve found primary directions to be confusing or overly intimidating in the past, I hope I’ve helped to make them clear. In the next article, we’ll delve a little deeper into the use of primary directions.

References

Dorotheus of Sidon, & al-Tabari, U. (2017). Carmen Astrologicum: The ’Umar al-Tabari Translation. (B. N. Dykes, Trans.). Minneapolis, Minn.,: The Cazimi Press.

Gansten, M. (2009). Primary Directions: Astrology’s Old Master Technique. Bournemouth, England: The Wessex Astrologer Ltd.

Valens, V. (2010). Anthologies. (M. Riley, Trans.) (Online PDF.). World Wide Web: Mark Riley. Retrieved from http://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/Vettius%20Valens%20entire.pdf

Image Attributions

Featured image of Japanese top by Juni from Kyoto, Japan (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Astrological Predictive Techniques | 5. Persian Degree-Based Profections

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Update: Note that this article was completely re-written in Nov. 2018 and re-published Dec. 1, 2018.

Persian Degree-Based Profections

In this article, we’ll be looking at degree-based profections. For those unfamiliar with profections, please review the previous articles of the series. The first article introduced the technique of profections. The second article introduced profections of smaller periods of time. The third article discussed ways of combining profections with other predictive techniques and provided additional examples. In the last article, we were introduced to Valens-style profections.

30 Degrees Per Year

In degree-based profections, factors are not moved from one sign to the next each year at the solar return. Instead, they are profected continuously. In this manner the Ascendant moves 30 zodiacal degrees in one year. For instance, if one was born with 15° Pisces rising then at age 12 1/2 we would find the profected Ascendant at 0° Aries. This is because age 12 would be a year in which the profected Ascendant returns to its natal position (15° Pisces), but after a half year it would be through 15 degrees of the zodiac (i.e. half of 30 degrees) which ends up at 0° Aries.

Origins

This style of profections appears to have started in the 8th century CE with certain Persian astrologers. It is noted in the work of Umar al-Tabari.  Abu Ma’shar (active in the 9th century CE) also famously used this type of profecting in both natal and mundane work. The 10th century CE astrology al-Qabisi (Alchabitius), as well as later medieval and Renaissance European astrologers, also profected in this manner.  However, Masha’allah, of the 8th century CE, used the Hellenistic style profections discussed in the first article.

Let’s recall the basic Hellenistic method of profections. If one’s Ascendant was in Pisces when one was born, then it’d profect to Aries at Age 1 (second year of life). Similarly, it’d profect to Taurus at Age 2 (third year of life), and so forth.  The profections would be in discrete steps, such that the whole second year would be an Aries annual profection. In the Hellenistic technique there is no such thing as the “degree” of the profection.

Shift toward Greater Numerical Complexity

In the Persian period, there began to be some experimentation with quadrant house divisions and other techniques requiring more complex calculations. With this came some new perspectives on how to view the chart. The overall movement was toward more precise, quantifiable, computational, and aspect-based indications. This included a greater concern with degree-based aspects and configurations, quantified weighting of essential dignities, and a gradual movement away from sign-based configurations and techniques. The notion that the Ascendant profects 30 degrees in a year, rather than a discrete sign, is consistent with this shift in emphasis.

Does Early Entrance Matter?

The profection is continuous, so the profected point will profect into a new sign in less than a year.  For instance, if one were born with an Ascendant at 25 Aquarius, then the Ascendant would profect to Pisces two months after birth, rather than one year after.  Interestingly, in the Persian predictive systems of Umar al-Tabari and Abu Ma’shar, the Lord of the Year (called the “salkhuday“) is still determined by the ruler of the profected Ascendant at the time of the solar return. Therefore, the early entrance does not cause there to be a new lord of the year.

Consider the example of the twelfth birthday of a person with 15 degrees Pisces rising. Despite the entrance of the profected Ascendant in Aries halfway through the year, the Lord of the Year (salkhuday) for that entire year would remain Jupiter (ruler of Pisces). Therefore, you get the same planets highlighted for the time period as you do when you use mainstream Hellenistic profections. The reasoning for the degree-based profection lies in the aspects that the profected factors makes to natal factors. Additionally, transits to the profected Ascendant and other factors can show events.

Profectional Aspects

Of course, the additional feature of this style of profections is the ability to profect any point in a chart by degree in order to time events to the perfection of aspects. For example, let’s say that someone has the Ascendant at 10 degrees Aries and Mars at 15 degrees Aries. When might some of the more difficult manifestations of this Ascendant and Mars conjunction manifest.  We look to when the Ascendant profects to conjoin Mars by degree. We would also be interested in when the Ascendant makes other aspects to Mars by degree.

As the Ascendant is 5 degrees behind Mars, and the monthly rate of profection is about 2.5 degrees, we expect the profected conjunction two months after any birthday (solar return) that is a multiple of 12. For instance, two months after the twelfth, twenty-fourth, thirty-sixth (and so forth) birthdays.  Similarly, the opposition will take place two months after the sixth birthday (and every twelve years thereafter), while the square will take place two months after the third and ninth birthdays (and every twelve years thereafter).

These exact degree based aspects can be difficult to figure out in one’s head, so I recommend using software.  The free astrological program Morinus can bring up a chart of profected positions (done by degree), as can many other astrological software packages.

The Method of Umar al-Tabari

Ascendant is the Native

In terms of the profection in the revolution of the native’s years, [he says] that you should look from the degree to which the profection arrived from the Ascendant, one year for every 30°. (al-Tabari, Dykes trans., 2010, Book II, Ch. 4, p. 32)

As with traditional primary directions and mainstream profections, the stress is on the movement of the Ascendant. He actually profects many chart factors, but the Ascendant, which is the main significator for the individual in a chart, is the most important for the native’s condition.

The Greater Condition

Umar situated degree-based profections as one of three major components of his annual predictive system. First, the Ascendant (whether or not it is hyleg as he explicitly stated) is directed by primary directions to aspects of benefics and malefics to determine the “general condition” of the native. Second, the profected Ascendant of the year is continuously profected to the aspects of benefics and malefics to determine the “greater condition”. The rate for the profection is 1 degree every 12 1/6 days (~2 1/2 degrees per month). Third, the Ascendant of the solar return is directed. For the primary direction of the solar return Ascendant the rate is a day equals 59’8” of right ascension (around the entire chart in a year).

Umar on the Greater Condition

And for knowing the greater condition of the native, you will direct from the sign of the advancement. And know that the sign of the advancement is always like the degree of the Ascendant, because every 30° are one year. For it is like the Ascendant of the root, an example of which is this: if the Ascendant of the root were the tenth degree of the sign of Aries, the sign of the advancement in the second year will be the same degree of Taurus. Likewise, [you will] always [give] one sign to every year, if God wills. Likewise if you wished to know [the native’s] greater condition [to the day], multiply the degrees of the sign of the profection and the rays of the bad ones and the fortunes. That is, multiply the degrees which are between the sign of the profection and the rays [of the planet] by 12 1/6, and on that number of days, the native’s condition will be changed from good into evil, or from evil into good, according to the nature of the Lord of the rays, whether it were a fortune or a bad one. (al-Tabari, Dykes trans., 2010, Book II, Ch. 5, p. 33)

Calculating without Software

Note that there are two ways to calculate which are used by Umar and yield the same result. The quickest way is to give a degree to every 12 1/6 days, as noted above. The other way is to give 59’8″ to every 12 days, such that an entire year will yield 30 degrees. For instance, if the profectional Ascendant is 4 degrees Gemini and Jupiter in the natal chart is at 6 degrees Libra, then the profectional Ascendant will reach the trine in 2 degrees. We can multiple 2 times 12 1/6 days for a total of 24 1/3 days after the solar return for the beneficial event., or we can divide 2 degrees by 59’8″ and multiply the product by 12. The first method (multiply degrees by 12 1/6 days) is more direct.

There is a rougher shortcut variation of the first method which you can do quickly in your head. Based on his example Umar appears to have used the method of multiplying by 12 (rather than 12 1/6) as a short hand to get the rough number of days (i.e. ~24 days in this case).

We subtract the lesser from the greater, [and] afterwards we multiplied by twelve, and there was one day for every 59′ and 8″ [of that product].  (al-Tabari, Dykes trans., 2010, Book II, Ch. 6.2, p. 39)

Other Factors and Other People

Umar did not discuss many factors in relation to profections, but he did discuss profecting from the Lot of the Mother for the mother’s greater condition and the Lot of the Father for the same of the father. You can extend the method to other lots and chart factors as well.

Monthly and Daily Profections

It is also possible to do continuous profections by month, period of days, or period of hours. However, they use much faster motion such that they move through an entire sign in the specified period of time.  Abu Ma’shar discussed these minor profections in Book IX, Chapter 7, Section 8 of “On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities”.  For the monthly profections, any given point profects through an entire sign (30 degrees) in a single month.  In other words, each point moves to each other point at the rate of about 1 degree per day.  For the daily profections, a point moves at the rate of 30 degrees in 2.5 days. This is equal to a degree every 2 hours.  Abu Ma’shar also mentions hourly profections, at the rate of 30 degrees every 5 hours. Therefore, hourly directions move about a degree very 10 minutes.

Profections by day and hour face some technical issues.  The start time makes a huge difference. What time of day should be used to kick off the profectional movement?  I assume that the birth time should be used. However, one could argue for the use of the time of the solar return as well.

Note on Birth Time

Note that Umar’s emphasis was on the profection of the Ascendant. The Ascendant is a factor that is very sensitive to an accurate birth time. Only 4 minutes of error in a birth time can change the Ascendant by more than a degree in the zodiac. Each degree is equal to about 12 days. Therefore, when using the profected Ascendant or MC in timing, use about a 2 week or 1 degree window.

Example: Bruce Jenner Comes Out as a Trans-Woman

On April 25, 2015, Bruce Jenner came out to the world as a trans-woman. Later, she changed her name to Caitlyn Jenner. She underwent sex reassignment surgery in January 2017. Jenner was born on October 28, 1949 (birth data AA-rated).

Note that continuous profections are mainly about timing events already shown by other predictive techniques. Therefore, we will have to set the stage by using some other predictive techniques on Jenner’s chart before looking at the timing by continuous profections.

Jenner and Mars

Bruce Jenner was born with the Sun rising in Scorpio and Mars advancing toward the MC. Mars is the career significator and his athletic accomplishments were notable. As a decathlete he once (1976) won the gold medal in the Olympics. As a living Mars icon, it was very surprising when at age 65, Jenner came out as a trans-woman.

Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner’s Natal Chart

Jenner came out at age 65 which marked a profection to the 6th house, Aries, ruled by Mars. The 6th house pertains primarily to matters of health. Jenner’s Mars is in the Mercury bound of Mercury’s feminine house, Virgo. It is in a feminine quarter of the chart (the quadrants where planets approach the meridian are feminine) and is with Saturn. Many ancient authorities considered Saturn to be feminizing.

Jenner’s Mercury-Venus

I have noted elsewhere that Mercury-Venus indications can pertain to LGBTQ matters. Jenner has Mercury adhering (i.e. applying aspect within 3 degrees) to Venus by sextile. Additionally, the twelfth-part of Venus is in the X at 5 Leo. It is in partile conjunction to the Lot of Fortune and in a dominating square to the Sun. This configuration connects it with physical happenstance (Fortune) and publicity (Sun). The twelfth-parts of the Ascendant and Sun are in Sagittarius with Venus. Mercury and its twelfth-part are both in houses of Venus.

Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner’s Natal Chart with Twelfth-Parts (outside wheel)

Venus Cazimi at Solar Return 2014

Jenner’s 2014 solar return strikingly featured Venus cazimi the returned Sun. Venus on the throne of the Sun marks the central role played by Venus, the planet of femininity, in the year’s affairs. Venus is also with Saturn (Jenner divorced the same year over the gender issue). Additionally, there is a Mercury return with the return North Node (amplification). Mars in the return is at 1 Capricorn, trine its natal position. Return Mars was in the 6th house of the return, emphasizing the natal 6th house significations pertaining to health.

Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner 2014 Solar Return

Mercury-Venus Primary Directions

The period from Jenner’s coming out through to the sex change in January 2017 was marked by primary directions of Mercury-Venus to the MC. It was also directly preceded by the same directions to the prenatal syzygy (the New Moon that preceded his birth, at 28 Libra).

Jenner’s Notable Primary Directions 2013-2017

Timing with Continuous Profections

On 4/25/15, Jenner came out to the world as a trans-woman on national TV. In June of the same year, she took on the name Caitlyn and had transformed to this female physical appearance and identity.

Late April / Early May 2015

Publicity is a very solar thing (the Sun brings light and exposure). Jenner is no stranger to publicity being born with a prominent rising Sun. At the time the Sun had profected to 19 Aries, opposite natal Mercury at 19 Libra, and trine natal Venus at 20 Sagittarius. Additionally, Saturn (0 Pisces) profected opposite natal Mars. This Saturn profection emphasized the natal Mars-Saturn configuration. Mars pertains here to masculinity while Saturn signifies a muting of or separation from Mars.

Jenner’s Natal Chart (inner) with 4-25-15 Profection (outer)

Bruce Jenner 4-25-15 Profection

Late May / Early June 2015

Recall that the profected points move 2.5 degrees per month. The profected Ascendant was at 17 1/2 Aries at the time of the announcement in late April 2015. Over the next month, by June 2015, Bruce had been transformed into Caitlyn in terms of name, identity, and appearance. This coincided with the profection of the Ascendant to 19 and 20 Aries, opposing Jenner’s Mercury and trining Jenner’s Venus. In other words, the Sun triggered these degrees at the time of initial publicity while the Ascendant did for the transformation of the identity and appearance. This is appropriate as the  Ascendant’s main significations pertain to identity and appearance.

Conclusion

Degree-based profections are a valuable additional tool for timing out events that have been indicated by other timing techniques. This type of profection does not change our interpretation of the original Hellenistic profections by sign. We end up with the same lord of the year. Therefore, we can use this technique together with Hellenistic profections, including the Valens-style profections, to find when specific degrees and configurations may be triggered. I would add that the degree of the profected Ascendant, like the sign of the year, can also be an important point to watch with regards to transits.

References

al-Tabari, U., & al-Hasib, A. B. (2010). Persian Nativities II:  ’Umar al-Tabari and Abu Bakr. (B. N. Dykes, Trans.). Minneapolis, MN: The Cazimi Press.

Ma’shar, A. (2010). Persian Nativities III: On Solar Revolutions. (B. N. Dykes, Trans.). Minneapolis, MN: The Cazimi Press.

Astrological Predictive Techniques | 4. Profections in the Style of Vettius Valens

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Valens Profections

The last three articles in this series introduced annual profections, those of smaller periods, and the combination of profections with other predictive techniques. In this article, the focus is on a more advanced use of profections. This technique is only found in the Anthology of Vettius Valens (2nd century CE). It is introduced in Book IV, Chapter 11 of his Anthology, with further discussion in some ensuing chapters and later books.

Download a Free Translation

The only full English translation of Valens’ Anthology is available for free download from its translator, Mark Riley. You can find it on his website in pdf format at this link (c.f about p. 77-82 for reference).

Three Points of Emphasis

The type of profections that Valens used adds three things to basic profections: 1.  Profections of the Sect Light (i.e. Sun for a day birth, Moon for a night birth) can be more important than that of the Ascendant. This is  especially so if the Light is in a “stake” of the chart (1st, 10th, 7th, or 4th place); 2. A planet in a place is more important than a planet ruling a place; 3. Any point, place, or planet can profect.

One: Importance of Profecting the Sect Light

Valens makes it very clear in Book V (Ch. 7) that he finds the profection of the sect light to be the most significant, even more so than the Ascendant:

The aphetic points of the years are operative when starting from any star, but the following aphetic points are most effective: for day births the sun, for night births the moon, especially when they are at the angles. Next <in effectiveness> is the Ascendant.  (Riley, 2010, p. 108)

In fact, any planet or place can be profected, and we will discuss the significance of them below.  However, the sect light and Ascendant have special general significance for the key events of the person’s year as a whole, so we may regard the planets that they transmit to as very important time lords of the period.

How to Profect the Sect Light

River Phoenix’s Natal Chart (Rodden Rating AA)

How do you profect the Sect Light?  Once you’ve gotten the hang of profecting the Ascendant, it will be easy to profect the Sect Light or any other point, as they move forward the same number of signs as the Ascendant does.  For instance, if one were a 23 year old with Scorpio Rising, then the annual profection of the Ascendant would be to the 12th place, Libra. This is because Libra is one before the 1st place, as 23 is one year before 24. 24 is a multiple of 12 and multiples of 12 are 1st place years.

If the person was born during the day then the Sun would be the sect light, and we would profect that too.  The Sun would profect to the 12th place from its own position.  If the Sun were in Virgo, then the 12th place from the Sun would be one sign back, in Leo.  Thus the annual profection of the Sect Light would be to Leo.  Both the profection of the sect light and that of the Ascendant would be considered important.

Two: Occupants are More Important than Rulers

In the previous posts on profections, it was noted that it is as if the Ascendant is the person entering a new house of the chart each year.  In that metaphor, the planet ruling the house is a “lord” of the time period. It is as if it were handed some responsibility concerning the place where the native is now dwelling or active.  It was also noted that any planet or planets in the place of the profection are very important, perhaps more directly so, as the Ascendant becomes “co-present” with them in that place. The planet or planets are like alternative or additional lords of the period.

Valens on Occupants

For Valens, the planets occupying the place are preferred to the ruler. They are the ones that responsibility gets handed over to, and they are said to receive the transmission. Again, from Valens Book V (Ch. 7):

If one of the stars in transit has entered this place, then it will be transmitting the chronocratorship. If the sign where the count stops happens to be empty, then count from the position (at the nativity) of the ruler of the sign, and examine in the same way the place found, whether using the nativity or the transiting stars. Then forecast the results of all the places and stars. <In other words,> if the count goes from star to star, use the stars for forecasting; if from a star to an empty sign, use the rulers of the signs. (Riley, 2010, p. 108)

The previous excerpt actually hits on a number of topics simultaneously. The occupants take priority over the ruler. Also, solar return transiting occupants (“the stars in transit”) may be preferred to the ruler (more on that below). Additionally, Valens appears to suggest profecting the ruler of an empty house and finding which planet it transmits to, taking that planet over the ruler itself.

Example of Occupants Receiving Transmission

Let’s return to our example of a 23-year-old, born in the day, with Scorpio Rising and Sun in Virgo. All annual profections go to the 12th place from their natal positions.  The Sun profects to Leo, which is occupied by Mars, and thus Mars receives the transmission of the Sect Light, becoming an important time lord of the year. The profection of the Ascendant is to Libra which is both ruled by and occupied by Venus, so Venus is the time lord for the Ascendant.

Solar Return Occupants

However, if we prefer solar return transits over rulers, then the picture changes again. Mercury occupied Leo at the solar return and is conjunct natal Mars within a degree. If we take the transiting occupant over the natal occupant then it would be Mercury that receives the transmission of the Sect Light.

River Phoenix Solar Return 1993 – Age 23 – Year of Death – Non-Precessed – Return Transits Pictured Along Outer Edge of Natal Chart

Now let’s look at the Ascendant. The Ascendant, Scorpio, profects to Libra, which is occupied by both the Mars and Jupiter.  Preferring the return planets, it is Jupiter and Mars rather than Venus which would be the Ascendant time lords. However, as noted below, Valens actually appeared to prefer natal occupants for occupied houses.

Different Time Lords

As one can see, the profectional method of Valens actually has the effect of changing which planet or planets are considered the most important time lords of the year by profection.  In the basic technique, Venus, ruler of the sign of the Ascendant’s profection, is Lord of the Year.  By contrast, in the Valens technique it is still Venus for the Ascendant profection, but we should look to Mars as even more significant as it receives the transmissions of the Sect Light. If we prefer solar return occupants then things get even more complicated with different results again.

It is important to acknowledge that this method of profections does yield different indications and was not a widespread technique in Hellenistic astrology.  However, this does not mean it is ineffective. Many modern traditionalists who have explored the method have been very satisfied with the results. We will return to our example chart below.

Three: Profect It All

Valens sees significance and usefulness in profecting every planet and place in the natal chart.  The planet or place hands off to the sign and the planets in the sign (or, if empty, the ruler of the sign) of the place of the profection.  Valens discussed this at great length in Book IV, Chapter 11, for instance:

Let us start our exposition from this point: when investigating the current year of a nativity, we divide by 12. Count the remainder from a star which is able <to transmit> to a star which is able to receive. In this way we will discover to what sign the year transmits. What I have said is easy to comprehend but complicated to determine since all the stars, plus the Ascendant, the sun, and the moon, can transmit to and receive from each other. (Riley, 2010, p. 78)

Significators

The nature of the star transmitting indicates what is affected. The one receiving the transmission provides the form of the effect and responsibility for its completion.  The significations of the planets and places profected are as follows (quoted material in bullet points below from Anthology of Vettius Valens, Book IV, Ch. 11, Riley trans., 2010, p. 79):

  • Ascendant – “length of life and bodily or mental activities”
  • Sun – “rank, preeminence, magnificence, the father, great personages, and whatever other matters are usually influenced by the sun’s nature”
  • Moon – “dangers to health, diseases, bleeding, or the mother”
  • MC (10th Place?) – “occupations, livelihood, and work”
  • Lot of Fortune – “good fortune and success in life”
  • Descendant – “mortality, change, or trouble”
  • IC (4th Place?) – “estates, possessions, secret matters, legacies”
  • Saturn – “bankruptcy, money or property, secret diseases, or family inheritance”
  • Jupiter – “rank, friendship, alliances, and possessions”
  • Mars – “military or public matters”
  • Venus – “women, love affairs, associations, or the category ‘female'”
  • Mercury – “associations, slave matters, servile matters, giving and receiving, or written matters”

Valens additionally noted that it is important to profect from the four principal lots.  Therefore, it is a general method applicable to any significant chart point as a means of understanding its changing state and the activations of its relationships within the chart. However, take the natal significations of the profected point, rather than restricting yourself to the significations given above. For instance, if Venus strongly signifies your sister in your natal chart and Venus transmits to a Mars in sect in your natal chart, then one indication may be that your sister starts taking self-defense classes or joins the military.

Cumulative Effect and Priority

Valens instructed us to consider if most of the planets receiving the transmissions for the year (from the planets, angles of the chart, and Lot of Fortune) are benefics or malefics. Benefics indicate a good year, while malefics a bad one. If a near even mix of both then the year will be very changeable in terms of fortune.

Lights and Ascendant Show Dominant Influences

The transmissions of the sect light, Ascendant, and even the non-sect light are more important in this regard. In fact, at one point in Book IV, Chapter 11, Valens did make explicit that actually both lights and the Ascendant give the strongest indications:

To find the overall influence in any nativity, it will be necessary to count the years from the sun, the moon, and the Ascendant, and if the count ends at an empty place, then they <sun moon Ascendant> will be transmitting to the rulers of these <empty> signs. These three figures have great influence, whether the transmission is to benefics, to malefics, to the angles or operative places, or to places not at the angles. Next it will be necessary to investigate the transmissions of the other stars: if malefics control the year, but the three aphetas have a benefic effect, then the year will be vigorous and distinguished, after some doubt, anxiety, and annoyance. (Riley, 2010, p. 78)

Example: River Phoenix

Let’s return to our example. We noted that the Ascendant transmits to Venus and that the Sun transmits to Mars. We’ll keep the solar return out of things for now. Examining the other light (the Moon), we find her in Taurus, so she transmits to Aries. Aries is empty, so the Moon also transmits to Mars.

Let’s examine some other profections. Jupiter is with the Ascendant so it transmits to Venus. Mercury is with the Sun, so it also transmits to Mars. Saturn and the Descendant are with the Moon so they also transmit to Mars. Venus in Libra profects to Virgo so she transmits to the Sun and Mercury. The lot of Fortune is in Leo so it profects to Cancer which is empty, thus it transmits to the Moon.

 

Mars Dominates; Venus is Important

Two of the three main signifiers (the Sun and Moon) transmit to Mars, and a number of the other signifiers do as well, including Mercury, Saturn, and the Descendant. Some transmissions go to the Sun, the Moon, and Mercury, but all of their own transmissions are to Mars. The next most significant transmissions are those to Venus which most importantly pertain to the Ascendant and Jupiter.

What do we make of all this? Mars is the out-of-sect malefic and it is dominated (right-side square) strongly in the natal chart by Saturn. Mars rules the 1st house of the body and the 6th of disease and accidents so its most dangerous indications pertain to harmful accidents. Valens’ technique is telling us that Mars will affect some major areas of life in significant ways.

I would still use the Ascendant’s profection as the one that sets the self’s location and circumstance as was the typical practice in Hellenistic astrology. Venus is the lord of the year and the occupant of the profectional Ascendant. She is in Jupiter’s term in an air sign in the twelfth-house, out of sect, and only aspected by Mars. We see artists and artistry prominent, as well as the use of intoxicants (one of Venus’ significations). Jupiter indicates good times, success, and friendships, as well as bountiful opportunities for abuse of substances.

Solar Returns and Transits

In many places Valens noted the effect of transits on places receiving the transmissions, including in a quote from Book V which is above, where he stressed the priority of star to star over star to ruler.  It seems that a transiting planet could even be considered to receive the transmission, especially if the place being transmitted to were empty, as Valens noted in Book IV, Ch. 11:

If no star transmits to another, and if the distribution is to empty places, then it is necessary to note the empty places: especially if any stars are there in transit, they will receive the distribution. (Riley, 2010, p. 78)

Presumably, for the annual profections, these transits would be the planetary positions at the solar return. In fact, Valens clarified that he was most interested in the transits of the solar return chart, again from Book IV, Ch. 11:

Whenever we find a transmission in one cycle, (whether from one or from many), we examine the horoscope recast for that year, particularly the transits of the stars, to see if they have a configuration similar to their configuration at the nativity with respect to the transmitters and receivers, and if they have the same phases with respect to the sun. If this is found to be true, we say that the results are certain. If the configurations are different and dissimilar, the results will not take place in toto: some things will happen overall, others partially.  (Riley, 2010, p. 79)

Breaking It Down

My understanding from reading Valens is that we prefer the natal occupants as receiving the transmission. If there are no natal occupants, then we prefer a planet that is an occupant in the solar return. If there are no occupants in the solar return, then we prefer the ruler.

So, in our example, we end up with mostly the same transmissions. This is because the important transmissions (Sun, Moon, Ascendant) are to places already occupied in the natal chart, or ones that remain empty in the return (Aries). There is a an exception that is worth noting though. Mars receives many transmissions so its transmission is worth looking at. Mars transmits to Cancer, and it is occupied by Venus in the return, so Venus receives the transmission rather than the Moon. In the natal chart, Mars signifies harm, among other things, while its transmission to Venus indicates the harm takes a Venusian form (pleasure, intoxicants).

The Death of River Phoenix

River Phoenix died on Halloween 1993, at age 23. Within a year of his death, two movies he starred in were released and he was involved in about a half dozen other film projects. Aside from a prolific and noteworthy acting career, he was also an animal rights activist and a singer songwriter.

He died a little over 2 months from his birthday. In those two months, he was known to be active with musician friends of his, and to be abusing drugs. This is reflected in the Ascendant’s profection to Libra, in the 12th place of undoing and social ills, ruled by and occupied by an out-of-sect Venus which seeks sensory indulgence and the arts. The year before was a prolific acting year (Mercury rulership and occupancy) which came with a lot of recognition (Sun’s occupancy).

Mars-Venus and Age 23

As noted in the article on planetary years, Mars has 15 years and Venus has 8. Therefore, age 23 is an activation of Mars-Venus relationships in the natal chart. Mars and Venus are both out of sect in the chart (they are nocturnal planets but in a day chart), and Venus is additionally in the 12th place and only aspected by Mars. Venus also has her twelfth-part in the 6th house (Aries) of illness and accidents, ruled by Mars.

River Phoenix’s Natal Chart (Inner) with Twelfth-Part Positions (Outer)

Mars is in the 10th house of actions, recognition, and authority, where he dominates the Ascendant and Jupiter, which he rules, afflicts the 7th house Moon and is dominated by Saturn with a close aspect. The twelfth-part of Mars is in the 7th place, further emphasizing the relationship with Saturn and the Moon (occupants of the 7th) and with Venus (ruler of the 7th). Mars rules the 6th place of illness and accidents, and aspects the twelfth-part of the Moon in that place within a degree.

Venusian Year

He died of a drug overdose at the Viper Club (partly owned at the time by Johnny Depp) on 10/31/1993 at 1:51 am pacific time. The solar return for the year (below) had Mars and Jupiter both in the sign of the profection. Additionally, Mercury, the ruler of the 8th house of death, was transiting conjunct natal Mars.

River Phoenix Solar Return 1993 – Age 23 – Non-Precessed – Return Transits Pictured Along Outer Edge of Natal Chart

The Moon was transiting in the 1st, reinforcing its signification of the body, and it was ruled by and dominated by natal Mars, while applying an opposition to natal Saturn. This reinforces the natal Moon-Saturn configuration (also worth noting is that the Ascendant directed to the opposition of Saturn at the time of death). It also sets off the natal Saturn-Mars square as important for the year.

Venus Returns to the 12th House

River died during his Venus return. In fact, Venus returned exactly to its natal position less than a week before his death. This marks out the period as particularly important in relation to what Venus promises in the natal chart. She is a planet that gravitates toward sensory pleasure in a bad place and out of sect, and aspected only by Mars who overcomes her (right side aspect). Therefore, she easily slips toward over-indulgence and harm, particularly that associated with natal Mars. The twelfth-part of Venus is in the 6th (Aries), a house of illness and accidents, ruled by Mars, further emphasizing these themes.

Transits (Outer Wheel) at Time of Death Along Natal Chart

The Moon Returns to Saturn

River also died on the day of his lunar return, emphasizing the natal Moon-Saturn conjunction, which was also emphasized by the Moon’s position in the solar return. In fact, the Moon was at 16 degrees Scorpio in the return, opposing natal Saturn, while it was at 17 degrees Taurus at the time of death, opposing its return position and conjoining Saturn.

Mars-Saturn All Around

The time of death shows transiting Saturn square to natal Saturn and opposing natal Mars, while transiting Mars squares natal Mars and opposes natal Saturn. Therefore, this dangerous active configuration of the malefics is active at the time of death. Additionally, Mercury (ruler of the 8th of death) was with Mars at the time death, and both were transiting in the 1st house where the signified most directly concerning the body. Note that a Mercury-Mars combination was signaled as important in the solar return where return Mercury conjoined natal Mars.

Transits (Outer Wheel) at Time of Death Along Natal Chart

Prenatal Syzygy

Vettius Valens emphasized the role played by the prenatal syzygy in matters related to health. The prenatal syzygy is the New or Full Moon which most directly preceded the birth. River Phoenix was born with a waning Moon so prior to birth there was a Full Moon. The Full Moon preceding his birth was at 23°48′ Aquarius. Note that it is in partile (same-degree) opposition with natal Mars and is in a tight square with natal Saturn. The transiting Mars-Saturn configuration noted above brings in the prenatal syzygy.

Saturn is Ruler of Days

The article on planetary years also includes a discussion of a technique for dividing up the year such that each planet rules a set of days. In the technique we start with the lord of the year (ruler of profectional Ascendant), then move to each successive planet in the natal chart in zodiacal order. Phoenix died about 70 days after his solar return. Venus got about 23 days, then Jupiter about 34 days, and then Saturn got the next 85 days. Therefore, Saturn was the lord of days at the time of death.  Saturn is the natural significator of death, afflicts the natal Moon (natural significator of the body), and rules the prenatal syzygy. Transiting Saturn’s configuration with these elements and the transiting Moon’s application to them were discussed above.

Wrapping Up

The context for River Phoenix’s year was best characterized by Venusian activity, with strong connections to the particular indications of Venus in his natal chart. This supports the typical use of annual profections of the Ascendant in which the house and its ruler are most active. Additionally, the most important period of the year came during the time when the lord of the year, Venus, returned to her natal position. However, with both Venus and Jupiter in the activated 12th house at the time of death, one might suppose protection and fortunate circumstances would be more appropriate for the particular period.

The fact that the period is a dangerous one is clearer when we consider the Valens profections. Both lights transmit to Mars and Mars tends to dominate a lot of other important profections. Mars is even in Libra during the solar return. With the information from the Valens method we can take the presence of Mars in Libra in the return as a serious concern. The solar return Moon and the primary direction of the Ascendant also indicate difficulty with Saturn for the period. The timing of death comes as transiting Mars and Saturn are activating the square and the Moon is entering their configuration.

Sorting Things Out

Of course, we may quickly find ourselves dealing with a soup of indications to sort out. However, we have some means of sorting them out. This technique is discussed solely in terms of annual profections. If transits are examined they are generally the solar return ones. We can continue the common practice of looking at the Ascendant’s profection to find a lord of the year and to see the overall setting for the year’s events. Rather than using the other profections as alternatives or to tack on more time lords, use them for additional information. The lights, especially the sect light, will transmit to planets that are influential in major events. From there we can profect individual factors when they are of particular interest.

Taking It Further

I have only scratched the surface as to the way that Valens used profections.  You will find many more tips in Chapter 11 of Book 4 and in later sections of the Anthology. Vettius Valens has given us a broad range of new uses for profections. I plan on returning to Valens-style profections in many future articles.

A final note. Valens profections provide a good context for understanding Persian degree-based profections (the subject of the next article). Persian degree-based profections also involve the profection of all the points in the natal chart. They are very similar to Valens profections but used more for timing than for delineating broad themes for the year.

Note: this article was significantly revised and expanded in April of 2018. Changes included extensive editing as well as the addition of the River Phoenix example.

References
Valens, V. (2010). Anthologies. (M. Riley, Trans.) (Online PDF.). World Wide Web: Mark Riley. Retrieved from http://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/Vettius%20Valens%20entire.pdf