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Twelve Easy Lessons for Beginners | 5. Planetary Aspects and Configurations

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But since the variety of the impulses of the soul is great, it stands to reason that we would make such an inquiry in no simple or offhand manner, but by means of many complicated observations. For indeed the differences between the signs which contain Mercury and the moon, or the planets that dominate them, can contribute much to the character of the soul […]  (Ptolemy from the Tetrabiblos (Robbins trans., 1940, III.13, cam. p. 154)

Planetary Aspects and Configurations

This article is part of a series of lessons on the basics of horoscopic astrology as practiced in the first millennium. In this lesson, we’ll look at planetary relationships and configurations, including aspects. Sign relationships and rulers figure heavily in this discussion. We will also explore a method of character analysis from second-century astrologer Claudius Ptolemy.

Recap

Initially, in this series, we explored the history of astrology and the significance of the planets.  The second lesson introduced free astrology charting software, as well as how planets advance to a location by way of the local horizon and meridian. We learned more planetary prominence considerations in the third lesson. The fourth lesson introduced the signs of the zodiac and their features. We will be drawing on the information from that last lesson a lot in this one.

Initially, we examined ways in which planetary significations can become more or less prominent in characterizing life circumstances. In the last lesson, we considered that signs contribute to this characterization. Signs are the houses of the planets. These houses have their own features but also have relationships with planets, including those which occupy the house or rule it. Let’s explore planet and house relationships.

Planets Influencing Other Planets

The significations of any planet are further characterized by its relationship with other planets. Consider this: different areas of life are not neatly separate but interact in interesting ways. These interactions differ from person to person, as well as over the course of one’s life. The way that planets influence the significations of other planets and houses, helps to characterize the complexity and nuance inherent in life.

Taking Stock of the Breadth and Depth of Influence

Planets will differ in terms of how forcefully they influence the significations of another planet. Additionally, many planets may simultaneously be influential, and timing techniques can help us determine when these different influences are highlighted. Therefore, we must take stock of both the breadth and depth of the influences on any planet or house. Considering all of the influences alerts us to what is possible. Considering the deepest or strongest influences helps us to understand the “status quo” or what is probable. Timing techniques alert us to when certain possibilities become the most probable.

Rulership and Aspect

The two primary ways that planets influence the symbolism of other planets is through rulership and aspect. We dealt with the basics of rulership in the last post on signs. Aspects are relationships that are based on mathematical angles. The aspectual system of ancient astrology has some advanced features, but at its foundation are whole sign aspects, called regards. The meanings behind the aspects are based on planetary rulership relationships and a sight metaphor. Let’s look at how the system works.

Ptolemy’s Predominator

Planetary regard (aspect), like sign rulership, is a fundamental part of astrological theory. Every major ancient astrologer considered these two factors. Even Ptolemy (2nd century CE), who made almost no use of topical assignment to the houses (i.e. places, as addressed in the next lesson), relied heavily upon rulership and regard. Before moving on to look at regards, let’s use the rulerships learned in the last lesson to start characterizing significations as Ptolemy would.

A Natural Significator Approach

Ptolemy analyzed topics in life from the natural significations of the planets.  For instance, if he wanted to analyze someone’s mind (psychology) then he’d look at Mercury and the Moon (see the opening quote). Mercury naturally signifies the rational mind. The Moon naturally signifies the irrational (what we might term the unconscious today).  In order to look at planets that “dominate” the characterization of these aspects of mind, we would look at which planets most influence Mercury and the Moon. The planet with the most influence is the predominator.

Five Factors for Predomination

As Ptolemy puts it (note”trine” in this 1940 translation is “triplicity”, as in triplicity lord):

In general the mode of domination is considered as falling under these five forms: when it is trine, house, exaltation, term, and phase or aspect; that is, whenever the place in question is related in one or several or all of these ways to the star that is to be the ruler. (Ptolemy, Robbins trans., 1940, II.2, p. 109)

Therefore, the five following relationships are considered to be important types of influence upon a planet. A planet with the more of these relationships will have more influence. The planet with the most is the predominator.

1. House/domicile lord

2. Exaltation lord

3. Main triplicity lord

4. Bound/term lord

5. Planetary regards

The house lord, exaltation lord, triplicity lord, and bound lord were introduced in the last post. We will discuss regards below, but for now let’s look at the first four influences.

Find Rulers and Predominators in Whitney Houston’s Chart

Let’s look at an example chart (Whitney Houston, AA-rated) and determine the rulers of a few planets.

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

Mercury’s Rulers

Mercury is at 10 degrees Virgo, in the bound of Venus.

House: Mercury.  Virgo is the nocturnal home of Mercury.

Exaltation: Mercury. Mercury is exalted in Virgo.

Triplicity: The Moon.  She was born at night, and the first triplicity lord of earth signs (of which Virgo is one) at night is the Moon. However, note that Venus is the second triplicity lord.

Bound: Venus. Mercury is in the bound of Venus.

Mercury Analyzed

Ignoring regards, we would consider Mercury, the Moon, and Venus to be influential in the characterization of Mercury. In this case, Mercury has the most influence on the position. However, in terms of the other planets’ influence on Mercury, the Moon and Venus have about equal influence by this method.

Ptolemy judged the characterization of the rational mind based on Mercury. Here we find the fundamental characterizations of Mercury to be reinforced (vocal, talkative, clever, flexible, dexterous, mobile, business-oriented). Mercury is in a mutable sign, so we might say there is an emphasis on social interaction and exchange (mutable moves toward mixing). Mercury is in an earth sign, so there is an emphasis on tangibility.

The Moon and Venus influence Mercury, both of which are feminine. As a luminary, the Moon is naturally prominent. She adds a sense of importance and publicity, while also showing that the rational mind is influenced by the instinctual, natural, and nurturing. Venus brings in significations related to the arts, aesthetics, and/or sexuality to the focus of the rational mind.

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

The Moon and Jupiter’s Rulers

These two planets also have the same rulers as they are found in the same bound of the same sign, so we can look at both together.

House: Mars. Mars is the house lord of Aries.

Exaltation: The Sun. The Sun is the exaltation lord of Aries.

Triplicity: Jupiter. Jupiter is the first triplicity lord of fire signs by night.

Bound: Mercury. Mercury is the bound lord of both planets.

The Moon Analyzed

Ignoring regards, we would consider Mars, the Sun, Jupiter, and Mercury to all be about equally influential over the characterization of the Moon and Jupiter by this method.

Ptolemy used the Moon to judge the characterization of the irrational mind. The Moon is in Aries, a cardinal sign. Cardinal signs are associated with confident bold expression and with sweeping sudden changes. Aries is a fire sign, so there is an unconscious pull to be influential.

The cardinality, masculinity, and fiery nature of the sign are all further reinforced by the influences of the Sun and Mars. The Sun greatly amplifies an unconscious pull for attention, importance, and influence. Mars brings aggression and competitiveness to this picture. Jupiter adds opportunity, generosity, and spirituality to the picture. Mercury brings in commerce, communication, the voice, and cleverness.

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

The Ascendant’s Rulers

The Ascendant is in the Venus-ruled bound of Pisces.

House: Jupiter.  Pisces is the nocturnal home of Jupiter.

Exaltation: Venus. Venus is exalted in Pisces.

Triplicity: Mars.  She was born at night, and the first triplicity lord of water signs (of which Pisces is one) at night is Mars. Note that the second triplicity lord is Venus.

Bound: Venus. Venus rules the bound that the Ascendant was in at birth.

The Ascendant Analyzed

Ignoring regards, we would consider the Venus, Jupiter, and Mars to all be influential over the characterization of the Ascendant by this method. Ptolemy did not use the Ascendant for the mind, but we are looking at it here because it is the primary significator of the self in the chart. Additionally, many ancient astrologers looked at the Ascendant and its ruler for characterizing the person and their personality. We may consider the predominator of the Ascendant to be particularly influential upon the character and skill of the person.

The Ascendant itself is more symbolic of the body and temperament. Here it is in Pisces, a mutable, feminine, water sign. This makes the body more phlegmatic (soft, feminine, watery) and the temperament quite easy going and malleable (yielding to influence).

The primary influence is that of Venus, the planet of the arts, aesthetics, and sexuality (also drugs). Additional influences include Mars (conflict, aggression, competitiveness) and Jupiter (spirituality, luck, opportunity).

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

The Sun and Venus’s Rulers

The Sun and Venus are in the same bound of the same sign, so they have all of the same rulers.

House: The Sun.  The Sun and Venus are in Leo, which is the house of the Sun.  A planet being in one of its own places of rulership is reinforcing to the significations of the planet. This is a type of planetary prominence or strength (in this case for the Sun).

Exaltation: None. There is no exaltation lord for Leo.

Triplicity: Jupiter.  She was born at night, and the first triplicity lord of fire signs (of which Leo is one) at night is Jupiter.

Bound: Saturn. Both the Sun and Venus are in the bound ruled by Saturn.

Venus Analyzed

As the predominator over the Ascendant, Venus is central to understanding Houston. We see a Venus in a masculine, fixed, fire sign (Leo) and influenced by the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn. Therefore, this is a very showy and outgoing (fire, masculine, Sun) sort of Venus who is progressive and focused (fixed). As we get to regards below we will find that the fact that Venus is with the Sun in the same house further amplifies the solar indications (showy, leader, important, influential). Jupiter (spirituality, opportunity, luck), and Saturn (challenge, loss, vice) are also both influential over Venus.

Note on Character Analysis

I think you’ll agree that there is quite a lot of information on the character in the natal chart. We still have not dealt with the aspects, topical places, and other important basics of ancient astrology. However, we already find a picture emerging that is intricate, nuanced, descriptive, and variable. Human beings are not static. They are very complex and dynamic. With this approach, we can actually time when various traits, interests, and influences are most likely to surface.

Regards and How They Relate to the House Rulers

With Each Other

Planets that are in the same sign together are particularly influential upon each other. They are said to be “with” each other.  This is the most powerful type of regard or aspect. However, it is not specifically called a regard because the planets are literally in the same place, rather than “seeing” (regarding) each other.  Note that in ancient texts, it is more commonly referred to as two planets “with” each other than “conjunct”. The term conjunction is often used for close aspects by degree, whether the bodies are in the same place (bodily joining) or aspecting each other (aspectual joining; see below).

For example, the Sun and Venus are with each other in Whitney Houston’s chart, as both are in Leo. In this way, their significations are very strongly tied together.

Aspects

There are 4 additional aspects between planets, and these are based on a visual metaphor.  Examine the diagram of planetary domiciles/houses below.  Also, see the diagram on The Astrology Dictionary’s entry on “aspect”.

Opposition

Note that the domiciles of Saturn (Capricorn and Aquarius) are opposite those of the Sun and Moon (Leo and Cancer).  Signs that are opposite each other (180-degrees) are said to be in opposition. The opposition is a relationship of challenge, limitation, or obstruction, much like the nature of Saturn. The 7th sign from any sign is opposed to that sign.

Square

Note that each of the domiciles of Mars (Aries and Scorpio) are at a 90-degree angle from the domiciles of one of the lights (Sun or Moon).  This relationship is called a “square”. The shape of a geometric square is composed of right angles. It is also sometimes called a “quartile” as the signs are a quarter of the zodiac apart. It is a relationship of intensity, competition, and clash, much like the nature of Mars. The 4th and 10th (i.e. 4th counting backward) sign from any sign is square to that sign.

Trine

Note that each of the domiciles of Jupiter (Sagittarius and Pisces) are at a 120-degree angle from the domiciles of one of the lights (Sun or Moon).  This relationship is called a “trine” as there are always three signs which trine each other (i.e. those of the same triplicity). Together, the trines form a triangle, so they are also called triangles. The relationship is one of friendship, strong harmony, and opportunity, much like the nature of Jupiter. The 5th and 9th (i.e. 5th counting backward) sign from any sign is trine to that sign.

Sextile

Note that each of the domiciles of Venus (Taurus and Libra) are at a 60-degree angle from the domiciles of one of the lights (Sun or Moon).  This relationship is called a sextile as it is composed of two signs 60 degrees apart (60 degrees is a 1/6th of the zodiac).  The relationship is one of complement, much like the nature of Venus. The 3rd and 11th  (i.e. 3rd counting backward) sign from any sign is sextile to that sign.

Ptolemy on the Aspects

Read how Ptolemy describes the 4 aspects in Ch. 13 of Book I “Of the Aspects of the Signs” by clicking into this link. Note that Ptolemy sought a physical explanation for astrological phenomena. For him the nature of the aspects is derived from musical harmony rather than ruler-based sign relationships. He sought an explanation based on sign features also, but he erroneously stated that signs in opposition and square/quartile are less harmonious due to being of opposite gender. Opposing signs are actually of the same gender. Only the square involves signs of opposite gender.

Signs Not in Aspect

Signs that are not in one of the above 4 relationships with each other are said to be “not in concord”, “disjunct”, “inconjunct”, or “alien”.  As Serapio of Alexandra put it, “Not in concord are those that are in no way aspecting each other” (Holden trans., 2009, p. 61).  However, some astrologers, including Ptolemy and Porphyry, considered planets not to be disjunct if they have some other type of sign sympathy (see my article on sign symmetry for some of these types of sympathy).

Regarding is Seeing

In any case, planets may be said to regard (to see) those signs that they aspect. Those that are not aspected are not as directly influential as they are out of sight.  The signs that are not in aspect are the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 12th sign from any sign. This concept of areas out of sight is important, as we’ll see, in the next post on places. Ancient astrologers associated those signs that the rising sign can’t see with topics in life that tend to be the most problematic (the “dark” or “bad” places). This is because the rising sign symbolizes the individual person and the signs that they can’t see are akin to “alien” influences.

Overcoming and Domination

When looking at regards, we should also take into account which planet has the upper hand. Sometimes astrologers do this by seeing which planet is more reinforced, such as by being in a position it rules.  However, in Hellenistic astrology, this was often done by looking at which planet was to the right (clockwise from the other planet) in the relationship.

Overcoming from Behind

Planets normally progress forward through the zodiac, so the planet in an earlier position zodiacally (i.e. to the right or clockwise) is figuratively behind the other planet. The planet in front is in a more vulnerable position. The planet on the right is referred to as “overcoming” the planet on the left.

Domination by Square

Overcoming is strongest for the “square” aspect. In a square, the planet on the right is said to “overpower” (Dorotheus) or “predominate”/”dominate” (Porphyry).  It may be that the distinction is most relevant for the square because of the Mars-like nature of the aspect. It is helpful to know which planet is dominant when planets are in a relationship of conflict.

And the [star] that is in the tenth sign is said to be predominant and to prevail over the one in the fourth [sign from it], e.g. the star that chances to be in Libra is dominant over the one in Capricorn, and the one in Capricorn is dominant over the one in Aries. (Porphyry, Holden trans., 2009, Ch. 20, p. 17)

Overcoming by Trine or Sextile

The right planet in the trine or sextile was also mentioned by some astrologers as “overcoming” or “prevailing”.  See the Porphyry quote below in which “prevailing” is the more general term used for the trine, square, or sextile, in contrast to “predominating” (the above quote) which only pertains to the square.

Every star prevails when it is posited in a dexter trine or square or sextile to one on its left, for that one goes toward it. For example, one that is in Capricorn prevails over one in trine aspect in Taurus […]  They say that prevailing is more powerful when [the planets] are in trine or square. For the prevailing star is thus stronger […]. (Porphyry, Holden trans., 2009, Ch. 21, p. 17)

Overcoming While With a Planet

So far, we see that planets on the right side are more influential in the aspect relationship and that this is especially so for the square. The concept is not used at all for the opposition. However, for at least for one Hellenistic astrologer, Serapio of Alexander, overcoming applied to planets with each other in the same sign as well.

whenever two stars are present in the same sign, and the one having fewer degrees prevails over the one having more degrees, e.g., the star of Mercury in Aries around the 10th degree, that of Saturn in the same sign around the 25th degree–it is evident that the [star] of Mercury prevails over that of Saturn by degrees. (Serapio, Holden trans., 2009, p. 63)

Degree-Based Aspects

In addition to sign-based aspects, there are degree-based aspects. Degree based aspects are more dynamic and intense relationships than the sign-based aspects. Additionally, there are occasions when two planets may be in a degree-based aspect even if the signs are not in aspect. These aspects come about when planets are in the same degree or those 60, 90, 120, or 180 degrees apart. For instance, two planets exactly 60 degrees apart would be in an exact degree-based sextile. There are special guidelines and terminology related to degree-based aspects. In general, the closer the degree-based aspect, the more eventful the significations related to it.

Joining

Named after the term for glue or binding in ancient Greek (kollesis), these are very tight and applying degree-based aspects. For most of the planets, they must be applying to an exact degree-based aspect within 3 degrees to be considered “joining”. However, for the Moon, she is joining the next star she will exactly encounter by aspect within a days travel from her position (i.e. applying to another planet within about 13 degrees). A joining aspect is the most intense type of aspect.

They say that an application is a kollesis whenever they apply partilely, according for example to a configuration at some particular time, or even when they are about to come together within three degrees. It is was also said if it was thus: it is a kollesis whenever one star moves toward another star, the swift one moving to the slow one that is not distant more than three degrees. And in the case of the Moon, some say within thirteen degrees; that is, in both her day and night course to observe the conjunction when she applies to one of them. (Porphyry, Holden trans., 2009, Ch. 11, p. 13)

I would consider planets joined together in this manner to be in aspect even if they don’t regard each other by sign. However, this is the only exception.

Separation

For the most part, the planets separate as soon as the exact degree-based aspect has been completed. Some ancient astrologers consider this to be after one leaves from the same numerical degree as the other. Occasionally, the bound is given significance, especially for the conjunction, and the aspect is separated when one planet leaves the bound that they shared. Note that the planets also still regard each other by the given aspect until one leaves a sign. Again, the Moon should be considered separating from the last planet that she has not yet left behind by a day’s journey (about 13 degrees).

In short, regards are intensified as planets get closer, and are particularly intense when they are joining, becoming much less intense after they separate. While a separating aspect lacks the immediacy of an applying aspect, separating aspects, especially those of the Moon, were very important for some techniques in Hellenistic astrology (primary directions and electional astrology for instance).

Scrutinizing

Following the visual metaphor, we will use the term “scrutinizing” for any aspect within 3 degrees, whether applying or separating, as these aspects are particularly intense regards. When applying, these planets are additionally joining to each other (conjoining).

Casting Rays

We noted that planets to the right (i.e. clockwise) overcome those to the left. By contrast, the planet on the left “casts a ray” to the one on the right in an aspect. Additionally, planets in opposition are said to cast rays to each other. Rays casting from a square or opposition were considered to be destructive.

However, this may only relate to close degree-based aspects and may pertain to primary directions primarily. Porphyry’s comments regarding casting rays appear to relate to the length of life technique. Note that by primary directions, planets to the left are directed to planets on the right by aspect.

And Thrasyllus says that casting a ray is a destruction, and those are anaeretic that are occupying a position in the square configurations or in the oppositions in the interval between the ASC degree and the testimony of the trines that are not incurring destruction. And the one they carry from anywhere, it will not carry the ray across, he says, whether from the right or from the left into the succedent of the ASC or of the star holding the rulership of the Moon, then it will be the aphetic place. (Porphyry, Holden trans., 2009, Ch. 24, p. 19)

Additional Configurations

There are many additional specific planetary configurations noted by Porphyry and Rhetorius. These definitions are assumed to have been copied from an early book of definitions by Antiochus. These configurations have been explored in some depth by Robert Schmidt and Chris Brennan in their respective work on reconstructing the full aspect doctrine of Antiochus. I will not explore these additional configurations here because they are seldom if ever referenced by the other major figures of Hellenistic astrology, such as Dorotheus, Valens, Ptolemy, Maternus, and Paulus Alexandrinus.

For more information on the full aspect doctrine of Antiochus check out the existing translations of Porphyry’s Introduction to the Tetrabiblos and Rhetorius the Egyptian. Also, see Project Hindsight and Chris Brennan’s course on Hellenistic astrology.

Putting Things Together

Let’s put it all together by analyzing the “irrational mind” of Jeffrey Dahmer (AA-rated) using Ptolemy’s technique.

Jeffrey Dahmer’s Natal Chart

Moon is Prominent

The first thing to notice about the Moon is its loudness. It is strongly advancing. In fact, she is conjunct the descendant (western horizon) and in a stake of the chart (the 7th house). The Moon is by far the most prominent planet in the chart. One reading is that the irrational mind is at the forefront of major life circumstances.

The sign (Aries) is masculine, fiery, and cardinal. This sign conveys confident action, impulsiveness, and broad sweeping changes, with an urge to influence.

Mars

The Moon is at 19 degrees Aries. She is in the bound of Mercury, the house of Mars, the exaltation of the Sun, and the triplicity of the Sun.  From looking at aspects, it is my opinion that Mars is the most influential of all these rulers as Mars is “with” the Moon in the same sign, and is also of an earlier degree (“overcoming”). Mars is additionally reinforced by being in its own house (Aries).

While Ptolemy lists regard as just one factor, we should look at regard in a more insightful manner. Being with a planet in the same sign is the most powerful type of influence, and is greater than any rulership. On the other hand, some regards are less influential than rulership.

Saturn’s Domination

Jupiter and Saturn regard the Moon by square from the right side, so they “dominate” the Moon.  The Sun and Mercury regard the Moon by sextile, but they are in the weaker position (the Moon overcomes them). Of the two planets that dominate the Moon, neither has any form of rulership, but Saturn dominates most closely, being at 17 Capricorn while the Moon is at 19 Aries (i.e. scrutinizing regard). Additionally, Saturn is in its own house, so Saturn is the more influential of the two (between Jupiter and Saturn).

In fact, Saturn is the last planet the Moon aspected, so it is the planet that the Moon separates from. The Moon’s separation and application are very significant in Hellenistic astrology. Among other things, they were important planets for assessing psychology. They were noted by Ptolemy as something to investigate.

Major Influences

Therefore, by close examination of the Moon we find that Mars has the most direct and strong influence over its symbolism (irrational mind subject to violence, turmoil, or anxiety). This is because Mars has domicile rulership and is with the Moon, overcoming her in a strong way.

Saturn and the Sun have the next most significant influence on the Moon’s significations. Saturn dominates the Moon closely and is the planet of its separation. Think of the symbolism of Saturn as pertaining to death, as well as darkness. The Sun has multiple forms of rulership as well as a weak sextile aspect.  The Sun and its symbolism of fame, accomplishment, exposure, father, truth, recognition, authorities, and so forth is relevant. However, the Moon may be said to prevail over the Sun.

Five Significant but Unequal Factors

One Point Regard

Note that in the modern period, those rediscovering the techniques of Ptolemy often apply the predomination technique using rulership and regard in a mechanical fashion. Typically, a point is given to each planet for each type of rulership and regard that it has over the planet (or point) being considered.  For example, if we were looking at just the Moon, as we have, then we’d give the Sun 3 points (exaltation, triplicity, regard by sextile), Mars 2 points (house, with), and Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury one point (regard). This approach fails to take into account the varying influence of different types of regards and rulerships.

Weighted Rulership (Dignity Points)

The later medieval approach to find a predominator (the almuten, al-mubtazz, or “winner”) tended to drop regard out of the picture altogether. That approach looked at the type of rulership or combination of rulerships a planet had over a position. Different types of rulership were given different point scores.

This approach also fails to account for the fact that a planet “with” another planet or closely dominating another planet may have a much stronger influence over a planet than one that it is just its ruler. I’ve provided some critiques of this approach in the past.

Diversity of Influence

Understanding both the breadth and depth of planetary influence is more helpful than simply finding a single planet with the most points. We do want to know the strongest influence or influences. However, there are situations of competing influence, of blended influence, and of influences taking on varying degrees of prominence at various stages of life. These are important things to consider.

Returning to Dahmer’s chart, Mars has the strongest and most constant influence on the Moon in Dahmer’s chart. Mars strongly characterizes the nature of what the Moon signifies due to their being so strongly tied together. This characterization is modified by the features of Aries (fire sign; cardinal).

Saturn represents a conflicting and challenging influence on the irrational mind. Saturn is able to “dominate” the irrational mind with its significations. It also emphasizes the cardinal feature as Saturn is in a cardinal sign.

The Sun’s symbolism then relates to the irrational mind in a way that is less direct. Though the Sun is important nonetheless.

Take It Further

In this post, we looked at ways in which planetary influences combine to yield more complicated symbolism.  The interpretation of planet and sign combinations is very difficult as the possibilities are numerous. It follows that astrological prediction, especially of particulars, is difficult.

Ancient astrologers would devote large portions of texts to giving some examples of possible indications from the planet, sign, aspect, and rulership combinations. Often they would give extreme examples so that one would stay open-minded to the range of possibilities. Please take some time to study these. Some texts are available free online, including translations of Ptolemy, Valens, and Maternus. Search online for these. Look at a chart and think about what sorts of possibilities and probabilities could be symbolized.

In the next post, we’ll relate some of these significations to specific areas of life. We’ll explore the main strategy of assigning life topics to signs, called the “places”.

Note on Psychology

The fact that Ptolemy used the Moon to symbolize the irrational mind was brought up strategically. Modern astrologers often assume that ancient astrology had nothing to say about psychology; that it was just about trying to predict events. Ptolemy’s treatment of the Moon and Mercury as relating to rational and irrational aspects of the mind or soul was written in the 2nd century CE. It shows that ancient astrologers did indeed concern themselves with psychology (despite it not being called psychology at that time). In fact, they had a more sophisticated toolset at their disposal for symbolizing the nature of influences and disturbances upon the mind than found in modern psychological astrology today.

 

References

Porphyry, & Serapio. (2009). Porphyry the Philosopher. (J. H. Holden, Trans.). Tempe, AZ: American Federation of Astrologers.

Ptolemy, C. (1940). Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos. (F. E. Robbins, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Loeb Classical Library. Retrieved from http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ptolemy/Tetrabiblos/home.html

Image Attributions

Featured image of eye is derivative work: Laitr Keiows (talk) Iris_-_left_eye_of_a_girl.jpg: Laitr Keiows (Iris_-_left_eye_of_a_girl.jpg) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Whitney Houston image by Asterio Tecson [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) or CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Source for Planetary Domiciles Image: “Fig.3 Planetary Domiciles” by Meredith Garstin commons – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fig.3_Planetary_Domiciles.jpg#/media/File:Fig.3_Planetary_Domiciles.jpg

Dahmer’s yearbook picture is in the public domain. 

The image of the painting Contemplation (1919) by Horace Weston Taylor is in the public domain.

Finding Twelfth-Parts in your head or with Morinus

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What are Twelfth-Parts?

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

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

Finding Twelfth-Parts in Your Head

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

0 = Same Sign

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

10, 20 = Trine, Same Element/Triplicity

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

15 = Opposite Sign

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

5°, 25° = Sextile

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

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

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

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

Examples

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

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain’s Natal Chart

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

Bill Gates

Bill Gates’ Natal Chart

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

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

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

Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama’s Natal Chart

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

Finding Twelfth-Parts in Morinus

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

Settings

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

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

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

Morinus Twelfth-Parts

Morinus’ Natal Chart with Twelfth-Parts

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

The Example Charts

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

 

Cobain with Twelfth-Parts

Gates with Twelfth-Parts

Houston with Twelfth-Parts

Dalai Lama with Twelfth-Parts

Have fun and feel free to discuss in the comments!

Featured Image Attribution

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

Astrological Predictive Techniques | Planetary Years | 1. Minor Years and the Division of Days

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Years for Planets?

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.
Featured Image

The featured image of Danse Macabre of Basel is in the public domain.

Traditional Astrology of Death | Whitney Houston Revisited with Directions

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Introduction

In the last article on Whitney Houston’s death, I discussed some major astrological predictive factors.  A number of predictive techniques highlighted the importance of Saturn. From the activation of her natal Sun-Saturn opposition, to Saturn’s transit through her 8th house of death.  At the time of death we found the transiting Sun conjunct her natal Saturn while the transiting Moon was in her 8th with natal Mars and applying to that transiting Saturn.  Altogether, 8th house and Sun-Saturn themes abound in the predictive indications. In fact, though not noted in the other article, Houston also has her twelfth-part Saturn in Virgo, the sign activated by the monthly profection at the time of her death.

Primary Directions

Following the publication of that article, some commentary on it prompted me to explore primary directions in some depth. I followed that exploration with a series on pre-Renaissance traditional primary directions. That series explored the basic use of primary direction in ancient astrology and how they can be calculated with free software.  The first post on primary directions concerned the primacy of the Ascendant in early directions and the time lord technique of directing the Ascendant through the bounds. This later came to be known as the distribution. The bound lord is called the distributor, or jarbakhtar from Persian terminology.  I also explained how to calculate primary directions. Since that time an update of the Traditional Morinus version of the software has been released which improves the display when directing through bounds.  You can download the software here.

Death and Directions

In this article, I won’t be discussing all the ancient special techniques for longevity and death.  I will hit on some of them in some future posts in this series. However, note that in those techniques there is an emphasis on the direction of a malefic significator (planet, star, lot, or point) of harm to a significator of the health and the body (typically a Light or the Ascendant). For instance, the Descendant is symbolic of death (point of setting) so a direction of the Sun to the Descendant could signify death. While conjunctions, squares, and oppositions are typically the most important types of aspects, for primary directions we consider all classical aspects. This is because primary directions take so long to occur. Often a planet will only aspect another planet or point a few different times over an entire lifetime.

Whitney’s Chart

Whitney Houston Natal Chart (AA-Rodden-Rating)

Directing Through the Bounds

As I detailed in my introductory article on primary directions, the bound lord of the directed Ascendant was typically considered a very powerful time lord, setting the tone for the period. For this reason, I advise that one should always look at the direction of the Ascendant through the bounds, The bound lord, an important time lord, is known as the distributor or in Perso-Arabic astrology as the jarbakhtar.  A table can be generated in Morinus as discussed in the article I referred to earlier. The following table of jarbakhtars is for Whitney Houston, with the period active at her death highlighted.

Whitney Houston – Distributors of the Ascendant for 100 Years After Birth

Saturn as Distributor

As we can see from the table above, Saturn is the main time lord of the period (day of death was Feb. 11, 2012). We find that this technique, as with many of the others, strikingly highlights the role of the natal 12th house Saturn in characterizing the period.

Other Distributors

While the distributor of the Ascendant is typically the most important, and is the one used by Abu Ma’shar, some authors, including Masha’allah, use the technique for other life-signifying points as well. Typically, it is one of the Lights or the Lot of Fortune that are also considered. While I consider the distributors of the Ascendant to be much more important, I’ve included below a table of the distributors of the Lights and Lot of Fortune as well. It is interesting that the Sun and Lot of Fortune also (like the Ascendant) have malefic distributors, in this case Mars.

Houston Distributors of Lights and Fortune Age 25-50

Algol to Ascendant

One of the most striking primary directions at the time of death is that of the fixed star Algol to the Ascendant. Algol is considered to be one of the most malefic fixed stars. It is in the constellation of Perseus, which images the hero Perseus grasping the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. Algol is the eye of Medusa in the constellation. The star has separately been associated with demons, evil, death, decapitation, horror, tragedy, and such in many different cultures.  For those unfamiliar, you can get a quick briefing on Algol on Wikipedia and especially on Constellation of Words.

A table showing all the directions of fixed stars to the Ascendant from Age 25 to 50 is below.  The table says the direction was exact on February 15th, which in primary directions is still “exact” even on February 10th, because even seconds of inaccuracy in recording the birth time equates to days of difference in timing by primary directions.

Directions of Fixed Stars to Whitney Houston’s Ascendant (direction of Algol to Ascendant in February 2012)

Saturn transiting over the Directed Sun

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

One of the more interesting directions at the time of death concerns the Sun. As seen above (2nd table up), the distributor of the directed Sun was in the Mars bound of Libra.  This bound is 2 degrees in length starting at 28° Libra and ending at 0° Scorpio.  Interestingly, Libra is Whitney Houston’s 8th House and the Mars bound of Libra is the bound Saturn transited at death.  In fact, look below at the chart of the primary directions zodiacal positions at the time of death. We find the directed Sun at about 29°14′ Libra. Transiting Saturn was conjunct it in the same degree at the time of death.

PDs in Chart for Death of Houston

In my opinion, this was one of the more striking repeat Sun-Saturn significations. Consider this together with over-arching Sun-Saturn planetary years manifestation, Saturn as the main distributor, and the transit of the Sun over natal Saturn.

Whitney Houston – Transits at Time of Death

Conclusion

If you’re new to primary directions, I hope this has whet your appetite for this very valuable technique. Please check out the other articles on primary directions to start working with them yourself. They are really not hard to work with when there is great free software available for the calculations. Until next time, give someone you love a big hug, and let them know how much you care. Continue having fun exploring traditional predictive astrology.

The featured image is Medusa by Caravaggio.

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

Traditional Astrology of Death | Whitney Houston

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Introduction

The singer Whitney Houston recently passed.  Glancing briefly at some of the predictive factors leading up to her death I’ve found that there was a strong emphasis on Saturn, both her natal and transiting Saturn. Her death occurred while Saturn transited through her 8th house (Libra), occupied natally by Mars.  There was also a highlighting of transiting Mars in her 7th house by monthly profection. In this article, I provide a brief look at her natal chart, last solar return, last lunar return, and transits of the day of death.

Whitney Houston’s natal chart is pictured below. The birth data is Rodden-rated AA for accuracy.  Information about her life and the circumstances of her death is available in her Wikipedia entry.

Planetary Years: Sun & Saturn

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

Planetary years were used by many ancient astrologers for signifying the activation of natal planets and configurations.

Whitney was 48 1/2 at the time of death, which is her 49th year. One of the more interesting combinations due at that age is the combination of the Sun (19) and Saturn (30), summing to 49. Whitney was born with an applying Sun-Saturn opposition across the health and loss oriented 6th and 12th houses, Leo and Aquarius (the houses of the Sun and Saturn respectively). Sun-Saturn is particularly symbolic of death. Saturn is the natural significator of death and coldness. Natally, it opposes the Sun, the natural significator of vital power and the heart.  Therefore, this configuration, strikingly symbolic of death, had its main activation by planetary years at about 49 years (49th year from birth).

I bring up planetary years first, because it is an easy but nearly always overlooked technique. A cursory examination of the chart should alert us that there is an applying Sun-Saturn opposition in the chart, involving difficult houses. From there we immediately should consider possibility of important events pertaining to the configuration occurring at about 49 years of age. The configuration speaks of vitality, authority, or power (Sun) eventfully meeting an obstacle, lack, or loss (Saturn), while the 6th and 12th houses speak of danger to the health and well-being. Other indications involving this configuration and Saturn should then be closely examined.

Annual Profection: 1st House, Jupiter – A Benefic Attended by Difficulty

Whitney Houston died at age 48, a multiple of 12. Therefore, Whitney was in a 1st Place, Pisces, annual profection. Jupiter was the lord of the year. While naturally benefic, Jupiter has a particularly broad range of signification in the natal chart. Positively, Jupiter, a natural benefic, is symbolic of abundance, and is here in the house of money, with the Moon (sect light) closely conjoining it, and with rulership of the self and career (1st and 10th). However, more difficult indications pertain to Jupiter’s location in a dark place (2nd), out of sect (it’s a night birth), partilely overcome by Saturn (itself out of sect in a dark place), and the opposition from Mars in the 8th. Mars is noteworthy as it also opposes the Moon, the significator of the body. Therefore, reversals of Jupiter’s fortunate indications can pertain to either malefic.

Whitney Houston’s Natal Chart

Last Solar Return: 8th House Saturn Rising

 

Whitney Houston 2011 Solar Return

While I find considerable significance in both precessed and non-precessed solar returns in my own practice. Here, I use Houston’s normal (non-precessed) solar return (note: I do no relocate returns). Her final return is striking. Saturn, natural significator of death, is in Libra conjunct the return Ascendant, significator of the self and conjunct natal Mars. Libra is Houston’s 8th house (house of death). Return Saturn is dominated by return Mars in Cancer.  Additionally, Jupiter, the lord of the year, is placed in the solar return 8th house.

Last Lunar Return: 8th House Saturn Rising

Whitney’s final lunar return took place on January 28th, 2012, and is pictured.

Houston’s Final Lunar Return

Her final lunar return echoed the solar return with Saturn in Libra rising again, strongly advancing toward the return Ascendant within 6 degrees.

In this case, Saturn was additionally in the bound of Mars (natal occupant of the 8th house).  The lunar return Moon, significator of the body, applies an opposition to Saturn. Saturn is also opposed to Jupiter (lord of the year) out of sign but within 3 degrees. Jupiter is again in the 8th house of the return.

Monthly Profection: 7th House, Mercury

The monthly profection of the Ascendant for the month of death (Feb. 9th to March 9th) is to the 7th Place, Virgo, ruled by and occupied by natal Mercury (side note: nMercury is conj. her nPluto within a degree). The 7th place, the place where the Sun and planets set, was one of the places associated with death in ancient astrology (though often less so than the 8th).

Of the 7th place, Manilius (1st Century CE) wrote, “…wonder not if it is called the portal of somber Pluto and keeps control over the end of life and death’s firm-bolted door. Here dies even the very light of day, which the ground beneath steals away from the world and locks up captive in the dungeon of night” (Manilius, Astronomica, Book 2, 951-954, Goold trans., p. 157-159).

Interestingly, Houston (symbolized by the profected Ascendant) entered the house (7th) occupied by transiting Mars which was at 20 Virgo at the time. Natally, Mars occupies Houston’s 8th House of death.  The monthly profection is congruent with the significations that the month beginning Feb. 9th may bring her into contact with danger (symbolized by transiting Mars). Mars was afflicting Mercury (lord of the month) and in the natal chart afflicts Jupiter (lord of the year). Additionally, the lord of the month, Mercury, was at the time transiting through Aquarius, occupied by natal Saturn.

Transits (outer) to Natal (inner) at Time of Death

Death Transits: The Moon Arrives, Saturn in Focus

On the day of her death in Beverly Hills in the early afternoon of Feb. 11, 2012, the Moon was transiting through Libra, Houston’s 8th house. She was transiting there with Saturn and past natal Mars. Meanwhile, the transiting Sun, with Mercury (lord of the month), in late Aquarius, cogently emphasized the Sun-Saturn configuration. The Sun’s transit of her Saturn was still fresh within 3 degrees of orb at the time of death.

Transits to Houston’s Natal at Time of Death

References
Manilius, M. (1977). Astronomica. (G. P. Goold, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Loeb Classical Library.
Image Attribution

Featured image of Whitney Houston performing in Milan on 05/03/2010 (cropped) by Luca Viscardi [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons