“Persian Nativities” and Sect

I recently received my copy of “Persian Nativities” translated and edited by Ben Dykes. Now this article isn’t quite a review as I have just finished reading the introduction and am partway into the Book of Aristotle. I can only speak of a first impression.

It is always refreshing to read a translation where the translator actually thinks in detail about the content and presentation of his translation and where the Introduction ( of course you read the introduction, don’t you?) already provides a few seminal ideas. This is the case here. In section 6 of the Introduction Ben Dykes speaks of the concept of  ’sect and being “at rest.” ‘ I would like to discuss this a little as I think it is an exciting idea.

A planet in its own sect is referred to by Hugo of Santalla, who translated the Arabic text into Latin, as having quies and quietus, in other words as being at rest or restful, as Ben Dykes points out. How may we visualize this and how may it help to understand sect qualitatively? This is the image that came before my minds eye, actually there were two, but first things first. If you light a candle in a room that has little or no draught, the flame will burn steadily and quietly, and although constantly in motion appears to rest on top of the column of the candle. The flame consumes not only the wax of the candle but also the air (oxygen) around it, so in effect there are barely visible swirls and eddies of warmer and colder air around it. But the general appearance is that of rest. Now carry the candle outside into a light breeze. There the flame is likely to dance around and almost gutter. Sometimes larger, sometimes smaller until either the wind quietens or it is extinguished. Now a planet, traditionally is not just a block of matter, it is a potency, and that is anything but passive. So a planet in sect is like the ever active flame that is allowed to unfold its potency, quietly and effectively. A planet out of sect is not allowed this, its potency must contend with an inimical environment. So the Sun by day effectively shows his potency. His light and warmth are present, felt and seen by all. At night he still sheds light and warmth but it is not experienced.

A second analogy could be found in the animal world. Just think how uncomfortable a nocturnal animal such as the owl or bat would be during the day. Restless would be lightly spoken. The same could be said for a diurnal animal such as a Robin.

I look forward to the passages in the text where sect is discussed. You should too.

Dodecatomoria: What are they?

The name itself already tells us that we are dealing with a technique that hellenistic astrologer’s commonly used. It literally means, “twelve fates”. Just as the circle of heaven is divided into 12 zodiacal signs so too is each sign in turn divided into 12 dodecatomorion of 2 1/2 degrees each. There is one small difference. The first dodecatomorion of a sign is always of the same sign. Only in Aries is the first dodecatomorion Aries. The first dodecatomorion of Leo is Leo continuing onto Cancer as the last dodecatomorion of that sign. As they are multiples of 2.5 degrees they are fairly easy to find. But for the mathematically inclined there is also methods to calculate them. I will present the system of 12 here, where ordinal numbers (0 to 1 is the 1st degree) are used.

1. If every 2 1/2 degrees of a zodiacal sign is one dodecatomorion, then every 5 minutes of a zodiacal sign is a dodecatomorion degree (60 / 12 = 5)
2. Multiply the zodiacal degree by 12 to determine the position along a 360 deg. circle. Divide by 30 and you have the number of signs. The remainder is in degrees. The remainder is added to the number of degrees determined by the step described below.
3. divide the number of zodiacal minutes by 5 and add this to the degrees determined above. The sum is the number of degrees of the dodecatomorion.

An example: Suppose we want to find the dodecatomorion of 15 Sagittarius 30?

1. 15 x 12 = 180 , 180 / 30 = 6  the dodecatomorion is 6 signs away in Gemini.
2. 30 / 5 = 6, in 6 degrees of Gemini

Another example: What is the dodecatomorion of 29 Pisces 59?

1. 29 x 12 = 348, 348 / 30 = 11 signs + a remainder of 18 degrees
2. 59 / 5 = 11.8 degrees, 11.8 + 18 = 29.8 degrees Aquarius

The Dodecatomoria provide yet another level of detail. They are not unlike the bounds (terms) or the decans (faces) and can be used in a similar fashion.

A planet that has just entered its domicile it is also in its dodecatomorion. It has entered into its house and is immediately at home. If it enters its exaltation, the effect of the exaltation is felt immediately and is probably the strongest there. Now about midway the planet will become “weary” of its home and strives once more to go out of its house and engage in some activity. In the middle of its domicile it is also in the dodecatomorion of its exile. So this is the first impulse to leave home (maybe too much housework!). The same is true for exaltation. In the middle of the sign of its exaltation a planet enters the dodecatomorion of its fall. All that adoration and worship begins to become wearisome, time to have some peace and quiet! The middle dodecatomorion is for planets in their domicile and exaltation reflects on a larger scale what happens on the MC. The highest elevation has been reached. After that it is downhill.

The opposite is true of planets entering their exile or fall. They receive the full brunt of the debility the moment they enter their exile or fall. At the middle of the sign they are in the dodecatomorion of their domicile or exaltation. This is like being on the IC. It can only go uphill and get better. The deepest point of weakness or bitterness has been reached.

The Best Astrology Books

Sometimes the best astrology books are not about astrology at all, but of far deeper things that apply to all arts, crafts and sciences. One such is a book on Typography, The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst. Here is a passage from the forward of the book which struck me. I am sure you will agree that its wisdom applies also to Astrology though superficially Typography and Astrology might seem to have nothing more in common that the  “y” at the end of their names.

One question, nevertheless, has been often in my mind. When all right thinking human beings are struggling to remember that other men and women are free to be different, and free to become more different still, how can one honestly write a rulebook? What reason and authority exist for these commandments, suggestions and instructions? Surely typographers, like others, ought to be at liberty to follow or to blaze the trails they choose.

Typography thrives as a shared concern – and there are no paths at all where there are no shared desires and directions. A typographer determined to forge new routes must move, like other solitary travelers, through uninhabited country and against the grain of the land, crossing common thoroughfares in the silence before dawn. The subject of this book is not typographic solitude, but the old, well-travelled roads at the core of the tradition: paths that each of us is free to follow or not, and to enter and leave when we choose – if only we know the paths are there and have a sense of where they lead. That freedom is denied us if the tradition is concealed or left for dead. Originallity is everywhere, but much originality is blocked if the way back to earlier discoveries is cut or overgrown.

The Elements of Typographic Style, pp 9-10, Robert Bringhurst

This is a beautifully crafted book, not only in its language but also in its presentation. Looked at from the standpoint of the rules and approach that any craftsman who loves his craft must have, is as apt to typography at it is to astrology. His discussion of tradition touches the core of why we as ‘moderns’ must look to the past if our craft is to have a future. It also cuts through the thicket of arguments that declare the superiority of one method over another (for example the  ‘best’ house system &co.) I can even envision the many roads that cross the landscape that is astrology, sometimes running parallel, sometimes crossing and sometimes parting into completely different directions.

The chapter headings are very suggestive; The Grand Design, Rhythm and Proportion, Harmony and Counterpoint… It requires little imagination to fill in the astrological counterparts.

If you are looking for a book to brighten a winter day, one that offers a view into deeper things and a book that is certain to give you a perspective for looking at astrology you never thought possible then this is for you. There is even a bonus –  you will immediately be able to spot a serious astrology book just by glancing at its typography!

Dr. Nostuabuk: Gnudung Peeweep Rx

Gnudung Peeweep Rx or for the uninitiated Xr Peeweep Gnudung had the unfortunate distinction of being born with all of the planets in retrograde. How he managed that remains a great mystery. Although his chart was certified by “Charts-R-Us” I believe his astrologer must have been overcome by the scent of Gnu and misread his ephemeris — after all how can there be a retrograde Sun and Moon?

Sir Peeweep had his own unique interpretation of retrograde planets:

• When ye Sonne goes Rx bee sure to wear stripes, that way the reversed rays won’t rearrange gnu in a way that mighte not please gnu.
• When ye Moone goes Rx do not go into ye cellar as ye maye not finde your waye backe downe when she goes direct. Ye Moone has a verie shorte Rx, aboute 1 millionthe of a seconde.
• When ye Mercurie goes Rx, speake slowlie so thate when he returnes ye can quicklie catch whate ye saide. Thene ye wil gnu whate ye saide.
• When ye Venus goes Rx, make shure to telle ye beloved all ye sweete thinges (s)he doesn’t want to hear. Ye beste endearement to use is not “cupcake” but “gnudle”.
• When ye Mars goes Rx, collecte any monies gnu, thate waye ye needn’t have any expenditures at this tyme.
• When ye Jupiter goes Rx use ye gnudle ande buye stocks, especiallie those made of woode, thene when Jupiter goes direct ye can selle them with ay profite.
• When ye Saturne goes Rx, it is beste to sleep under ye bed, thate waye no one can get youre gnuse.

And as Sir Peeweep gnu about the outers, I am including his aphorisms:

• When ye Herschel goes Rx, turne offe any radar as thene it wille goe neither backwarde or forwarde, it wille alwayes give ye same reporte.
• When ye Neptune goes Rx, doe not paye it ye least attention.
• When ye Pluto goes Rx, trye no gnu recipes as they wille turne into dunge.

Out of the Gnustic Archives, Vol RXX

As with most lists of aphorisms you will have to put each of them in the correct context. So if Mars is the Lord of your second house his aphorism might just be right!

Are you Receiving me?

Two high-tech explorers are trekking through mountainous terrain, and since they trust their technology, they separated. After all they still have radio contact…

“Hello William, are you receiving me?”

“Yes, Edward, but just barely. Th……r..e i………. plet… of sta..mph.”

“Could you repeat? There seems to be heavy static.”

“mmm…..ph.tztz. tztzz. ssspila…”

“Hello William are you receiving me? Hello? Hello?”

“Reception”, “receiving light” are frequent concepts used in older astrological literature and may seem confusing to a modern reader.

As our hapless explorers are discovering sometimes there are dead or skip zones which cannot be reached by radio-waves. It is likewise with the planets and their interactions.

First we have what is called the “reception of light”.  For example, Venus receives the light of the Sun. They behold one another is another expression used in the literature – in modern terms they aspect one another. The word aspect, says the same thing, it is derived from the Latin, ad- specere –> aspicere –> aspectus, to look, view or gaze upon. In the chart below I have indicated the classic aspects of sextile, square, trine and opposition;  you will note that there are also “skip” or “dead” zones where the light is not received. These are regions, to use our explorer analogy, where there is plenty of static. The planets do not behold each other when so placed.

Where the Planets do and do not "behold" each other

While modern astrologers make no distinction between who is aspecting who, earlier astrologers saw a qualitative difference. Does a planet receive an aspect from another in the flow of the signs (a sinister aspect) or against the flow (a dexter aspect)? In our example Venus receives the light of the Sun in the flow of the signs. The aspect is sinister. The Sun receives Venus’ light against the flow and so the aspect is dexter. Qualitatively the Sun is the stronger planet in this aspect configuration.

Reception has a second usage and that is in terms of dignity. Let us say in the above example that the Sun is in Aries and Venus in Leo. The Sun is exalted in Aries and by day is also in his triplicity and should he be in 10 to 19 degrees, also in his face. Venus in Leo has little or no dignity (she is in her terms from 13 to 19 degrees) So the Sun has strong dignity and Venus little. But now it gets really interesting. How do Venus and the Sun receive each other? Venus in Leo is in the Sun’s domicile. Sun in Aries is in Venus’ detriment.

As you can see considering reception in terms of dignity adds another level to how each planet receives the light of another. In the above example the Sun is the dominant planet both through placement and through dignity.

Oh and by the way our explorer story has a happy end:

“Edward, Hallo Edward are you receiving me now?”

“Yes William, all clear, we seem to be in sextile. See you at base camp in an hour…”