After the last article I thought it might be a good idea to give you a chance to practice your skills! 🙂 I have chosen Nobel Prize Laureates for Literature because there are good photos to be found for each of them at the official Nobel Laureates Site. Not all of the Laureates have birth times available for astrological investigation so I have chosen those where a birth time has been given. This is still not a guarantee for accuracy but it is a starting point. Please don’t misunderstand me. The planet ruling the term of the Ascendant is not an exclusive factor for showing appearance, that would be a mistake, but it is surprising how close one comes. I would venture to say that you will guess at least 50% of the term rulers correctly. I will provide the birth times and the ‘correct’ answers at a later date. So put on your planetary looking glasses, don your astrological thinking cap and have a go…
1. Günther Grass
2. Heinrich Böll
3. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
4. John Steinbeck
5. Pablo Neruda
6. T.S.Eliot
7. Hermann Hesse
8. Toni Morrison
9. Samuel Beckett
10. Jean-Paul Sartre
11. Albert Camus
12. Winston Churchill
13. Selma Lagerlöf
Altair Astrology 
Hello Thomas,
I cheated and looked up Winston Churchill in the Clifford Data on Solar Fire. 😉
But I was surprised to see 29* 56’ Virgo rising, giving Mars as Term ruler. I am always suspicious of ‘exact’ times of birth and therefore it would appear that the Terms could be a very handy tool for rectification n’est ce pas?
Winston Churchill
1:30am GMT
30th November 1874 (NS)
Woodstock, England
51N52 001W21
Ascendant: 29* 56’ Virgo
If Winnie was born later than the stated time, say up to 1:59 am then his Ascendant would lie within the first 5 degrees of Libra in Saturn’s Terms. According to William Lilly Saturn bestows a lumpish unpleasant countenance with dark swarthy complexion and black or sad hair, and as Winston was a very good looking young man with guinea gold hair and a ruddy complexion I think that if anything needs ‘tweaking’, then it would be backwards rather than forewards, and that his ascendant was indeed somewhere in the last 6 degrees of Virgo.
CA p. 67 says for Mars: “Generally martialists have this form: they are but middle stature, their bodies strong, and their bones big, rather lean than fat; their complexion of a brown, ruddy colour, or of a high colour, their visage round, their hair red or sandy flaxen, and many times crisping or curling, sharp hazel eyes, and they piercing, a bold confident countenance, and the man active and fearless. When Mars is oriental, (yes) he signifies valiant men, some white mixed with redness, a decent tallness of body, hairy of body.” ends quote.
You no longer have your photograph displayed on Altair Thomas. It would have been fun guessing the Term ruler of your Ascendant! 🙂
Love
CarO
Hello Caroline,
Did you now! 🙂 It is after all a quiz of sorts and so it really wasn’t cheating. Yes, if the term ruler seems ‘fishy’ then it is a good indication that the chart should be rectified. I agree with you. I also think that Winnie’s demeanor has more Mars than Saturn. What where your guesses for T.S. Eliot and Jean-Paul Sartre? They birth times given have term rulers that do not at all seem to fit. On the other hand it took me about 3 seconds to guess the term ruler of Samuel Beckett’s Ascendant. I think there it is quite easy. The same also applies for Pablo Neruda.
No there is no longer a photo but it is the same as that of Günther Grass and Samuel Beckett. 😉
Love,
Thomas
‘Morning Thomas :0)
These are only ‘guesses’ because I don’t have the birth data for any of them apart from Winston, and obviously any planet actually on the ascendant, or aspecting the ascendant or its ruler, or even aspecting the term ruler would have a significant affect upon the ‘corporature’ of the individual. But I will kick the ball off with:
1. Gunther Grass = Mars
2. Heinrich Boll = Jupiter
3. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn = Jupiter
4. John Steinbeck = Mercury or Jupiter
5. Pablo Neruda = Venus
6. T S Eliot = Mercury
7. Herman Hesse = Mercury
8. Toni Morrison = Saturn
9. Samuel Beckett = Mercury
10. Jean-PauL Satre = Mercury
11. Albert Camus = Mercury
12. Winston Churchill = Mars
13. Selma Lagerlof = Mars
Love
CarO
Hello Caroline,
You are very, very brave to venture giving the first set of answers! 🙂
Love,
Thomas
If it is some encouragement for other readers the following individuals have the same term planets:
Günther Grass, Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn, Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus and (likely) Winston Churchill. Does that help?
1. Gunther Grass = Moon
2. Heinrich Boll = Jupiter
3. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn = Mars
4. John Steinbeck = Saturn
5. Pablo Neruda = Moon
6. T S Eliot = Uranus
7. Herman Hesse = Saturn
8. Toni Morrison = Mars
9. Samuel Beckett = Uranus
10. Jean-PauL Satre = Saturn
11. Albert Camus = Gemini
12. Winston Churchill = Mars
13. Selma Lagerlof = Mars (Scorpio eyes!)
Hello NR
Interesting! I too thought the Moon was descriptive of both Gunther Grass and Pablo Neruda! They both have such phlegmatic faces.
So seeing as how the terms are the only set of dignities that exclude the Lights as rulers, maybe they both have either Cancer rising or the Moon on the Ascendant?
I am still not sold on the idea that neither Light rules a term because neither can be ‘confined’ though Thomas. Is there any backup information for this please?
Love
CarO
Psssssssst NR ….. a quiet word in your shell-like!
Did you realize that Altair was a ‘traditional’ blog and therefore Uranus hasn’t been discovered yet, let alone been promoted to term ruler. Perhaps you would like to reconsider your choices before Thomas sets up his ducking-stool?
I promise I won’t tell him!
Love
CarO
Thanks, Caro! Okay:
1. Gunther Grass = Mars
2. Heinrich Boll = Jupiter
3. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn = Mars
4. John Steinbeck = Saturn
5. Pablo Neruda = Moon
6. T S Eliot = Mercury
7. Herman Hesse = Saturn
8. Toni Morrison = Mars
9. Samuel Beckett = Mars
10. Jean-PauL Satre = Saturn
11. Albert Camus = Mars
12. Winston Churchill = Mars
13. Selma Lagerlof = Mars (Scorpio eyes!)
I’ve made changes because Thomas said that Günther Grass, Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn, Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus and (likely) Winston Churchill have the same term planets.
Thomas, when do we get the answers?
>I’ve made changes because Thomas said that Günther Grass, Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn, Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus and (likely) Winston Churchill have >the same term planets.
*****************************************
Um, Yes he did didn’t he! And as I happen to have ‘insider information’ in that Thomas’s own ascendant is in the terms of Mars I will now have to amend my list LOL!
1.Gunther Grass = Mars
2. Heinrich Boll = Jupiter
3. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn = Mars
4. John Steinbeck = Mercury or Jupiter
5. Pablo Neruda = Venus
6. T S Eliot = Mercury
7. Herman Hesse = Mercury
8. Toni Morrison = Saturn
9. Samuel Beckett = Mars
10. Jean-PauL Satre = Mercury
11. Albert Camus = Mars
12. Winston Churchill = Mars
13. Selma Lagerlof = Mars
Interesting that where you saw Uranus, I saw Mercury for both Samuel Becket and Albert Camus, who are apparently in Mars’ terms, so I am not at all sure that term ruler is a reliable indicator of face and form!
I would never have guessed Mars for Solzhenistsyn, but thought Jupiter or even Saturn rather than Mars!
What are you going to do about Pablo? I agree he does look very phlegmatic, but the Moon doesn’t rule any of the terms. I opted for Venus the next most phlegmatic planet.
Love
CarO
Hello NR and Caroline!
Soon, very soon. LOL. I am working on a follow up article that is a bit more detailed, I should have done this before putting up the ‘almost’ quiz. But then as an almost quiz I’m allowed to. 😉
’til then,
Thomas
PS Irregardless of system used, neither of the individuals above has Mercury as term ruler of the Ascendant. Surprising for literary types, n’esct pas? But then looks have only just a wee bit to do with what goes on inside! But here are the Ascendant signs, in advance of the answer:
Taurus- Morrison
Leo – Steinbeck, Lagerlöf
Virgo – Camus, Winnie(?)
Libra – Winnie, Grass, Eliot
Scorpio – Beckett
Sagittarius – Böll, Neruda, Hesse, Sartre
Aquarius – Solzhenitsyn
I’m in over my head with traditional astrology and I have to look up what “term ruler” means. But from what I understand so far neither sun or moon can be ruled.
Hello NR,
Well there is no time like now! 🙂
Th.
So here we are. The ‘answer’ I’m going to be lazy and give the birth data at another time. ;-):
The order of the terms will be first Egyptain, then Ptolomeic, then Chaldean. Note that the order has been determined by lot so as not to seem to give any system preference by order.
Grass, diurnal, Mars, Mars, Venus
Böll, nocturnal, Saturn, Saturn, Mercury
Solzhenitsyn, diurnal, Saturn, Mars, Venus
Steinbeck, diurnal, Jupiter, Saturn, Jupiter
Neruda, diurnal, Jupiter, Venus, Venus
Eliot, diurnal, Venus, Mars, Jupiter
Hesse, diurnal, Mercury, Saturn, Saturn
Morrison, diurnal, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars
Beckett, nocturnal, Mars, Mars, Mars
Sartre, diurnal, Venus, Venus, Venus
Camus, nocturnal, Mars, Mars, Mars
Churchill, nocturnal, Saturn, Saturn, Saturn (if you accept the time)
Lagerlöf, nocturnal, Saturn, Mercury, Venus
Thank you very much Thomas 🙂
Love
CarO
Hello Caroline,
🙂
Some swear by the Egyptian terms others by the Ptoloemaic. Maybe it is like the modern theory of light. In some cases you think of light as a particle and in others, where it seems more appropriate as a wave.
Love,
Thomas
Is it not an crucial to present the condition of the planet who is the bound ruler of the Ascendant to deciphering one’s appearance ? That is, the condition of that particular planet results in the quality of the appearance. Whether badly afflicted or highly exalted, it will result in an appearance matching the description of that bound ruler. This an educated hunch.
To decipher appearances, I generally use the Decans, which also go by the name of Faces. Here the condition of the planet is unimportant, and the ruler is standing on its own as the “pure shining essence” itself. A person with many planets in a particular bound will have the appearance of that planet in a “pure” expression of the planet.
I wonder how well we would do by using the Faces ?
I think the Sun and Moon also play a critical role in the appearance as well, along with the oikodespotes. My oikodespotes is Mercury and just so happens to be ruled by Saturn, who is also the Bound Ruler of the Ascendant. I definitely look like a combination of Saturn, Mercury and the Sign of Mercury and the Sign of Saturn. The Sun with Mercury and the Moon with Saturn. Some appearances are easier than others, we can say !
Also, whether (in this instance) Saturn is oriental or occidental will result in long straight hair or hair with waves or curls. Occidental will give the straight hair. I can’t remember where that is from. Lilly ???
I got 4 out of 13. I’m not a visual person !! If they were moving pictures, I’d’ve done better, and I’m sure that is the case with everyone else.
Hello Seneca,
I appreciate your intense reading of various articles here at Altair Astrology, seeing how many comments you have written in one day alone!
The quiz was intended as a “teaser” and so I didn’t present all the chart details, only the appearance, leaving it up to the reader to explore this question more thoroughly.
Ideally it is best to have experienced the individual live. As you rightly point out, a photo only captures an instant and that through a camera’s lens and from an angle chosen by the photographer. A film is slightly better as something of the persons facial gesture is captured, but even there, there is a camera inbetween.
best regards,
Thomas