Arabic lots – spiritual components of the natal chart (part one)

By definition, Arabic lots represent astrological factors found by mathematical calculations that include three other factors in the horoscope such as planets or angles. The distance between the two factors is added to the third (usually the ascendant), thus obtaining the position of a certain Arabic lot. It is one of the most important astrological concepts, although the most mysterious. The lots are thought to be more closely related to the spiritual part of human existence, so they are ascribed deeper meanings in the interpretation of the natal chart topics. In Hellenistic astrology, they were primarily used to give additional meanings to signs and houses in the interpretation of certain topics in the chart, e.g. if the lot of marriage falls into the second house and Scorpio, that house and its ruler add some significations concerning marriage, although these places would not be observed in connection with the said subject in some ordinary procedure. Furthermore, in practical terms, lots could also be regarded as that third point that astrologers would interpret in the context of a particular natal chart topic, such as offspring, marriage, career, etc. The first step would be to analyze a suitable planet, such as Venus concerning marriage. Then the respective house and its ruler would be considered, in this case, that would be the seventh house, and finally, the third step would be to analyze the appropriate lot, in this example, the lot of marriage. This is also implicit in the “threefold rule”, that is, if something is indicated in one area of ​​life through only one of these three factors, then the outcome is possible, if two factors point to the same, then the outcome is probable, and if confirmed through all three, then the outcome is certain. By far the most famous is the lot of Fortune, also known as the lot of fate, but there are innumerable lots and it can be said that they flourished in medieval astrological practice. But the topic of this two-part study are seven hermetic lots, with special reference to the four lots that Hellenistic astrologer Vettius Valens pointed out as the most important, namely the aforementioned Fortuna, Spirit, Eros (Love), and Necessity, and these are dealt in detail in the part two.

Arabic lots originate from the Babylonian astrological concept of the relationship between the Sun and Moon through the arc of the longitudinal distance between them projected from the point of the horizon (Ascendant). Although some claim that their origins are Egyptian, it seems that, like everything in astrology, two basic astrological factors have been derived and conceived from this original order. In contrast to their commonly known name, Arabic lots have been developed methodologically for the most part in Hellenistic astrology. The Arabs added a large number of new ones to this method while retaining Greek heritage. Arabic lots serve for deeper natal analysis and to uncover the intrinsic meaning of the horoscope. The seven basic Arabic lots are the points of the soul, or those pillars of the soul, derived by analogy from the seven planets of the horoscope. These seven planets are related to Pythagoras’ numerical week and even earlier before him, with dualistic ancient Persian Mithraism, that is, Persian mysteries of the sevenfold initiation of worship, as well as the seven steps of the fall of the soul, which, on the way to the earthly embodiment, passes through 7 planetary spheres and to ascend through them back to one of the four celestial gates after death: Aldebaran – east, Regulus – north, Antares – west and Fomalhaut – south, which are therefore referred to as the royal stars and guardians of the heavenly gates. Plato’s interpretation of the fall (descent) of the soul seems to be inspired by the Persian mysteries. Plato speaks of the eighth sphere, the sphere of the stars, that is, the zodiac, which is considered to be the place where souls originate from and from which everyone, individually, on its journey to Earth, passes through seven planetary spheres in the Chaldean order from Saturn to the Moon. On this journey, the soul is enriched by each sphere, endowed (blessed) with the pure planetary essence of each planetary principle, which is more or less corrupted by earthly incarnation. After the death, the soul ascends in the reverse order of the journey (from the Moon to Saturn) to purify itself from earthly flaws through each sphere individually according to the type of flaw (about them later). The more it rises through the spheres and the cosmic purification, the soul becomes easier and purer to enter the eighth sphere of bliss perfected. Aristotle adopted this theory from his teacher. St. Thomas Aquinas, a worshiper of Aristotle, was familiar with this theory of the connection between soul and planet. There is speculation that this theory is closely related to the seven virtues and the seven deadly sins of Christian theology. The first three virtues: hope, faith, and mercy are known as theological virtues, while the other four (wisdom, steadfastness, temperance, and righteousness) are called natural virtues. These virtues are thus related to the planetary virtues and vices so that we have:

 

Planet Virtue Sin
Moon Hope Gluttony
Sun Faith Pride
Mercury Wisdom Envy
Venus Mercy Lust
Mars Courage Rage
Jupiter Temperance Greed
Saturn Justice Laziness

 

Virtues and sins are thus brought into correlation with the lots of the soul. This is especially notable if we observe that each planet has its “own” lot. Specifically, in Chapter 23 of his „Introduction to Astrology“, Paulus of Alexandria presented a method of calculating seven lots that are related to traditional planets, while citing the work known as “Panaretus”, whose authorship is associated with Hermes Trismegistos. These are called “hermetic lots”. In the picture below you can also see the method of calculating these points (all distances are projected from the ascendant):

 

arabic lots
Arabic Lots calculation table

 

The first thing that we can see here is that only the lots of Fortune and Spirit are calculated based on the distance between the luminaries (Sun and Moon), while in other cases, the lots are calculated from the distance between the corresponding planet and either the lot of Fortune or the lot of Spirit or vice versa. When it comes to this calculation, and in connection with the foregoing, we can observe certain important hermetic principles that are coming to light here. First, the ratio in these calculations seems to take into account the ruling luminary, or luminary of the sect. Thus we see that the calculation for the lot of Fortune always starts from the ruling luminary to the other, that is, in day births (where the Sun is the ruling luminary), this lot is calculated by measuring the distance from the Sun to the Moon, that is, the starting point is the Sun, whereas at night births it is the Moon, as the ruling luminary. Such a measurement seems to imply the idea of ​​moving from light to darkness since the calculation literally moves from a dominant luminary at certain times of day or night to the luminary that is somehow obscured at the time observed. This can be related to a deeper hermetic conceptualization that darkness is associated with matter and physical incarnation. In contrast, we see that the math for the lot of Spirit is opposite, that is, it always starts with the luminary that is opposite to the ruling sect, or to the luminary that is dominant at a given time – i.e. from the Moon to the Sun in day births. This also implies a hermetic relation of light with spirit and intellect.

Some other patterns can be observed concerning other lots. As it can be seen in the diagram above, lots associated with positive significations, such as the lot of Eros and the lot of Victory (Jupiter), are both calculated from the lot of the Spirit. The others, which have negative implications, are calculated from a lot of Fortune. It is obvious, then, that the lots of the benefic planets are related to the concept of spirit and light, and therefore to the lot of the Spirit, while the lots of malefic are linked to the concept of darkness and matter, and hence to the lot of Fortune. It seems possible that these assignments were made simply due to the apparent brightness of each of the planets involved, with Venus and Jupiter being the two brightest visible planets, and Mars and Saturn being the darker visible planets.

It is also interesting to note that some lots are calculated from the lot (Spirit or Fortune) to the planet, and some from the planet to the lot, both in the day or night nativities. The possible rationale behind this may again have something to do with the dominant luminary. Namely, the lot of Spirit is also called the lot of the Sun, and the lot of Fortune is considered as the lot of the Moon. As we can see, during the day, the lots of Venus and Jupiter are calculated from the lot of Spirit towards Venus and Jupiter, respectively, or vice versa at night. The concept behind this comes from the principle that the Sun is the one that emits light by day, so his lot assumes the same principle, while at night it behaves more closely to the nature of the Moon, that is, it receives light. In other words, this calculation is based on which of the two luminaries is more dominant in the calculation for lot of Spirit. Therefore, in day births the calculation moves from the lot of the Spirit towards the corresponding planet, imitating the principle of emitting light similar to the Sun, while in night births this calculation will go from the planet to the lot, which now plays the role of “recipient” since the Moon is a dominant luminary. This applies only to these two points since it’s only them that include the lot of the Spirit. However, the same principle seems to apply to the lots that include the Lot of Fortune. As in the daytime, the Moon is the dominant luminary in calculating the Lot of Fortune, and just like the lot of the Moon is opposite to the dominant luminary, the Sun, it acts as the recipient of the light, so the calculation starts from the planet towards Fortune. At night, when the Moon is the ruling luminary and the Sun is the dominant planet in the calculation of the Lot of Fortune, Fortuna is the one that “emits” light, so the calculation goes from it to the corresponding planet. We will return to these observations when we talk about the lots of Eros and Necessity mentioned by Valens, which are calculated differently than described here.

Since the lots calculation methods are given in the diagram above, in the rest of the text we will focus on the description of enumerated hermetic lots according to Paulus of Alexandria:

Paulus connects the lot of Fortune with the Moon and points out that it signifies the body, the things that native does to acquire possessions, reputation, and privileges.

As stated, the lot of the Spirit is connected with the Sun, hence it signifies the soul, intelligence, the exercise of all power (dunasteia), and is sometimes relevant in determining the career of the native or his profession (praxis).

The lot of Eros is associated with Venus and signifies desire and appetites as well as friendships and services.

The lot of Necessity associated with Mercury signifies restrictions, oppression, fighting, wars, hostilities, hatred, condemnation, and other limiting circumstances.

The lot of Courage is associated with Mars, thus denoting boldness, betrayal, strength (or raw power) and all evil deeds.

The lot of Victory is associated with Jupiter, thus signifying faith, good hope, competition, all kinds of benevolence, enterprise, and success.

The Lot of Nemesis is related to Saturn, so it refers to the ghosts of the underworld, things that are hidden, weakness, sadness, and the quality of death.

 

Izvori korišćeni u tekstu:

  • Chris Brennan – Hellenistic Astrology: The study of Fate and Fortune
  • Chris Brennan –  The Theoretical Rationale Underlying the Seven Hermetic Lots
  • Robert Zoller – Arabic parts in Medieval Astrology (a lesson from DMA course)
  • Nataša Karalić Koprivica – traditional astrology blog link

 

Age of Aquarius – part three or when does the New Age begin?

In the earlier texts that now make up the trilogy of the coming Age of Aquarius, we have dealt with the qualities of this Age through various symbolic representations. Thus, in the first part we looked at the age of Aquarius through the prism of mythology and esoteric philosophy, and the second part was concerned with astrological symbolism of the coming change. In this final part, I will try to come up with an answer to the question that has caused many brainy astrologers to sit and wonder, and that is when does this New Age actually begins?

The Aquarius era is considered to be a spiritual turning point – for society as well as for each individual. There is a lot of speculation about its beginning. Has it already begun, is it yet to come, or is humanity already in the middle of that Era? Opinions are completely divided, so that International Astronomical Union (IAU) takes the year 2601 as the starting date, some astrologers declare that the year 2375 is the beginning, and, as we are about to see, the opinions are equally incoherent among various mystics.

Our quest is hindered by the fact that the transition period during the shift of such long periods of time  takes quite a long time in itself as well. In this sense, I think that we can freely accept one of the fundamental astrological principles here, which is that when a planet or a horoscope point finds itself in the last five degrees of one sign, it already partially assumes the characteristics of the next. Why are these five degrees important now? Precisely because, according to generally accepted astrological calculations, the precession point of equinox is now at five degrees Pisces. Therefore, this may also be the reason why we are already feeling this coming change, as described above, so I think that in essence, no fixed date of this change can be determined, but that we are rather speaking of gradual flow directed by different turning points. One such point is the primary theme of this text.

It is worth revisiting here this famous precession of the equinoxes and what does it really mean? The Sun completely circles the zodiac every year and returns to the point from which it began – the spring equinox – and every year it misses a little to make a complete circle in the sky within the prescribed time. As a result, it crosses the equator slightly behind where it was last year in the zodiac circle. Each zodiac sign consists of thirty degrees and, as the Sun loses one degree every 72 years, it returns through the entire constellation (or sign) in approximately 2160 years (which represents one Age), and through the Zodiac in 25920 years. . This retrograde movement is called the precession of the equinoxes. This means that over the course of about 25,920 years, which makes one Great Solar or Platonic Year, each of the twelve signs occupies a position at the spring equinox for almost 2160 years, and then it shifts to the previous sign.

age of aquarius
Precession of the Equinoxes

This definition provides us with an essential information, namely that an astrological age lasts approximately 2160 years. So to determine when will Aquarius take the throne it would be important to know when the Pisces age began, and to measure 2160 years from that point. In this search, it seems to me that many have overlooked a very obvious reference, and this is precisely the calendar that we use. This calendar takes as its starting point the birth of Jesus Christ and is marked as a Christian era, a new era, that is, dividing time into that before and after Christ. When we remember that the current age of Pisces symbolically matches Christianity, we can quite clearly identify the concepts of the Christian era and the age of Pisces. From this setting, the calculation would be very simple, the Aquarius era begins in 2160.

Why is it that the religion is so significant in this story? According to Abu Ma’shar, “religion” is what precedes the formation of any ruling dynasty and, accordingly, it is the fundamental principle of every social order. It should be noted that he doesn’t refer to “religion” as being of non-secular type; it is a simple explanation that religion inspires people’s faith in the laws that stem from it. These laws in turn allow and give legitimacy to the formation of dynasties from which rulers are recruited. After the establishment of religion and its laws, it is possible to predict changes in centers of power between nations, even within the same nation, ie. between different ruling families. (1)

Thus, the true causes of the greatest changes in social order are not the shifts of individual rulers, but changes of religion that has primary power in establishing a new order. When we refer to “religion” we are usually inclined to think of some esoteric doctrine that necessarily contains the concept of “god.” But it is easily forgotten that everything that requires to be fatefully accepted is a religious doctrine, whether it is belief in some “higher power” or that human ethics and morality are the highest authority (“democracy”). The only difference between these is that one is secular, the other is not.

Whether they have been aware of this important fact or not, but many esoteric and other traditions have emerged, proclaiming their religion or teaching as a paradigm of the new age, and that it is their doctrine that represents the new world religion that will usher in the Age of Aquarius. We described many of these currents in the first part of this trilogy, when we stated that we did not see them wrong or contradictory, but as different aspects of one current.

age of aquarius
Atu XX – Aeon – from “Non Est Secundus Quia Unus Est”, book of Tarot archetypes by Richard Moult

Thus, for example, Aleister Crowley proclaimed that the New Age began on April 8, 1904, when he received an obscure publication called the Liber Al Vel Legis (‘Book of Laws’) from the “celestial powers” in the period between April 8 to April 10, proclaiming it to be the “Bible” of the new era. At that time, according to his interpretation, the “Aeon of a Murdered God” (Osiris) was replaced by the “Aeon of the Crowned and Victorious Child” (Horus). In the 1938 issue of Liber Legis, in connection with the arrival of the Horus Aeon, Crowley considers: “ He rules the present period of 2,000 years, beginning in 1904. Everywhere his government is taking root. Observe for yourselves the decay of the sense of sin, the growth of innocence and irresponsibility, the strange modifications of the reproductive instinct with a tendency to become bisexual or epicene, the childlike confidence in progress combined with nightmare fear of catastrophe, against which we are yet half unwilling to take precautions. ” Similarly, Anton Szandor LaVey founded the Church of Satan in 1966, also as the religion of the new aeon. Furthermore, the Theosophists tell us, through Alice Bailey, that according to Tibetan teacher Djwhal Khul, behind whom the Eastern Hierarchy of the “Master of Wisdom” powerfully stood, Aquarius was inaugurated in June 1945. on the full moon when, at the strongest energy base beneath the Gobi Desert, Christ-Maitreya assumed the scepter of power, becoming supposedly the World Master and Leader for the next 2,500 years: “In the center of this triangle / = Light, Love and Power / Christ has taken His position : from this point His work begins in the Age of Aquarius, and will last for 2,500 years. Thus, He began a new age, and a new world religion began to form on the inner spiritual levels. ” According to Jungian astrology, it is on February 7, 1962 that we entered the Aquarius era: at that time, most of the planets of the solar system were grouped in Aquarius. Divine clairvoyant Jean Dixon (USA) stated that on February 5, 1962, the Great Antichrist was born – “A child born somewhere in the Middle East shortly before 7:00 A.M. (EST) on February 5, 1962 will revolutionize the world. Before the close of this century, he will bring together all mankind in one all embracing faith. This will be the foundation of a new Christianity, with every sect and creed united through this man who will walk among the people to spread the wisdom of the almighty powers.” In the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, there was a certain awakening among humankind, Aquarius was everywhere present; but the nature of this movement was rather raw, rebellious and enthusiastic, best exemplified by the hippie movement, which sought to make opium and psychedelics a religion for the people; but it should be said that in those eccentric hippies who anemically and anecdotally imitated Christ, some saw those who are “preparing” the coming of Aquarius in all its power.

Now it would be worthwhile to consider some methods of mundane astrology, especially the so-called Great Conjunction of chronocrators – Jupiter and Saturn, which can give us significant insights in this regard. So, in the first chapter of the first part of his work “On Great Conjunctions”, Abu Ma’shar states what elements for the purposes of mundane predictions need to be analyzed.

The first place / level takes the transition ie. the return of the JU / SA conjunction into signs of fiery triplicity and this is the so-called Great Conjunction. Abu says that this new beginning occurs in the sign of Aries every 960 years, but if we look at the series of conjunctions of the chronocrators 7000 years back, we will see that it never happened in Aries, but all were without exception in Leo (except the last one, which happened 1663 to Saggitarius). This period does not last for 960 years, but for the period from 795 to 854 years.

However, the actual number of years is a side matter, the essential idea is that the return of the conjunction of the chronocrators in the sign of fiery triplicity becomes an indicator of a universal new beginning, a radical change in the structure of the previous order of things. The last such change occurred in 1663, so it is interesting to note that it was followed by social and political changes that almost perfectly fit into the symbolism of Aquarius. Thus came the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment, and numerous revolutions such as the French and the emergence of the United States of America, which in a sense can be considered the epitome of that “new democracy” stemming from the maxim of the French revolution “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” a guiding idea in this brave new world. There is also the industrial revolution, which, in only few hundred years, was inherited by the enormous breakthrough and advancement of science and technology, up to the quantum physics and information age we are witnessing today. However, this “new democracy” faces many adversities, so we cannot quite accept that it is this new religion of the coming age.

On the second level, we have the so-called „medium conjunctions“ ie. those that transition from triplicity to triplicity, representing a change over a period between 179 to 238 years, as the series of 12-13 conjunctions of chronocrators last in signs of the same triplicity. This indicator provides information on developments in religions, kingdoms and dynasties, and announces the birth of a new religion or dynasty. The second level is contained in the first and not vice versa; the former gives indications of the latter, but the latter cannot give indications of the former, which points to a clear hierarchical principle upon which this theory rests – in accordance with the philosophy of astrology as a whole. It is especially interesting that such a change, that is, the transition of the great conjunction into Air triplicity, occurs precisely on the winter solstice in 2020, namely at 0 Aquarius!

What could all this change bring? In the sense of the foregoing, I think it is worth recalling that the shift of this conjunction into water triplicity, more precisely in Scorpio, led to the birth of a new religion – Islam. Can we then interpret this next conjunction, though this time in air triplicity, as predicting of the emergence of a new religion or a new doctrine that is so necessary in the Age of Aquarius? What we can find in the sources of the astrological tradition is that Abu Ma’shar gives an overview of the strength of conjunctions depending on the sign in which they occur, and explains how the transition of conjunction to the new triplicity generally reflects the geographical shift of centers of power / influence. Conjunction in airl triplicity symbolizes the rise of the peoples of the northern regions, the strongest of those conjunctions being in Aquarius, medium in Libra and weakest in Gemini. As conjunction occurs in Aquarius, traditionally, this sign is related to the following areas: according to Ptolemy, Asian Russia, the wider area around the Amu Darje River on the northern border of nowdays Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan all the way to the Aral Sea, Arabian Peninsula, whole East Africa. According to Vettius Valens, places symbolized by Aquarius are: the Red Sea and Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Libya and northeast Europe above the borders of ancient Thrace. The same parts of the US and Canada belong in the subdivision to this sign. That is, all northeastern parts of any geographical entity can be assigned to aerial signs so that the northern parts always belong to Aquarius, south to Gemini, and Libra to the easternmost.

In general, these would be some areas where significant changes could occur and that are most likely to  shape the main stream of the currents of this new Aquarius’ age. By this I do not want to proclaim 2020 as the year of the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, but merely point out this important symbolic representation as being particularly indicative of the new age. Without any intent to announce some extremely apocalyptic scenarios, I still think it is important to keep in mind that the possibilities are indeed numerous – it may be the birth of a new world religion, the creation of a new bloc or alliance of states, perhaps the birth of a new leader, some revolutionary scientific discovery, or something similar. The modality in itself is not that important, as much as the fact that this is something that will essentialy and decisively direct the development of humanity towards the symbolic representations of the Aquarius era, the qualities of which have been discussed in the previous section. It is through this symbolism and characteristics, with the above geographical and formative references, that we can follow the events in the period after 21.12.2020. for the said change will represent their strongest sublimation. That is, some new religion or doctrine will have all the features described above and will emerge among the peoples of the north, and I would say that it will be the most important impulse in unwinding of this shift towards the Age of Aquarius. This will create fruitful ground for the emergence of new archetypes, mythos, new urban legends with ancient rural legends restored, which will open a portal to something still mysterious that cannot be accurately described by the known words, so we look for it in the language of symbolism. The process of gradually discovering this spiritual impulse is both collective and individual, marked by various turning points. Mankind as a whole goes through this process, just like any individual human being. Accordingly, this observation of mine may only be yet another of such points, which ultimately doesn’t have to prove as being so important, although, due to its temporal reference and symbolic significance, in conclusion, I would describe it as being of strongest influence so far.

Age of Aquarius – part two

In the previous text, we have considered the Age of Aquarius from the perspective of religion, mythology and esoteric philosophy, now it’s time to look at the astrological connotations regarding this issue. At the outset, it is worth considering the traditional astrological symbolism of the Aquarius zodiac sign. First, it should be said that Aquarius is a male, airy, fixed, hot and moist sign of human and Western symbolism. It symbolizes high places, roofs, eaves. It has a light blue color. In terms of the west, it may be significant to notice that religions and mystery schools have been saying that the Messiah will appear in the west.

The symbolic emblem of Aquarius is the aquifer, who is, while kneeling, pouring the water he brings in the act of humble service. Although classified as an air sign by its elemental qualities, Aquarius is, in many respects, considered a “forgotten” water sign, its very name indicates this connection to water, and ultimately it draws many of its symbolism from the aquifer’s spout. But this symbolism of the free flow of water has little to do with the ever-burdening ocean of the psyche displayed by the signs of water triplicity, but in this act it seeks to purify, enlighten, and clarify. The floods that followed the culmination of this sign and seasonal change were seen by the ancients as periods of refreshment, when the earth, again baptized, would be cleansed of sin. The month of February was named in honor of the purification ceremonies that would take place during the passage of the Sun through Aquarius (Latin: Februa = purify + auris = pertaining to), when society’s attention would be focused on purifying home, body and soul. After the cleansing, we are restored, so this classic symbolism also captures the element of youth and innocence through the identification of the aquifer with Ganymede, whose gentleness and beauty captivated Zeus, as we saw earlier.

In traditional astrological sources, we come across the following descriptions of  Aquarius:

aquarius
The symbol of Aquarius

Vettius Valens says that „Aquarius is the celestial sign which is masculine, solid, anthropomorphic, somewhat damp, single. It is mute, quite cold, free, upward-trending, feminizing, unchanging, base, with few offspring, the cause of troubles arising from athletic training, carrying burdens, or work in hard materials, an artisan, public. Men born under this sign are malicious, haters of their own families, incorrigible, self-willed, deceitful, tricky, concealing everything, misanthropic, godless, accusers, betrayers of reputations and the truth, envious, petty, occasionally generous (because of water flow), uncontrollable.“ (Anthologies, Book I)

The astrological influences of the constellation given by Manilius:

“The youthful Waterman, who from upturned pot pours forth his stream, likewise bestows skills which have affinity with himself: how to divine springs under the ground and conduct them above, to transform the flow of water so as to spray the very stars, to mock the sea with man-made shores at the bidding of luxury, to construct different types of artificial lakes and rivers,” and to support aloft for domestic use streams that come from afar. Beneath this sign there dwell a thousand crafts regulated by water. Why, water will even set in motion the face of heaven and the starry habitations, and will cause the skies to move in a novel rotation. Never will the sons of Aquarius grow tired of the works which come in the wake of water and follow springs. They who issue from this sign are a gentle sort and a lovable breed, and no meanness of heart is theirs; they are prone to suffer losses; and of riches they have neither need nor surfeit. Even thus doth the urn’s stream flow” [Astronomica, Manilius, 1st century AD, book 4, p.243.]

Firmicus Maternus in „Mathesis“:

“If the ascendant is in Aquarius, whatever the native attains will be lost and ruined; whatever he seeks he will lose again, but whatever he has lost he will regain easily. He will do favors for many and help them with means of subsistence, but they will always be ungrateful. He will be in great danger so that his life is despaired of, but he will be freed by protection of the gods. Many men will attack him with fierce hatred. He will work with divine or religious writings and will be known to many for his good deeds. ”

Abraham Ibn Ezra:

“Aquarius is one of the air signs, male and day, moderate in the group of winter signs, immobile, its ascension hours shorter than normal (short ascension), tilted on the ecliptic. Its nature is warm, moist and destructive, symbolizing the air that destroys everything that is alive and exterminates. A man born under this sign will be low in stature, with a large head and one foot larger than the other. He is generous, attractive and confident, and his only ambition will be to increase his wealth. He will either be impotent or with few or no children. Born in the first face (decan) of this sign, he will have a beautiful face and body, with a scar on his chest and will be refined. Born in the second face, he will be tall and ugly and have a scar on his back and below the elbow. Throughout his entire life he will be miserable. The one who is born in the third decan of this sign will be low but attractive and will be lover of women (will be craving). At the very end of the sign, a man will be inconsistent in his appearance and actions… ”

To understand Aquarius, we can hardly do anything better than take the other three kerubic signs and harmonize them. The Aquarian has all their powers and qualities to some extent, but never to excess. He has the kindness of Taurus without its blind devotion, the courage of Leo without his combative and challenging qualities, the scientific spirit of Scorpio without the passionate intensity. Aquarius is essentially the all-round man. One cannot put one’s finger upon a definite lack in his character, and at the same time, one cannot say that he markedly excels in any feature save that of being armed at all points.

As we can see, the descriptions vary a lot, which partially complicates our task of putting them in the context of the Age and its peculiarities that we are talking about. Nevertheless, the interpretation of Robert Zoller, one of the leading astrological authorities, especially from the point of view of its esoteric essence, can certainly help us here, which interpretation we find to be the most complete. Therefore, Zoller notes the following:

During the Piscean Age, the benefic Jupiter ruled the angles. Jupiter ruled both Pisces on the 1st and Sagittarius on the 10th, and thus, while there was confusion of hierarchical religious institutions and political institutions and while this inevitably led to hypocrisy, the Age was nevertheless one in which truth and philosophy mattered to men. The Piscean Age will, as this Aquarian Age unfolds, be seen as a halcyon period of semirespite from the essentially malefic and spiritually destructive nature of life.

In the Aquarian Age the malefics once again rule the angles and with them returns the natural severity of worldly life. Where once the religions of the Age south to embody the City of God in early hierarchies, the New Order will seek to perfect the Machiavellian political philosophy that “its better to be feared than loved if one cannot be both.

The Novus Ordo Saeculorum, the New Order of the Ages, will rule through the power of life and death (Scorpio, which is on the 10th), through behaviour modification, cloning, genetic engineering, mind control and the occult. Might makes right in this New Age. If the preceding Age produced metaphysical materialists, who duped the people through the opiate of religion, the New Age will produce materialist metaphysicians who will make the preceding political power elites look like inept apprentices.

In the Age of Aquarius, religion will be humanistic love of fairness and justice. While feeding the people with Libran platitudes, the Scorpionic rulers will work tirelessly toward the realization of their goal – absolute power over others, as Leo is seen in position on the 7th house. The will of the people will be towards freedom of expression (Aquarius), and they will be encouraged to do their own thing so that they keep their minds off what their rulers do.

Scorpio rules through oligarchic power elites who manage to be seen in the light they wish to be seen in. This means capturing to the utopian hopes of the people: offering them the collective doctrines such as socialism (not necessarily Marxism, but in one of its many guises). Extreme brands of Fabian communism and new versions of communism have merged with technocratic, scientific socialisms to produce a new strain of sociopolitical reality in which it is often impossible to discern left from right. These changes have been apparent since the 1990s and will continue. The west, as was so tragically shown on September 11th 2001, is increasingly coming into conflict with the traditional values predominating in the east. We will see this conflict intensify until the dialectic brings a proper resolution.

The family will be considered property, and in the great selfless movement to come, great pressures will be put upon the population to dissolve family completely. So great will be the pressure that in some cases familial connections will have to be kept secret. Those who are able to maintain the blood bond (in all its various manifestations) will be in a position to wield extraordinary power temporally, economically, and politically. These groups will give rise to certain secret societies, which will quietly cultivate the traditional values and institutions until the 2160 year dark age is passed. These secret societies, or secret families, as indicated by the earthy triplicity Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn – especially Taurus and Capricorn – will be the only direct route to the traditional Prisca Theologica, the true, secret, esoteric tradition, since ten signs from Capricorn brings us to Libra. This indicates the area in which the activities of these groups will be felt, in the 9th house, where they will be surreptitiously supplanting the official party line regarding religion, or more properly philosophy. The word religion will be offensive to the humanistic emphasis of the Age.

We cannot forget, however, that Saturn, ruler of Aquarius, is exalted in Libra and that in the Aquarian Age Libra will be on the 9th house. Thus there will be strong drives among Men during the Aquarian Age for 9th house teachings. The emphasis will be for the most part humanistic, for the preference for ancient forms in Aquarius and Saturn will preserve the ancient teachings, even though other forces in society will, as we have said, seek to suppress them.

Thus, the Aquarian Age, while not a dualistic Age, will nevertheless be intrinsically one in which the battle between spirit and matter will go on as never before. The opportunities for perfection, (Saturn as ruler of the 1st and exalted in the 9th) will be greater than ever, and the obstacles due to the doubt inherent in the Air signs. Aquarius, for instance, in an Air sign, and in the libertinism of the Age will also be greater than ever. Social interaction will be philosophic (Sagittarius is on the cusp of the 11th house). Groups of friends discussing and studying philosophical subjects should be a common enough occurrence that, occasionally, one will find some who seriously approach the teaching, (Sagittarius – three signs from Libra and from the archetypical 9th house). Many social groups will centre on the athletic activities, which are also Sagittarian.

Money will be seen as a means for satisfying one’s sensual drives and fantasies (Pisces on the 2nd), as well as providing emotional security, specifically as a means of escaping from the unpleasantness of the world. The co-rulership of Jupiter of the 2nd and the 11th points to income being a more important means to social selection than at present, despite the apparent universal socialism of the Age.

Knowledge will be valued only insofar as it leads to the ability to wage war and destroy, because Aries is on the 3rd house. In fact, the cultivation of knowledge as a source of military power will eventually lead to a secret means of altering and controlling such things as earthquakes and the Earth itself, even the core. This knowledge will be held by secret societies and eventually leads to a new socio-political system far more earthbound than the Capricornian Age after the year 4320.

As the Aquarian dream of humanistic science and universal brotherhood is a vision of the world to come in Pisces, and realized in Aquarius, so too, the Aquarian avant-garde will look forward to an Aquarian Golden Age on the one hand, while the Aquarian technocrats will look for a world corporation to fossilize society into a rigid caste system run technologically. Elements are already working for this, but, while it may be realized to some degree in Aquarius, the Age being essentially rebellious will deny it and present innumerable obstacles to its completion until the Age of Capricorn.

The danger in Aquarius is the abuse of knowledge and science, not of industry and trade.“

age of aquarius
Richard Moult – The Exile’s Song

We can already testify to many aspects that indicate that this famous Aquarian era will not be as colorful and beautiful as the descriptions that are often encountered suggest, because one cannot neglect the fact that it is an era dominated by the essential malefic. However, it is true that Saturn is slightly different in Aquarius, it is its main house and the place he most rejoices in, so it has more intellectual qualities here. Aquarius is the sign of the highest intellectual abstractions and achievements, and in it Saturn gives an intelligent, very stable and rational nature capable of understanding the most difficult intellectual problems, and as such is more scientific, and therefore this rapid development of science and technology is not surprising. But we are also fearful as to where is all that development leading us , because robotics, genetic engineering and the like are leading towards the creation of a mass of obedient robots and dehumanization. Yet, when we recall Saturn’s symbolism, we see that it also symbolizes all those who are humble and withdrawn, persistent, serious and devoted to science, symbolizing orphans, eunuchs, monks, ascetics and sages, magicians and those who practice magic and those who know the secrets and who convey the secret knowledge. It represents our grandparents, symbolizes long life and longevity, the elderly, and in the night charts it represents native’s father. The reference I find most intriguing is about those who know the secrets and pass on the secret knowledge, since Saturn is the planet of esoteric philosophy, and especially in nativities that have this planet as almutem figuris. I particularly find this evident in the airy Aquarius, which is also one of the best positions for Mercury. Consequently, and as Hall correctly observes, the Sun assumes the symbolism of the sign of precession, and therefore its divine form, so it is to be expected that this time will bring some new symbolic synthesis of science and religion, or spirituality, that complement each other. This is especially notable when we consider fanaticism of science as the antithesis of religion, so it is only logical that, according to the old dialectical formula: thesis-antithesis = synthesis, some new science and spirituality will emerge, which will be the paradigm of this new age. Something like this can already be observed in theories of quantum mechanics, parallel universes, and the like that are increasingly gaining scientific ground, while dealing with those unfathomable segments we traditionally regard as god. On the other hand, in this theological and symbolic sense, Saturn indeed represents Satan, and in many ways his age is already here, but we cannot say that this new age entirely can go into such heavy materialism and self-indulgence, since these conditions are a kind of antithesis to centuries long  religious suppression. Ultimately, I believe that in the future, in this new age, science will evolve towards the development of cosmic potential and the conquest of the Cosmos, but not through a purely empirical and over-obsolete scientific method that is fundamentally materialistic, but through a new method by which we will attain parallel universes, thus developing our potentials and awareness for a new evolutionary leap, which is certainly the Cosmic destiny of humanity. The Age of Aquarius will indeed give us unprecedented opportunities to attain spiritual liberation, purification toward enlightenment, but nevertheless, as astrologers, we cannot ignore the darker, sinister, and malefic forces of the planet Saturn that will be in operation during this period. Moreover, I think we will witness a dystopian future in at least one period, but there are still enough indicators to hope that we will be able to direct our evolution toward the vision described above, even if we have to go through the already described technocratic tyranny.

From these two texts we have been able to gain enough interesting insights into the characteristics of this new age, whose outlines we can clearly recognize in the present, so we have yet to determine when this new age comes, which we will deal with in the third part of this series of texts.

Astrology – the language of Nature: part two – About Time

In the previous text, we talked about astrology as a symbolic expression of the physis, or so-called nature of living beings, primarily humans. We did this through a description of temperament and Destiny that unfolds as a necessity of the manifestation of that unique nature. In this text, we will basically follow the same line, but we will now deal with the concept of Time, as a key segment of that same physis and how it is manifested in astrology, making it complete in the symbolic description of the nature of the native. Since astrology is mostly a predictive skill, time is certainly its essential factor. It is the starting point of any interpretation, since if we do not have the time of an event, we do not have a horoscope. And even the word horoscope itself, etymologically, contains time, since it comes from the Greek ὡρόσκοπος, or ὥρα (hora) which means “hour or time” and σκόπος (skopos) – observer, observation, and ultimately we get “observation of time of … (birth, etc.) “. This is so because every being, or any other event and everything that occurs on this planet, is determined precisely by the time of its birth. Time summarizes all the qualities of nature in a given moment which is imprinted in the nature of the native like a seal, and therefore in his destiny.  Time is also the greatest resource that man has at his disposal, but he is also always in race against it, and always lacks it, never able to catch it, man is torn between the past and the future. Time is a conflict of spirit, soul, and material body, for these three are united temporarily, by mortality. Ancient alchemists had a widely known secret formula for overcoming Saturn (Chronos – Time) which reads: “time should be mastered by the rhythm that will turn it into the eternal now”.

This connection can be most obviously made by observing the seasons. The seasons are also basic division of time at the level of the year, and one of the principles that Zodiac is divided upon. So, the first three signs – Aries, Taurus and Gemini – embody the attributes of Spring, each in its own way: Aries, as cardinal, marks the beginning of that age, while the most typical characteristics of spring are embodied in Taurus as a fixed sign, and finally we have Gemini, which, as a mutable sign, still retains spring attributes but they are now largely mixed with summer. And so it is with the other seasons and the corresponding zodiac signs. The position of the Sun in some of them is our birthday, but more importantly, the symbolic attributes of that season are manifested in our temperamental structure, ie. nature or physis. Accordingly, the Sun in Aries will bring warmth and moisture, that is, sanguine temperamental expressions, as they are suitable for spring. From what has been said, it can be clearly seen how much we are really a part of the nature that surrounds us as just another offshoot of it, connected to it in the most mystical way, which we can interpret through astrological symbols.

saturn time
Saturn (Chronos)

 
But, in addition to that, the basic premise is that Time is already inherent in all living beings, it is part of their own physis. This stems from the fact that Time is Numinous – that is, of living beings, and thus biological not linear (of-causality).  Accordingly, Time varies according to Physis. That is, varies according to the nature, the character, of the living entity that manifests – presences – it, so there are a variety of different species of Time. Each living being has a Fluxion (since Time is a Fluxion) appropriate to – which re-presents/manifests/presences – its physis and thus which is appropriate to/manifests its type/species of life. Therefore, our kind of Time, us as humans, is different from those that correspond to other life forms. We can clearly witness this by observing the nature around us and thus see how different forms of life have some time of their own that is part of their nature, as the appropriate processes of their development take place when the time comes for it. So, animals have mating seasons, migration seasons, hibernation seasons, all in accordance with the fluctuations in Nature that activate their internal cycles. Although these processes can be monitored at the species level, they are equally individual, because not every bear goes into hibernation at the same time, but each of them does so in accordance with its inner time, which dictates the pace of their development and ultimately evolution. It’s the same thing with plants, and of course with humans. It should be noted that this flow is not linear, but more spiral, since some of the same seasons are repeated at regular intervals, but each time at a different level from the previous one, so there is no repetition as such, no matter how it appears on the outside. That illusion of repetition and identicality, ie. a line that goes only forward, has given us yet another abstraction of the calendar measurement of Time, although it does not coincide with our actual, inherently own time. So, not all people that are 40 are equally old. Nor does spring come every year in every place on March 21st. Yet it seems that the people here have once again exchanged essence for form, giving precedence to the latter, though aware of its incompetence. The primary purpose of the calendar seems to have been forgotten, and that is to be a symbolic representation of Time, not its faithful indicator.

It should certainly be noted that all these individual times are subordinated to some higher fluctuations of Time and cannot “override” them, more precisely, they are only their segment. Each of those greater Time cycles possesses some of its own characteristics, some of its own zeitgeist (spirit of time), and  human natures and their times are subordinated to that spirit, i.e. to his aeonic or evolutionary force, so man is “… just a straw among the ‘whirlwinds.’ In this broader perspective, human natures do not necessarily embody all the characteristics of the given Age, they can be its antithesis, and perhaps the harbingers of some Change, but all this still remains as “Nature’s intent” that we talked about in the previous text. So some Times will favor bad people, without honor and morals, as leaders in those periods, giving them the highest functions and titles, while those who are different, precisely because of their nature, thay are simply lost in that whirlpool, that is, they are in a certain discrepancy with the course of Time, either late or in a hurry, while the natures of these others are synchronized with that course. Of course, it is clear that leaders are only an expression of a collectively unconscious need, and perhaps the latent aspirations of the majority towards that same way of life and such a character for which there is secret admiration. From what has been said, it can be seen what kind of feedback mechanism is in force here and how the change of consciousness can give an evolutionarily progressive momentum, but like a pendulum, it can go in opposite direction.  However, this is already a story for a new text that will deal with these larger time cycles, also known as the Ages or Aeons, and especially because we are close to a new one, Aquarius.

But let’s get back to the key topic. So, each person has its own time, period or season in which his potential matures and reaches a peak, so there are no regularities, although generalizations of this kind are somewhat symbolic and appropriate. Because just as it is true that everyone has their time, it is equally true that everything has its time. This Flow in astrology is represented through seven phases or periods in life, corresponding to the seven planets – starting from the Moon and, in the Chaldean order, all the way to Saturn. Life is divided into periods of planetary rulership so that the period of the first four years is ruled by the Moon, then to the sixteenth by Mercury, Venus from 16 to 22 and then from 22 to 42 is the period of the Sun, then to the age of 56, of Mars, when Jupiter takes rulership up to 69 and then, for the rest of life,  Saturn takes over. All those times were beautifully described by Shakespeare in his play “As you like it”:

“(…) All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”

 

time astrology

Seven stages of Life

 

As we can see in this most general division, the Moon rules the period of the first four years of life, which is quite corresponding to the fact that this is the period when children mostly absorb impressions from external reality, to which they react only emotionally and unconsciously, when they are very dependent on their mother, so everything symbolically corresponds to the Moon. The experiences that the native will have in that period are portrayed by the natal position of the Moon. Therefore, although this period is somehow universal for all people at that age and experiences are similar, the  real experiences will again be individual, conditioned by natal predispositions. Like in some of the previous writings, I would present this principle again through Mars and Venus. In that respect, it has always been interesting to me how, for example, certain professions, such as modeling, have a precisely timed period when those careers can begin, and that is exactly the period of Venus, that is in those adolescent years. Likewise, men generally experience their zenith in the forties, which is the period of Mars, while in women it is the opposite, since that is when menopause occurs. It is worth adding that the temporal conditionalities in this division also derive from the previous observation about humors in the body. So we have that the sanguine period is characterized by the first quarter of life and blood as the appropriate life juice, and so on to the cold and moisture of phlegm and black bile, so it is not surprising that this end of life belongs to Saturn, which unites it all with its symbolism. Even in colloquial terms, we come across these parallels, such as “autumn of life”, etc. This division of Time is further “brought down” by astrological predictive techniques to an increasingly individual and thus unique experience. Thus we have Firdaria periods which are the division of life into planetary periods, also according to the Chaldean order, but starting from the ruling luminary at the time of birth, i.e. the Sun in day and the Moon in night births, so these periods are interpreted in accordance with the natal position of the corresponding planet. Furthermore, more and more concrete techniques such as Firdaria subperiods, profections, primary directions, progressions, planetary, solar and lunar returns, which increasingly specify a certain time for an event, fit into this framework.

One of the primary considerations when interpreting the natal chart is the assessment of life expectancy, ie. our very lifespan is contained in the natal chart. This assessment starts from the hyleg, the planet or point that is the carrier of life force, and its ruler, known as the alcohoden. Alcohoden is the planet that has the most dignity in the place of hyleg, and according to some authors, it also has to aspect it. Each planet can assume the role of alcohoden and each one of them have their small, medium, larger and highest years, and these are assigned depending on the strength of the planet that is an alcohoden in natal. Lifespan can also be determined by the encounter of the hyleg with the anareta (the point of the destroyer of life) in primary directions. However, what is important here is the correlation of the assessment of the life force or strength of a horoscope, and thus the nature and constitution of an individual, with the duration of his life, and thus indicating how time is woven into the physis of the individual.

From this it is clear how Time is inherent in the nature of beings, for the potential promised by the natal chart will not be reached until it is symbolically activated by astrological predictive techniques, that is, before the Time for it comes. In accordance with the previously described, it should not be understood that these techniques condition or cause anything, they only symbolically show that my / your / her time has come. So, although it is considered that the third decade of life is  ideal period for marriage , it will not always be so, but everyone has their own time when he will attain that experience most completely. It is the same with career, and generally with luck or misfortune in life. Some people experience peaks in their older years, or earlier in their youth, although according to the general division, the zenith of life is in their 40s. By considering the natal chart, we can see what the natal potential of the native’s physis is, and how it, as an expression of its nature, will unfold through Time, in a completely unique way. The composition of the personality affects the pace at which things happen in a person’s life, ie. that tempo is contained in his nature, so someone will patiently and diligently build their achievements, someone will conquer them by assault and through struggle, someone will frustrate themselves again and again by giving up and retreating, and so on, everyone in his own rhythm unravels that fine weaving of their nature, at the same time getting to know and build themselves through consequential experiences. Astrology, as the language of Nature, in its symbolism abstracts all these aspects, allowing us an insight into that eternal Mystery that is Life.

All this ultimately leads us to the fundamental principle of Hermeticism – “as above so below.” The time cycles of the cosmos seem to be in a certain correlation with the inner cycles of human nature and its development, because there is an obvious synchronicity between the movements of celestial bodies with changes and events in human lives. Because the thread that connects the macrocosm and its cycles with our microcosm and its cycles is unbreakable. As we said earlier in the text The Question of Fate in Astrology, this connection is not causal nor can it be explained by some exact methods of modern science, it is simply mystical, presented in the only language by which it can be explained, by astrological symbolism that allows us to penetrate this connection and learn more about ourselves and our nature. Because of this described comprehensiveness and richness of symbolism that extends to all levels of existence and at all times, astrology will always possess the keys to the treasury of the Wisdom of Life!