Origin of the Ennead

[Jim Eshelman]

In writing about the Ennead the last few days, it has occurred to me that most students have no information on the statistical basis of its discovery. I didn't reproduce this in Interpreting Solar Returns, in the Ennead chapter, and it doesn't get much attention elsewhere.

Garth Allen introduced the Ennead less than a year before his death, in the September 1973 issue of American Astrology. The salient points are as follows, under the title "Return Theory Updated":

• When the Solar Monthly Return was first introduced (Sun every 30° around the zodiac - same degree, minute, and second as at birth, but of each successive sign, once per month), Bradley investigated its possible merit. He tested it "statistically, using mainly death and accident cases." He found statistically significant results in favor of the SMR.
• However, the results were anomalous. The charts for Sun trine natal Sun (two of the non-SSR SMRs in the course of the year) were "surprisingly on the plus side, even more than the "square" returns, called the quartisolars."
• (It is no longer a surprise to me that the quarti-solars performed so poorly. I've given up on them, other than for the narrow purpose of determining the quarter of a year when primary SSR results will manifest. The key here is that, other than the SSR itself, the SMRs that were most strikingly significant were the two where Sun trined Sun.)
• Initially bothered by this, Bradley soon realized "that the originally Egyptian, currently standard Hindu, system of 'novienic' or 'navamsa' divisions of the ecliptic also held true as viable returns." This meant "nine basic 'solar returns' during each year," one for every 40° of Sun's travel.
• He went on to show how often the Bible etc. spoke of life circumstances that lasted "40 days" or "40 days and 40 nights" - the average duration of an Ennead being just over 40 1/2 days (ranging from 38.3 to 41.9 days).
• "With the exception of the first or conjunction solar return, which applies to the full year ahead in general and the first 40 days after one's birthday in particular, each of the novienic solar returns holds sway over a period averaging just over 40 days and nights."

He concluded quite strongly, a startlingly powerful statement when we recall who made it:

I believe it can be stated quite unequivocally, on the basis of extensive statistics, that the novienic solar return is more intense in its impact than even the familiar lunar return. So lucid are its indications, we are tempted to suggest that the recent proliferation of "return" formulas - kinetics, anlunars, and all their cousins - amounts more to a search for the novienic return than to practical truth. What is more, there is evidence that the 40-day period breaks down into four "decanate" subintervals of 10 days apiece. It would be wise for each student to set up his "quarti-novienic" solar returns for major events in his past life, to see for himself if this approach is not more reliable than the saturation-bombing, using a profusion of intricate chartings, he has applied to his astro-biography.

He cited an unnamed colleague's suggestion that this technique be called the Ennead ("eeny-add") with the quarters called "decilium" (or, as he said, "some such old-fangled title").

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

He found statistically significant results in favor of the SMR.

Your opinions on its (SMR) merit?

[Jim Eshelman]

Jim wrote:

He found statistically significant results in favor of the SMR.

Your opinions on its (SMR) merit?

My opinion was always boredom. They weren't very good. My understanding of the above is that when you pull the SSR and two "trine" charts out - even though the Demi and Quarti were left - the remaining nine SMRs were no longer of any statistical interest.

(You beat me to the punch. I still have a lot of bullet points to type above )

[SteveS]

Thanks Jim for Bradley's research.

[Jim Eshelman]

A mix of being a troublemaker and being practical:

As the quote above shows, Bradley wasn't committed to the term decilium. I've always found it awkward, it invariably makes me think of silly,, and I have to look up how to spell it almost every time (it seems like it surely should have a double-L).

It also strikes confusion with the aspect named decile, which is one-tenth fo a circle or 36 degrees.

Since it isn't really a Latin word brought forward, or even a regular Latin derivative, I wondered if there was a better way to render the idea. Digging through dictionaries, I found the word decade doesn't just mean a period of ten years, it means any set of ten things. Not much more than a century ago, it actually was used to mean a ten-day period. It's structurally consistent with pentade, a term used for a 5° segment of the zodiac.

So, I'm likely to start calling these charts Decades. (The word "return" doesn't belong because nothing is returning anywhere.)

The urge to get away from decilium goes way back. In the '80s, on the rare times Matthew Quellas and I would discuss them, we'd always call them demi-ennies (for the halves) and "the ten-day" for the quarters.

I'm fine with Ennead for the full chart, although I keep thinking about wandering back to NSR, a term very briefly in use for Novienic Solar Return. This, of course, invites calling the 10-day charts Demi-NSR and QuartiI-NSR, though I tend to like Decade Chart better.

[Jim Eshelman]

I've been using the word Decilium to denote a single one (ten-days period), and Decillia for plural

The plural would have as many L's as the singular, i.e., decilia, not decillia.

Decades doesn't feel just-right because this term has already been in general use denoting the 10-years period of time; I think we need something more specific.

It is, though, the literal meaning of the word (any set of 10 things).