Kay Cavender archives

[Jim Eshelman]

STAR CONSTELLATION ASTROLOGY
ANTHOLOGY TEXT FILES

I would hope that as many interested folk as possible see this info. I believe it is the birthright of everyone on more enlightened planets to know, at least, the actual astronomical, i.e., Star Constellation position of their Sun, and hopefully, Moon and Ascendant. - Kay Cavender

May you be Astronauts of Spirit,
And within your own sacred Directions
Tread the seasons' turning paths through each year's seven dark eclipses,
Emerge to walk the Moon of your understanding in full light,
And return always to bless the Ground of Being - renewed.

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KEY ABC'S OF A HOROSCOPE:
A> the Lights' (Sun & Moon) ASPECTS "TO" the planets;
B> any planets or lights "ON" the 4 ANGLES - which are the east/ASCendant and west/DSCendant points on the horizon crossed by the ecliptic, and the south/MC-and-north/IC Meridian crossed by the Ecliptic; and
C> CONSTELLATIONS of the Sun, Moon and Ascendant (ASC=eastern horizon intersected by ecliptic, the plane of the zodiac between Sun & Earth). That's it.

4 ANGLES: ASC-DSC. The Ascendant can be thought of as the (sunrise) eastern horizon position; the Descendant can be thought of as the (sunset) western horizon position. However, these (ASC-DSC) are the points on the horizon intersected by the ecliptic at any time of the day. [The ecliptic is great circle (or plane) of the celestial sphere that is the apparent path of the Sun among the stars defining the zodiac, as seen from the Earth.] MC-IC is the noon/south - midnight/north positions at any place on earth. (MC=Midheaven or Latin Medium Coeli - IC=Illium Coeli) These are the points on the Meridian, the celestial north-south great circle, crossed by the ecliptic at any time of the day. If there are 'angular' planets or lights in these positions, they would be considered the keynote of a chart.

[Jim Eshelman]

"First Light" by Kay Cavender.

What were the original principles in astrology from earliest known historical records? Implications of Fagan's and others' research regarding The First Light of the Crescent Moon on the conceptual basis & calculation of political astrology. Related Addendum notes the scope of opinion in more recent astro-archaeological investigations of megalithic sites and their functions.

* * *

FIRST LIGHT
Kay Cavender

Each spring equinox in the northern hemisphere brings the renewal of Earth's fertility, a time of expectation and regeneration, perhaps the best time for new year's vows. Although the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, hence not universals, nor the basis for the zodiac, still they are important seasonal markers. This year 1993, spring occurs March 20 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) in the constellation 5 PISCES 20' 58.9" according to the Fagan/Allen ayanamsa. Astronomically we measure the equinoxes in terms of the relationship between the Sun and Earth only, i.e., the Sun's conjunction with the crossing of two planes: the oscillating (and hence precessing) Earth's equatorial plane and the ecliptic plane between Earth and the Sun, both projected measurements from the Earth.

In studying ancient astrologies, it is important to note that astrology was 'naked eye' visually pragmatic as well as mathematical. In ancient Egypt, believed by some to be source of the original zodiac, the day began at sunset with the viewing of the night sky. The beginning of the New Year in spring for ancient Egypt's sacred lunar calendar was marked not just by the equinox but additionally by the first appearance of the New Crescent Moon, i.e., the MOON'S FIRST LIGHT. The first light of the New Crescent Moon seen from the Earth usually occurs within two days after the ecliptic conjunction of the
Moon & Sun (which is called the syzygy or astronomical new moon). This syzygy new/dark moon takes place on the 29th day of the Synodic Cycle of the Moon (of 29.5306 days). The almanacs of ancient Egypt & Babylon showed this dark moon as a day of ill omen 'because' eclipses of the Sun took place then. The "29th" degree still has negative overtones astrologically, but the "29th" was originally from the last day of the Synodic Moon Cycle, ie., the dark moon, NOT the ecliptic degree.

This FIRST MOON LIGHT event after the equinox will not occur this year until March 24 or 25, depending on where in the world one is. It is the 'heliacal' [near the Sun] rising of the New Crescent Moon in the WEST just after the Sun has set that would have marked this spring's new year for the ancients. From Cyril Fagan's "SOLUNARS" pub. 10/55 American Astrology: "Apart from their civil & Sothic calendars, the Egyptian priesthood also observed the lunar year beginning with the first appearance of the crescent Moon at sunset about the date of the vernal equinox, and at a period more remote than the earliest known Babylonian record of a similar observance."

The Egyptians regarded planets and stars as gods. Mystically these events, the (heliacal) cycles of return and disappearance of the goddesses and gods from the night skies, were invested with great importance. The First Light of any heavenly body visible on the horizon, as viewed from a particular place on Earth, marked a kind of new beginning. Most of ancient religious and philosophic thought about gods and goddesses came from the identification with cyclic forces in our solar system, the lights (i.e., the Sun and Moon) and planets. In Jungian thought, the planets & lights name Archetypes, which we understand as universal motivating forces. Another sidereal astrologer, and a scholar of classical Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphics, Rupert Gleadow in his THE ORIGIN OF THE ZODIAC, emphasises the importance of the reappearance of the new crescent as from earliest times (page 210): "The word translated 'exaltations' means in fact 'hiding-places', and the hiding places of a planet are obviously those parts of the zodiac in which it is invisible, and especially the degree in which it disappears from view into the sun's rays at 'heliacal' setting and the degree of its reappearance at 'heliacal' rising. The same is true of the moon, and is proved by the distance of the moon's 'hiding-place' from the Sun's, 14 degrees, which is a typical elongation for a new crescent....these phenomena change their positions every time they occur.... Until the
zodiac drew attention to the position of planets in constellations, the chief focus of interest in them was their heliacal disappearances and reappearances..."

Further on heliacal disappearances and reappearances, Gleadow says regarding the Egyptian Nut Diagram, one of the earliest known horoscopes (from the chapter: The Horoscope of Eternity, page 193), "...they were all diagrams, or horoscopes, for the rising of Sirius.... The reason is that the diagrams were all for New Year's Day, and the Egyptian year effectively began not on the date of Sirius' 'heliacal' rising, which would have given slightly different dates for different parts of the country, but at the following new moon."

Although various scholars may not completely concur in the facts they had and the conclusions they drew, Dr. E. C. Krupp's ECHOES OF THE ANCIENT SKIES, The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations, a brilliant overview, also notes the importance of heliacal phenomena in ancient cultures in Egypt and in other than Egypt. For instance, (on page 170-171), "This isolated collection of upright megaliths is in northwestern Kenya. The stones were erected in this curious pattern in about 300 B.C., and the site is known as Namoratunga II. Its alignments are consistent with the traditional calendar of the people in the region....These stones at Namoratunga II are not actually devices used to measure the positions of stars. They are too big and too close for that, and calendar keeping by the stars doesn't require detailed mapping of their positions. The date of their appearances and disappearances are significant, however, and the Namoratunga megaliths could have been used as reminders and guides to the stars of calendric importance."

On page 175, Dr. Krupp also notes the the Sumerian calendar's orientation to the first crescent moon: "In Mesopatamia it was probably the Sumerians, the people who built the formative civilization of the region, who put the first formal calendar into use. The
Sumerian calendar was lunar, but its months began when the first crescent was sighted in the west."

Further consideration of the zodiacal beginnings follows from Cyril Fagan's Introduction to his SYMBOLISM OF THE STAR CONSTELLATIONS:

"From the beginning of astrological history, which seems to have originated in the valley of the River Nile, the Egyptians appear to have regarded LIBRA as the first of the zodiacal constellations. The Egyptian & Babylonian zodiacal constellations must not be confused with those imported into Greece by Cleostratus of Tenedos in the middle of the 6th century B.C., for they were each exactly 30 degrees in extent and were reckoned from [KEY marking stars:] the Pleiades in TAU 5 degrees, Aldebaran in TAU 15 degrees, Regulus in LEO 5 degrees, Spica (the Fiducial) in VIR 29 degrees, Antares in SCO 15 degrees....

"The earliest era known to us is that of Harakhte (Mars), which commenced on September 15, 3130 B.C. at 4.30 am L.M.T., at which time Spica rose heliacally at Heliopolis, making the ascendant precisely Libra 0 deg 00'. Owing to its south latitude (-2d 02') Spica 'bodily' rose with the beginning of Libra....The Egyptian and Babylonian Lunar year commenced during the dynastic periods, with the first "appearance" of the crescent Moon in the constellation Aries, which marked the lunar "New Year's Day" (1st Nisan), and which began at sunset...immediately after the sun had set, when the opposite constellation, Libra, was crossing the ascendant. Hence, the rising of LIBRA tallied with the beginning of both the Egyptian & Babylonian lunar years. Incidentally, during the same dynastic periods, the Semitic "Civil" year commenced on 1st Teshrit (Autumn) when the Sun had entered the constellation Libra....Although the beginnings of the native and sothic months were determined independently of the date of the crescent moon, yet from the earliest times, the Egyptian ideogram for a month was the well-known astrological symbol for the Moon. This would clearly indicate that the Egyptian year was originally lunar, and like that of the Babylonians and the Hebrews, began with the new moon of Easter."

Today, one remnant of ancient astronomical celebrations is still preserved in our Easter celebration as the Sunday in April nearest the equinox's full moon (rather than its new moon). But for the most part, we have lost sight of the First Light Beginnings. It seems to me that especially in matters of mundane/political astrology, this concept has
significant consequences. Crrently, political lunar returns are generally cast for the time of the astronomical new moon at the capitol. Othen than in L. Edward Johndro's work, I have not seen its application in political charts of monthly (Synodic) New Moons nor in reference to the equnoxes. But in general, the application of the Rising and Settings of the Lights, planets or stars, and their culminations, must be seen as central to astrology. We now know from work done by archeo-astronomers (such as Hawkin's STONEHENGE DECODED; Krupp's ECHOES OF THE ANCIENT SKIES) that most ancient
observatory/sacred sites point to the RISING and/or SETTING of either or both of the LIGHTS, as well as to stars, to mark seasonal events. Light is, after all, of the essence.

My wishes for renewed Light Beginnings for all from our SUN and MOON and other guiding Lights.

SIDEREALLY YOURS, Kay Cavender

P.S.> In response to several BB EMAILS on this post: Yes, based on historical research by (primarily) Cyril Fagan and others, I do question the very basic concept of political/mundane charts for the seasons. These are calculated for the astronomical occurrence of the Sun's solstices & equinoxes WITHOUT reference to the new Moon's
crescent ON THE EARTH'S HORIZON as was anciently done. For many siderealists, it is ultimately the Earth's angles (ie., DIRECTION/TIME POSITIONS: the east/rising, west/setting, south/M.C., and north/I.C.) which individualize the celestial bodies' cyclic expression or relation to a particular place. This accords with the observance of ancient astronomies that the FIRST LIGHT of the new crescent Moon, when rising
and/or setting (angular) nearest a Solstice or Equinox, triggers the critical celestial event/observance.

One value of historical research is to provide a basis by which to evaluate the present by comparison and contrast. The veritable heaven-on-earth principle of FIRST LIGHT offers a vast opportunity of interpretation which few living today have explored.

* * * *

ADDENDUM:
There is a wide range of opinion/belief among experts concerning the implications of astro-archaelogyical sites and their functions. Peter Lancaster Brown's MEGALITHS, MYTHS AND MEN: An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology represents a conservative and skeptical view concerning the purpose of megalithic sites: "We have seen that a very strong case can be established for solar alighments in North-West European Megalithic
monuments and some associated tombs. For the Moon also--especially at Stonehenge--alignments of a kind seemed proved beyond reasonable doubts. However, among the whole corpus of astronomical uses for Megalithic monuments the ideas advocating stellar alignments for star risings or settings seem to be the weakest of all. If we are to
believe that the ancients knew the configurations of stars and their risings and settings on very intimate terms--which I certainly feel can be assumed a priori-- such permanent markers would be of no practical use. Nowhere else in the world can one find any real evidence for permanent alignments to stars for practical purposes. Dedication of a monument to a particular star rising at a particular epoch, such as those cited by Lockyear and Pensrose for Egypt and Greece, 'may' be another matter, and this idea can perhaps claim a little verisimilitude on religious grounds. A star and planet spotter needs no horizon marker to guide him among the stars and help him anticipate the rising of any star or configuration still below the horizon. All necessary
information can be quickly learned and then memorized."

And yet the fact remains that these sites were so built, whether practical astronomically or not. And the question of the scope of their function and purpose still evades us. Brown, although advocating a wider view and older chronology of history, with a much larger dispersal of knowledge, still is very pragmatically focused (p. 290):
Brown says, "...archaeologists as well as astronomers, in formulating ideas, often overlook the stark fact that the prime activity of most prehistoric societies was with economic/ domestic matters. It seems that both archaeologists and astronomers are sometimes afflicted with the blinkered notion that almost everything ancient must have a ceremonial or be of a deeper 'scientific' purpose."

This is a point well taken. But one must also be open to the question of whether megalithic sites were used for everyday concerns such as health which is domestic as well as spiritual. Even through our cultural bias of scientific enlightenment, we can almost suspect that the Egyptians did not see their gods as separate from their economic, domestic, or socio-political concerns. Even our theories of how the Great Pyramid was built still leave much (if not everything) to be explained. That's an incredible mass & puzzle of stone for just a few impractical astronomical alignments.

As some non-conservative archaeoastronomers think (such as David Zink in THE ANCIENT STONES SPEAK), the primary purpose of many ancient cultures may have been the ritual act of aligning oneself with cosmic energies to raise consciousness by observing and focusing on significant astronomical events in observatory temples built to amplify their energies.

From megalithic sites studied in the Old World, the New World, and the Pacific, Zink, an absolutely fascinating and most original author, makes a plausible argument with evidence for a widespread tradition and technology from a shared vision: "1. They had a geometry based on a subtle understanding of the physical universe, which is, once again beginning to be comprehended. 2. They had an astronomical understanding far beyond that justified by a presently remaining evidence, one which allowed maximum utilization of solar, lunar and stellar energies. 3. They possessed a subtle geophysics in which the now-known earth's magnetic fields are but the grossest manifestation of a planetary system of energy which, in fact, responds like a living organism to solar, lunar and stellar energies, and perhaps, even to the mental energy of entire populations. 4. They employed a sacred architecture whose temples were located so as to derive maximum advantage from the energies understood by these unified sciences; temples, that is whose structure enhanced the planet's energy within them for healing and the raising of consciousness; thus, psychology, physiology, geophysics, and architecture were welded together in an empirical spiritual experience. 5. They had an engineering capability that allowed them to capitalize on the benefits to be derived from the use of large stones at power points in a worldwide energy system."

If one considers the metaphysic that the self is in some way analogous in principle to the cosmos, then the measurement of our relation to the cosmos in not only very important, it is essential.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

"Tropical versus Sidereal 'MEASUREMENT' of the Zodiac." A condensed summary on the difference, with dates (subject to precession). Plus excerpts from Cyril Fagan on PRECESSION and AGES that are so lucid no one could fail to understand them. . . . Plus Cyril Fagan's essay from 7/1970 Spica, "The Sidereal Zodiac," a summary of many issues that he wrote on for years. PLUS Fagan's classic "ANY CAMEL BOY COULD TELL" Letter, 8/1967. See related file


SIGNS VERSUS STAR CONSTELLATIONS =
TROPICAL VERSUS SIDEREAL "MEASUREMENT" IN THE ZODIAC
A Condensed Summary of Some Basic Definitions

The tropical or moving zodiac popularly represented as the "signs"
is not the same as the sidereal or fixed star constellation zodiac.
The issue for zodiacal measurement is the starting point. Along the
ecliptic, both signs and constellations are sectioned into 12 lunes of
30 degrees each (although no constellation is of uniform size).
For zodiacal position and division, the sidereal or star
constellation zodiac uses key marking stars behind the ecliptic plane
created by the Earth's path around the Sun. The fixed stars maintain
their relative positions in patterns or "constellations" for thousands
of years even though each fixed star has its own "proper motion" in
space, which in the mean, amounts to about one degree in 120,000 years.
Thus, the Sidereal zodiac is designated as the fixed zodiac.
For their starting point, the tropical signs are keyed to the
(March 20-21) `moving' spring equinox; the spring equinox precesses, or
moves backward through the constellations, one degree every 71.6 years.
The equinoxes are measured by the intersection of the projected Earth's
equator with the Sun's "apparent" path--the ecliptic plane. It is
important to understand that the equinoxes precess/move backward
through the ecliptic plane constellations (one degree every 71.6 years)
due to the slow gyration of the Earth's pole-and-equator along the
ecliptic.
About 221 A.D., the moving spring equinox, the "seasonal" marker,
coincided with 0 degrees of the actual star constellation Aries FROM
WHICH this "sign" marker was named; whereas the sidereal or star
constellations were marked anciently by famous bright stars which
indicated their positions along the ecliptic plane/circle. The
historical error of mistaking the signs for the constellations has come
down to us via the Greeks who misunderstood astrology from Egypto-
Babylonian sources. The Greeks thought incorrectly that the
equinoctial points the only fixed points in the firmament from which
all measurements should be taken because these points rose due east and
set due west.
This tropical version of the zodiac found some acceptance circa l39
A.D. through the translation of Ptolemy's works although many different
versions existed as to the starting point. It became generally thought
that the moving spring point was fixed; this became an unquestionable
point of theology in medieval times when the Earth was considered the
center of the universe.
Even now, the precessing measuring point of the spring equinox (the
intersection of ecliptic & gyrating equator) & its incorrect sign
designation "Aries" is mistaken for the actual star constellation. The
equinox never was the zodiac; it was and is a seasonal marker, moving
against the backdrop of (zodiacal) star constellations near the
ecliptic plane. When the Greeks mis-understood that the stars were the
markers (or fiducials) in astrology and emphasized instead the solar
position at the equinoxes, they also confused the original focus on the
full Moon and the Ascendant.
Since 221 A.D., the moving spring equinox, the seasonal marker, has
precessed, i.e., moved backwards through the constellations some 24-2/3
degrees to overlap the previous star constellation Pisces. The equinox
currently occurs at about 5-1/3 degrees of Pisces (according to the
Fagan/Allen Synetic Vernal Point correction. CONSEQUENTLY, IN ACTUAL
ASTRONOMICAL TERMS, THOSE BORN IN THE FIRST 24-2/3 DAYS (AND/OR
DEGREES) OF ANY "SIGN" REALLY HAVE THEIR SUN IN THE PREVIOUS
CONSTELLATION.
Approximate, current dates for the apparent Sun's entry into the
actual star constellations is as follows. PISCES is listed first since
the spring equinox now occurs therein (at about 5-1/3 degrees Pisces).
Hence, at this time we are still in the AGE OF PISCES as determined by
the occurrence of the spring equinox in the constellation Pisces.


PISCES - Mar 15 VIRGO - Sep 17
ARIES - Apr 14 LIBRA - Oct 18
TAURUS - May 15 SCORPIO - Nov 17
GEMINI - Jun 15 SAGITTARIUS - Dec l6
CANCER - Jul 17 CAPRICORN - Jan 15
LEO - Aug 17 AQUARIUS- Feb 13


As Cyril Fagan, the founder of modern western sidereal astrology,
has strongly emphasized that the original and most ancient astrology
from Egypto-Babylonian cultures was night-time visual; thus the
planets' movements were measured in reference to the fixed stars and
constellations. Many ancient 'days' were reckoned to began at sunset
when a view of the night sky was then possible. Unless reminded of the
obviousness of this, we miss its significance.
Chief among the significant KEY MARKING STARS on the ecliptic
circle was and is SPICA (the "Peg" or Ear of Corn) at the end of Virgo
(29 degrees VIRGO 06' 05", according to the Fagan/Allen Synetic Vernal
Point, or SVP, correction). Other key (easy to see) stars close to the
ecliptic are ALCYONE in the PLEIADES in 5 degrees TAUrus, and
especially ALDEBARAN ("The Bull's Eye" meaning absolute "center") in 15
degrees TAUrus--which is directly opposite ANTARES in 15 degrees
SCOrpio. REGULUS (The Little King) is in 5 degrees LEO. VINDEMIATRIX
(The Grape Gatherer) in 15 degrees VIRgo was also important although it
is some 16 degrees north latitude from the ecliptic plane.
Although stars are commonly listed in terms of the longitude of the
signs, when stars are corrected to the longitude of the constellations,
some star names are obviously related to the constellations in which
they are located - such as the "tail" stars which fall appropriately
near the END of the zodiacal constellations: Denebola (Lion's Tail) in
26LEO52; Lesath (The Sting) in 29SCO16; Deneb Algedi (Goat's Tail) in
28CAP48. Other zodiacal stars which retain their constellation place
related names and occur (as would be expected) in those constellations
include the following: El Nath (North Horn of the Bull) in 28TAU50;
Castor and Pollux, the "twin" stars, are in 25GEM30 and 28GEM29;
Acubens (the Southern Claw) in 18CAN54; Adhaferah (Mane) in 2LEO49; Al
Jabhah (Lion's Forehead) in 3LEO07; Kiffa Australis (South Scale) and
Kiffa Borealis (North Scale) in 20LIB21 and 24LIB37 respectively; Al
Nasl (Arrow-Head) in 6SAG31, and Polis (Foal) in 8SAG28; Algedi (Goat)
in 9CAP07; Situla (Urn) in 14AQU09. There are similar examples
occurring in extra-zodiacal (non-ecliptic) stars and constellations.
Cyril Fagan has detailed his research in Zodiacs Old and New, The
Symbolism of the Star Constellations, Astrological Origins, The Primer
of Sidereal Astrology, The Solunars Handbook, and his 17 years of
monthly "Solunars" articles in American Astrology from 1953 to 1970 and
reprinted through 1977, as well as in Spica, A Journal of Sidereal
Astrology, published 1961 -1974.
**************




______________________________________________________________________
*For above title [Tropical vs. Sidereal Measurement in the Zodiac],
Thanks to
Cyril Fagan, "Solunars" AMERICAN ASTROLOGY, 11/61

For all historical times Regulus should hold its position at R on
the ecliptic. If we measure its distance (longitude) for the year 1800
A.D. from the vernal-equinoctial point, it will be found to be in Leo
27d 03', but if it is measured for the year 2,000 A.D. its longitude
will be found to be Leo 29d 50'. Since Regulus is a fixed star,
nailed, as it were, to R on the ecliptic, why has its longitude
increased in a mere interval of 200 years by 2d 47'? Obviously this
does not make sense, the inference being that Regulus is not a fixed
star at all. The answer is, of course, that Regulus is a fixed star
and has not changed it position, but the fiducial of the "tropical"
zodiac--the vernal equinoctial point, has retrograded along the circle
of the ecliptic by 2d 47' in these 200 years, such retrogression being
caused by precession, thereby increasing Regulus' longitude by that
amount.
On the other hand, siderealists do not measure longitudes from the
ever receding vernal point, but from a fixed point on the ecliptic,
which is the fiducial of the "sidereal zodiac." Known as Libra 0d it
is situated 0d 54' to the east of the fixed star Spica in Virgo 29d
06'. Reckoned from this point, the longitude of Regulus is Leo 5d 06',
and this was its longitude in the time of the Pharaohs as it will be
its longitude for many millennia to come.
From this we learn that there is only one zodiac, but two different
ways of measuring longitudes in that zodiac; the tropical and the
sidereal. To talk therefore of the tropical and sidereal zodiacs is
fallacious, leading to increasing confusion and misunderstanding. Such
a loose way of talking has led to the present conflict among
astrologers. How frequently have we seen such captions as "The
Tropical Versus the Sidereal Zodiac" and the like. A better caption
would be "Tropical Versus Sidereal Measurements in the Zodiac," which
would immediately clear away much of the confusion.
* * *




Another definition of the PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES
from D. Ulansey's Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries:
According to modern astronomy--in which of course the earth is seen
revolving around the sun once a year and rotating on its axis once a
day--the precession of the equinoxes is conceived of as a slow wobble
in the earth's rotation on its axis. This causes the earth's poles to
move very slowly with respect to the rest of the solar system, tracing
a circle in the sky over a period of 25,920 years. This movement of
the earth's axis and the poles results also in the movement of the
celestial equator onto the celestial sphere. And the earth's equator,
because it is defined in a circle on the earth ninty degrees away from
the poles, obviously [also] has to change its position relative to the
fixed stars accordingly as the position of the earth's axis and pole
changes.
All of the elements of this modern understanding of the precession
of the equinoxes were also part of Hipparchus own understanding of the
precession with, however, one crucial difference. This crucial
difference is that whereas today the precession is understood as a
movement of the earth, for Hipparchus because he was operating under
the ancient assumption of a geocentric cosmos in which the earth was
absolutely fixed in space and everything went around it, the precession
could only be understood as a movement of the structure of the entire
cosmos, rather than the earth.
* * * * * * * * * *


Cyril Fagan, THE SYMBOLISM OF THE CONSTELLATIONS, 1962
["The BEGINNING of the Zodiac"]
When astrologers talk about the zodiac they usually mean the great
Circle of the Ecliptic, which, for all intents and purposes, is the
apparent path of the Sun, Moon and planets around the heavens. There
is only one Circle of the Ecliptic, and hence only one zodiac (the
ecliptic being, or as it were, the 'backbone' of the zodiac'). Because
a circle has no natural beginning, different points on that circle
have, over the centuries been held to constitute 'the beginning of the
zodiac.' To talk of the 'tropical zodiac' and 'sidereal zodiac' as
though they were two separate and distinct zodiacs is just false
thinking (as they are two different ways of MEASURING the zodiac). The
fundamental difference between the two is that they each commence at
different points on precisely the same circle, namely the Circle of the
Ecliptic, which is divided into 360 equal parts, called 'degrees of
longitude.' So, when we reduce one zodiac to the other, we are merely
altering the position of the starting point, and measuring all our
longitudes from it, instead of from the former. At present, the
starting point of the popular or tropical 'zodiac' is about 24 degrees
in advance of the sidereal counted clockwise. So in order to change
from the tropical to the sidereal, all that one has to do is subtract
these 24 degrees from all tropical longitudes, thereby altering them
into sidereal measurement. The process is quite elementary, with
nothing mysterious about it. But to come down to details, let us
consider some facts.
From time to time, in the ancient Greek world, astronomers would
choose different starting points as the beginning of the zodiac. In
virtually all these cases they chose as the starting point, one of the
four seasonal points, principally the vernal-equinoctial, which is
transited every year about March 21 (Gregorian). This was preferred
because they were convinced that the equinoctial and solstitial points
were the only ones in the heavens which never altered their positions.
In their view these points were fixed in the firmament for all time.
In one Greek version, the zodiac commenced at a point 15 degrees to the
west of the vernal equinoctial point (abbreviated hereafter 'V.P.'),
the Greek astronomers considering that the V.P. was fixed absolutely in
Aries 15 degrees. In another version, the zodiac was held to commence
at a point 12 deg. to the west of the V.P. This latter position was
considered as being permanently fixed in Aries 12 deg. In the version
of the zodiac known to scholars as "System A" (which originated with
the Babylonian astronomer, Naburrinu as a sidereal zodiac) the V.P was
believed to be permanently fixed in Aries 10 deg., and in "System B"
(attributed to Kidinnu) it was held to be fixed in Aries 8 deg.
"System B" was the hellenistic version of the zodiac, popular in Greece
and Rome at the time the Denderah temples were being built. It was not
until about 139 B.C. that Hipparchus and his pupil Posedonius commenced
the zodiac with the V.P. itself i.e. in Aries "0 degrees." All these
Greek versions of the zodiac are known as tropical or equinoctial
because all measurements were reckoned from the equinoctial or tropical
points on the celestial sphere.
What the Greeks never knew was that these points were not fixed in
the firmament, but were moving backwards along the ecliptic circle at
the rate of one degree in about 71-1/2 tropical years. This was their
fatal error, an error that has vitiated western astrology ever since
the beginning of the Christian era. This retrograde movement of the
equinoxes and solstices is known as the "PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES"
and consequently the Greek versions of the zodiac are known as
"precessional,' 'moving,' and 'seasonal.' The modern version of the
tropical zodiac, i.e.,, that with the V.P. permanently fixed in "Aries
0 degrees" did not find general acceptance in the western world until
Ptolemy's works (circa 139 A.D.) were translated unto Arabic, and from
the Arabic into the Vulgate after the Saracen invasion of Europe.
THE BEGINNING OF THE MORE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN AND BABYLONIAN ZODIAC was
a fixed point on the Circle of the Ecliptic, i.e. a point not subject
to precession. The monumental and textual records of ancient Babylonia
and Egypt agree that this fixed point was about one degree to the east
of the fixed star, Spica ("Ear of Corn"), thus giving its fixed or
sidereal ("starry") longitude as Virgo 29 degrees. This version of the
zodiac comprised 12 equal zodiacal constellations, each containing
precisely 30 degrees of longitude. It commenced with Libra as the
first constellation and ended with Virgo as the 12th. The position of
the planets, luminaries, comets and the like, was measured, frequently
by the unaided eye or by astrolabes, from one of the Normal Stars
(N.S.) Some 52 of these N.S. are listed in ancient Babylonian texts.
All were bright, fixed stars, lying reasonably close to the ecliptic,
their sidereal longitudes and latitudes being known. The sidereal
longitude was the distance of the N.S. from the beginning of this
version of the zodiac, measured in degrees of a circle along the
ecliptic circle. Unlike the planets, all the fixed stars have retained
their relative positions in the firmament, without perceptible
alteration for many thousands of years, notwithstanding the fact that
each fixed star has its own 'proper motion' in space, which in the
mean, amounts to about one degree in 120,000 years. Among the chief
N.S., with their Sidereal Longitudes, mention may be made of the
following: Antares-Scorpio 15d; Pleiades-Taurus 5d; Aldebaran-Taurus
15d; Regulus-Leo 5d; Vindemiatrix-Virgo 15d; Spica-Virgo 29d (the chief
fiducial star).
The records of antiquity attest to the fact that there was only one
sidereal version of the zodiac, which was absolutely constant from the
8th century B.C. (Hypsomata) down to the beginning of the Christian
era; and it placed the fixed star, Spica (Sanscrit=Chitra), near the
left foot of the Virgin, in the agricultural or harvest constellation
of the same name Virgo 29 degrees. This was also the 'foot' of the
zodiac itself. In short, the sidereal zodiac perpetually commenced at
a point on the ecliptic circle, one degree to the east of Spica. The
attempts of eastern astrologers to read Spica as being in the beginning
of the constellation Libra are a flagrant contradiction of ancient
records and natural symbolism. It should be mentioned here that
Babylonian and Egyptian records in respect of the true beginning of the
Sidereal zodiac are the most ancient, and hence, the most authentic in
the world. When experimenting with charts computed for the times of
entry of the Sun and Moon into the 'cardinal' constellations, Garth
Allen, the American astrologer, discovered, statistically that when a
small correction was applied to Spica's sidereal longitude for the
epoch 1950.0 the most satisfactory charts were obtained. In short, he
determined that Spica's true sidereal longitude was VIRGO 29 degrees
06' 05", and that the mean sidereal longitude of the V.P. for the epoch
1950.0 was 335deg57'28".64 (Pisces 5deg57'28".64). This he termed the
Synetic Vernal Point (S.V.P.), which has now been adopted generally by
siderealists....
The zero year, i.e. the year in which the present version of the
tropical zodiac and the sidereal zodiac coincided was 220 A.D.
* * *



THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC by Cyril Fagan
July 1970 SPICA

Everybody knows about the Earth encircling the Sun once a year.
This path is known as the ecliptic because eclipses of the Sun or Moon
can only occur at the New Moon or Full Moon when the Moon is also on
the ecliptic. The ecliptic, known also as the orbit of the Earth, lies
in a field of myriads of fixed stars, indeed zillions of them, each a
mighty sun in its own right. At staggering speeds these fixed stars
are moving in outer space around our own galaxy, the Milky Way. But
they are so utterly far from our Sun that they do not appear to move at
all. Actually their apparent mean motion is about one degree of the
ecliptic in about 120,000 years.
Long before the Pyramids were built in the 3rd millennia B.C., the
Egyptians divided the belt of the heavens that lay on either side of
the ecliptic into 72 equal parts. As the circle of the ecliptic
comprised 360 degrees therefore each of these parts comprised 5 degrees
and were later called pentades from the Greek penta, five. In the
course of time, the Egyptians further divided this belt later to be
known as the zodiac, into 12 equal parts known as constellations; each
constellation containing 6 pentades.
Since a circle has no natural beginning, they considered it [the
beginning] to be during the month when the waters of the Nile had so
far receded as to let the bulls be harnessed and the land to be
ploughed.
As the Egyptian day began at sunset, they called the group of fixed
stars that rose in the east at that time, that is, the stars that were
of the Ascendant, "the Stars of the Bull." As this group contained the
brilliant star of the first magnitude, Aldebaran, they made that the
fiducial star of the zodiac. That is to say by placing Aldebaran, the
Bull's Eye, in the mathematical centre of the constellation they began
the circle of the zodiac at a point precisely 15 degrees to the west of
this star. This point is now known as the point Taurus 0 degrees. By
a strange coincidence it commences the pentade of the Pleiades which
are about Taurus 5 degrees. So from the remotest of time, the
original, and hence authentic zodiac, commenced with Taurus 0 degrees
and ended with Aries 30 degrees.
Being a very conservative people the High Priests of Egypt kept
their knowledge of the zodiac to themselves, rarely imparting its
secrets or its mysteries to foreigners. At the time of king Zoser and
his Grand Vizier Imhotep, both astrology and astronomy were in an
advanced state of development. It is recorded that an Egyptian High
Priest taught the Babylonians their astrology but exactly when is not
on record. This did not happen during the reign of King Ammisaduqua of
the 1st Babylonian Dynasty (1582-1562 B.C.) for the omens attached to
the Heliacal risings and Settings of the planets during his reign were
all expressed in terms of the Babylonian Lunar calendar and not in
terms of zodiacal constellations. On the other hand we find astrology
flourishing in all the Akkadian countries during the 1st millennium
B.C.
But neither the Egyptians nor the Chaldeans (Akkadians) imparted
their astrological lore to the Greeks. What little knowledge they
gained from the Babylonian astrological cuneiform tablets was the
results of the spoils of war. The Greek Cleostratus of Tenedos some
time during the 6th century introduced the Egyptian zodiac in to
Greece. Wrongly believing that the zodiacal constellations were so
named from the images, the Greeks presumed the Egyptian constellations
to have been in the patterns formed by the bright stars; thus the
classical zodiac of Greece and Rome is composed of 12 constellations of
unequal lengths. Needless to remark the Egypto-Babylonian zodiac
consists of 12 zodiacal constellations of precisely 30 degrees each.
Notwithstanding the wonderful culture, art and military might of
Greece, their astronomers could never discover at what point of the
ecliptic the Egypto-Babylonian zodiac commenced. Because the
equinoctial points invariably rose due east and set due west the Greeks
considered them the only fixed points in the firmament, from which all
measurements should be taken. But what precisely were their
longitudes? The very asking of this question implied the existence of
a "fixed" zodiac! That was the great puzzle that vexed the minds of
Greek astronomers down the corridors of time and which they finally
failed to solve; and neither the Egyptians or the Chaldeans appeared to
have ever enlightened them.
Captured Babylonian cuneiform tablets, when translated, informed the
Greeks that for the epochs 850 and 650 B.C., the longitudes of the
vernal point were Aries 15 degrees and 12 degrees respectively. But
how could that be, the Greeks wondered, seeing that the vernal point
was a "fixed" point in the heavens! To add to their general confusion,
about 331 B.C., Callisthenes, a general in the army of Alexander the
Great, at the behest of his uncle Aristotle, sent from the fallen
Babylon a large collection of cuneiform clay tablets. Among them were
the Lunar Tables of Naburriannu and Kidinnu, great Babylonian
astronomers, the former, whose Tables are for the epoch 500 B.C. gave
the longitude of the spring point as Aries 8 degrees; whereas the
latter, whose Tables are for the epoch 373 B.C. gave it as Aries 4
degrees. These contradictions perplexed the Greek astronomers no end,
making their confusion more confounded. So a series of co-existing
tropical zodiacs were invented by the Greeks.
A tropical zodiac is one in which the vernal equinoctial point is
given a fixed longitude; a definition that is well worth remembering.
In the late period of Greece and Rome over half-a-dozen tropical
zodiacs vied with one another for recognition. Here it should be
mentioned that the tropical zodiac was the sole invention of the
Greeks. The most popular of these zodiacs was that attributed to
Kidinnu which put the longitude of the vernal point permanently in
Aries 4 degrees, and believe it or not this version was still in vogue
in certain parts of Europe right down to the Middle Ages!
In 139 B.C. while examining some Babylonian astronomical tables and
making measurements of their own, Hipparchus and his assistants
"discovered" the phenomenon of precession. They concluded that every
fixed star in the heavens was subject to a slow progressive movement of
about 1 degree in a century. At the time this discovery was made all
the fixed stars had precessed (progressed) since Kidinuu's epoch as to
leave the longitude of the equinoctial point about Aries 0 degrees, and
so his pupils Posidonius and Geminus "invented" yet another tropical
zodiac, one having the longitude of the vernal equinoctial point fixed
in Aries 0 degrees. Although accepted by Claudius Ptolemy, a great
admirer of Hipparchus, it was repudiated outright by his colleagues.
It did not begin to become popular in Europe until Ptolemy's ALMAGEST
and the TETRABIBLOS were translated into the vulgate about the 4th
century A.D. These translations were Europe's first introduction to
classical astrology.
What Hipparchus and Claudius Ptolemy filed utterly to realize was
that it was the equinoctial and solstice points that were receding
(retrograding) and not the fixed stars that were precessing. In short,
their beloved equinoctial points were not fixed at all and hence the
raison d'etre for the existence of a tropical zodiac vanished
completely.
The combined gravitational pulls of the Sun and Moon on the Earth's
equatorial bulge causes the pole of the Earth to describe a small
circle of the sphere about 23.5 degrees around the pole of the
ecliptic; which angle is known as the Obliquity of the Ecliptic. The
pole of the Earth takes about 26,000 years to complete its encirclement
of the pole of the ecliptic. In consequence, the points where the
circle of the equator intersects the circle of the ecliptic, namely the
equinoctial points, are receding along the circle of the ecliptic, at
present the rate of 1 degree in about 71.5 years. This purely
terrestrial movement is known as the precession (or more correctly the
recession) of the equinoxes.
Like the ancient Egyptians and Chaldeans, the Hindu zodiac also
commenced with Taurus 0 degrees and ended with Aries 30 degrees. When
Alexander the Great conquered the Punjab in 326 B.C., and at a period
when Egypt and the Akkandian nations were in decline and passing away,
his ministers quickly set about Hellenising the old zodiac of India,
which was now made to commence with Aries, which then housed the vernal
equinox. In short, they attempted to make it tropical. After the
Greek influence waned in India, the Hindus attempted to revert to their
sidereal technique but found it was too late and inconvenient to
recommence their zodiac with Taurus. Now alas, they were left with a
mongrel zodiac which is neither sidereal nor tropical for the vernal
point moved into Pisces in A.D. 221. The Hindus apparently are far too
conservative and too tied to tradition to make any change now.
One of the great mysteries of astrology was the origin of the
exaltation degrees of the planets which represented one of the oldest
of its traditions, and a mystery that eluded the best endeavours of
researchers. But in May 1949 I was fortunate enough to at last solve
this mystery. These zodiacal degrees proved to be the heliacal
phenomena of the planets for the lunar year 786-85 B.C. and for no
other year in historical times. But the solution also clearly showed
that these were the sidereal and not the tropical longitudes of the
planets.
The absolute authenticity of the solution is vouched for by the fact
that the sidereal longitude of the vernal point Aries 14 degrees
accords perfectly with all the records of ancient Egyptian and Chaldean
determinations of the sidereal longitudes of the vernal point for the
stated years. Should these longitudes by graphed on paper, using the
year of the epoch as the other co-ordinate, it will be found that the
resultant "curve" is a perfectly straight line. [Fagan's book, Zodiacs
Old and New, has this diagram, and the file HELIACAL] Furthermore
should this "curve" be extrapolated into the future it will be found
that the Aquarian Age will not commence until some 407 years hence.

The full evidence for all the foregoing will be found in this
writer's ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS now in the course of publication.
* * * * *




Cyril Fagan, Letter in 'Many Things,' A.A. 8/67
Ethos and Origins
[Fagan's Classic "ANY CAMEL BOY COULD TELL" Letter]

Was it necessary to major as a high priest in astronomy to note that
every time the Moon was full amidst the stars of that constellation
subsequently yclepted Virgo by the Romans, harvesting in ancient Egypt
was in full sway? Could not the untutored camel-boy watering his
dromedary by the banks of the Nile notice every time the Full Moon
occulted the "Ear of Corn" the rich fruits of the earth were being
gathered? Did it require great erudition on the part of the farmers to
identify this particular star field with the harvesting season? Yet
the Moon only became full in Virgo in very early spring which was the
harvesting season of ancient Egypt BUT OF NO OTHER NATION OF ANTIQUITY.
In itself, this single fact is adequate evidence that the Egyptians
named this zodiacal constellation and, by implication, the other eleven
to boot!
This conclusion is sustained by the fact that many zodiacal and
planetary glyphs in common use today are Egyptian hieroglyphics that
were in vogue in the pre-Pyramidic period! They are not to be found in
Akkadian cuneiform wedges or Sumerian script. The zodiac was
acknowledged by the Egyptian eons before the latter-day esotericism was
spawned, and which was repudiated by the Tathagata as the "closed fist"
leading to confusion instead of truth "...to a jungle, a wilderness, a
puppet-show, a writhing and a fetter, coupled with suffering and
despair..."
When New Year's Day of the common Egyptian calendar (1st Thoth) fell
in any zodiacal constellation, that particular constellation was
deified as leader of the stellar host. On the average the 1st Thoth
took 118 years to retrograde through a zodiacal constellation. But it
is a fallacy to assume that all celestial rams, bulls and scorpions are
necessarily identical with the zodiacal constellations of the same
name. Thus Mshtyw ("Ox's Foreleg") is the constellation Ursa Major
while Capricorn is simply indicated by the Old Empire demotic Ab ("A
Horn") and Taurus by 'rt ("Bull's jawbone"). The opinions of Kepler
and Sir Isaac Newton as to the origin of the zodiac can be
discountenanced as Jean Francois Champollion had not then succeeded in
translating the Rosetta Stone. Such are the facts of antiquity; and
facts require no theory for their sustenance nor faith for their
acceptance!
* * * *




APRIL 1968 American Astrology, "Many Things"
LETTER FROM READER:
...
Astronomers working with Babylonian material state that the zodiac
of the signs goes back to the fifth century B.C. The first text in
this zodiac is dated 420 B.C. This statement is made by B. L. van der
Waerden in Babylonian Astronomy. II. "The Thirty-six Stars," Journal
of Near Eastern Studies, Vol VIII, No. 1, page 25, column 1, paragraph
2. Van der Waerden then translates the relevant passage, and
continues: "I agree with Schnabel, Weidner, and Rehm that these
positions refer--just as in all later texts of the same kind--to
zodiacal signs, not to zodiacal constellations."
If these astronomers are correct, and I have every reason to assume
they are, then the zodiac of the signs is not a Greek "error" but a
development in Babylonian astrology.


ANSWER FROM CYRIL FAGAN:
That ... has raised this question is appreciated, since other
students may also have been misled along the same line. The source she
quotes was published by Professor B. L. van der Waerden of the
Mathematical Institute of Zurich in the January 1949 issue of JNES.
Two years later (1951) appeared Zodiacs, Old and New [by Cyril Fagan],
wherein it was shown, among other things, that Kugler, Epping, and
Schoch stumbled against the sidereal zodiac of the Egyptians and the
Babylonians but failed to recognize the fact. This led to considerable
correspondence between Van der Waerden, Boker, Weidner, Rehm, Eisler
and others on the one part and James Hynes and myself on the other.
The upshot of this correspondence led to the publication of The
History of the Zodiac (illustrated and in English) by Van der Waerden
(Archiv fur Orientforschung, Ban XVI, Zweiter Teil). Treating of the
"Limiting Points of Signs" he writes,
"Since Hipparchus we are wont to identify the beginning point
of the sign Aries with the spring point. However, we must not
stick to this. In Babylonian and early Greek astronomy the
beginning points of the signs are rigidly connected not with
the equinoxes, but with the fixed stars. (Italics Van der
Waerdens!) For Babylonian astronomy this was first proved by
Kugler from Lunar Tables and planetary tables confirm it..."

From this it will be seen that Van der Waerden, making a seeming
`volte face,' had altered his opinion as given in "The Thirty-six
Stars." Furthermore, he makes it clear that the modern version of the
tropical zodiac, with the vernal point "fixed" in Aries 0 degrees of
the signs, is no earlier than the Greek astronomer Hipparchus (circa
139 B.C.) who, after he had been credited with having discovered the
phenomenon of precession, invented it for the purposes of computing the
position of the fixed stars in right ascension and declination. But it
was left to Posidonius and Geminius in the 1st century B.C. to
systematize this modern version of the tropical zodiac (vide A. Bouche-
Le-clercq, L'Astrologie Grecque, Paris 1899).
To assume, therefore, that it existed prior to the 1st century B.C.
is a very common and deeply entrenched error among astrologers. It was
completely unknown to the Egyptians and Babylonians even though their
lunar calendars were seasonal.
Perhaps the root of the confusion lies in the use of the word signs.
When astronomers, such as Schnabel, Rehm and Neugebauer talk of
zodiacal constellations they usually have in mind the Greco-Roman
constellations (circa 600 B.C.), which are of unequal length, ill-
defined and hence useless for purposes of fine measurement. They
distinguish between two types of "signs" of equal length, the fixed and
the tropical, the fixed signs being identified with those of Babylon.
Eastern and western siderealists, on the other hand, while ignoring the
Greco-Roman version of the zodiac, term the "fixed" signs of Egypt and
Babylon `zodiacal constellations.'
The Greeks, who alone invented tropical zodiacs had many versions.
Pliny the Elder, who flourished between 23 and 79 A.D. writes, "All
these seasons, too, commence at the eighth degree of the signs of the
zodiac. The winter solstice begins at the eighth degree of Capricorn,
the eighth day before the Kalends of January in general; the vernal
equinox at the eighth degree of Aries; the summer solstice at the
eighth degree of Cancer and the autumnal equinox at the eighth degree
of Libra" (Natural History, Bk. XVIII, Chapter 59, Bohn Classical
Library, Vol. IV, pp. 78-79). Columella (60 A.D.) says, "...Winter,
which begins about eight days before 1st January in the eighth degree
of Capricorn...and I am not deceived by Hipparchus's argument which
teaches that the solstices and the equinoxes happen not in the eighth
but in the first degree of the signs. In this rustic science I follow
the Fastus of Eudoxus and Meton and the ancient astronomers which fit
the publish festivals" (Columella IX 14, 12). Achilles Tatius (3rd
century A.D.) states, "Some place the tropics in the beginning, others
the eighth degree, others about the twelfth and others about the
fifteenth" (Isag. 23). Manilius, Censorius and Manetho write much the
same thing.
Hipparchus' reform in the 2nd century B.C., which Posidonius and
Geminius systematized in the 1st century B.C., apparently did not catch
on for many centuries thereafter. As shown by O. Neugebauer and H.B.
van Hoeson in Greek Horoscopes (American Philosophical Society,
Philadelphia 1959), even after Claudius Ptolemy adopted the vernal
point as the fiducial for his star catalogue in Almagest, about 140
A.D., astrologers continued to cast charts with the vernal point
displaced several degrees from Aries 0 degrees. Horoscopes cast by
Palchus late in the 5th century A.D. "place his zero point of
longitudes close to Aries 3 degrees of the modern norm: (p. 187). In
fact, page 179-190 of Greek Horoscopes show that, of the 180 horoscopes
preserved, only seven cases provide degrees, or degrees and minutes,
permitting a direct comparison with modern computation. These charts
span the period from 50 to 160 A.D., two or more centuries after
Hipparchus, and yet not one of them uses the vernal point as its
fiducial, nor, for that matter, are System A or B the basis for the
longitudes used. Graphic plotting of longitudes against dates shows
clearly that even late Greek astrologers did not generally accept the
vernal point as Aries 0 degrees.

In his History (p. 129) Van der Waerden shows that the original
Babylonian zodiac, like that of ancient India, began with mul-MUL
(Pleiades) in the constellation Taurus and ended with mul-HUNGA
("Hireling"), there being no Aries in this zodiac. How then can it be
argued that the zodiac commenced with the vernal point in Aries 0
degrees?
In the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol. VI, No 2, Professor S.
Sachs of Brown University published six Babylonian horoscopes, the
earliest of which is dated April 29, 410 B.C. This is believed to be
the earlierst `genethliacal' horoscope extant. These six charts were
examined and were proved to have been computed in the sidereal zodiac.
But the earliest Katarche chart extant is the Egyptian horoscope for
the inauguration of the Sothic era, July 16, (O.S.), 2767 B.C. (vide
"Zodiacs of Egypt," p. 40 et seq., The Symbolism of the Constellations,
by Cyril Fagan). Needless to say, it was calculated in the sidereal.
In his History, Van der Waerden demonstrates that in the Egyptian and
Babylonian zodiacs Spica was fixed in Virgo 29 degrees, which puts
Aldebaran, the "Bull's Eye," in Taurus 15 degrees 00' which star is now
recognized as being the original fiducial of the sidereal zodiac (vide
August 1967 issue of American Astrology).
* * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

(Continued)


Cyril Fagan's 8/67 "SOLUNARS, A STUDY OF THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC"
[THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC, PRECESSION, & AGES]

REVIEWING THE SITUATION!

Every month for the past fourteen years, the superior merits of the
sidereal version of the zodiac have been explicated and extolled in
this column and yet, to judge by the letters constantly received, there
still appears to be many readers who are confused as to the raison
d'etre for the existence of any version other than the tropical or
popular one. So while what follows mainly is penned to expel such
clouds of confusion and to enlighten newcomers to these pages, the
seasoned reader may find much food for thought too.
It is first necessary to mention just a few technicalities but to
avoid adding to the existing confusion these will be made as simple as
possible. Now let us picture two hoops, like those children play with
but of gigantic size. Let us imagine that one of the hoops is a wooden
one with a broad rim while the other is of steel with a narrow rim.
Let us suppose that the steel hoop fits rather snugly inside the wooden
one, not on the flat, but at a more or less permanent angle of 23.5
degrees. This angle is very important in what follows and is called
the "obliquity of the ecliptic" by astronomers.
Both hoops are so large that they extend indefinitely into outer
space. The wooden hoop with the broad rim is the circle of the zodiac.
It is divided into twelve equal parts called zodiacal constellations
each containing precisely 30 degrees. In the mathematical center of
the rim is another hoop but this time a very thin one. It is the
earth's path (orbit) around the Sun. It is called the "ecliptic,"
because eclipses of the Sun or Moon occur should the Moon be on the
ecliptic at the time of a New or Full Moon. Up to the time of the
discovery of Pluto in 1930, the wooden rim was held to extend some 8
degrees on either side of the ecliptic. Inside that wooden rim
revolved the Moon and planets around a central Sun. They never went
outside its confines (except Pluto). When precisely on the ecliptic
they were said to be devoid of latitude like the earth itself. But
when situated at the extremities of the rim they were at their maximum
latitudes and were said to be at their "bends"; the Moon, Venus and
Saturn on such occasions having the greatest latitude. When Pluto was
discovered it was found that, true to his escapist proclivity, on
specified occasions he broke bounds and wandered some 7 degrees beyond
the confines of the zodiacal rim.
At the moment our chief concern is with the thin steel hoop inside
the wooden one. Though dubbed the "celestial equator," be not
deceived, for it is only the earth's equator projected infinitely into
outer space. That is to say it lies in the same plane as the earth's
equator. Where the wooden and steel hoops intersect each other are
known respectively as the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The words
vernal and autumnal mean spring and fall, and equinox means that when
the Sun (actually the earth) is at these points day and night are of
equal duration.
All might be well if the steel hoop elected to "stay put." But,
alas, owing to the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon on
the earth's equatorial protuberance, the steel rim in the long, long
ago has been set in motion. To make matters worse, this motion is
"backwards" and it is of the upmost importance to remember this fact in
all that follows. The backward or retrograde motion was named by the
late Greek astronomers as the "precession of the equinoxes," but for
our purposes more approximately styled the "regression of the
equinoxes."
The motion, being ecliptical, varies but it takes some 26,000 years
to complete the round of the wooden hoop, the present motion being 1
degree in 72.5 years. Seeing that the motion is perpetually
retrograde, it implies that these equinoctial points, every 2,170 years
in the mean will pass from one zodiacal constellation to the other but
via the backdoor, as it were. thus if at one particular period the
vernal equinox was in Capricorn 0 degrees then 72 years later it will
be in Sagittarius 29 degrees and 72 years after that in Sagittarius 28
degrees and so on. Never, never do the equinoxes enter by the hall-
door!
When the Sun apparently is in conjunction with the vernal equinox,
which usually occurs on March 21st of our Gregorian or modern calendar,
it is the first day of spring and when it is in conjunction with the
opposite, or fall point, usually on September 23rd, it is the first day
of autumn. Incidentally, the calendar, be it lunar or solar, is always
tropical or seasonal. Otherwise it would be useless for civil
purposes.
Having assimilated and digested the foregoing, the astute reader
will be in a position to appreciate and evaluate what follows. In the
summer of 4153 B.C. the vernal equinox was in the first degree of
Gemini, but the next year, 4152 B.C., it had slipped quietly into 30th
degree of Taurus. Slowly retreating through that constellation it did
not leave it until some 2,197 years later, or to be more precise, in
the spring of 1955 B.C. But those 2,197 years embraced the most
momentous of all years, for they saw the first pages of recorded
history in the enacting. It was during those years that the great
nations of remote antiquity as Egypt, Sumeria, Babylonia, Assyria arose
and consolidated their power and domination. It was during then that
the might pyramids were built and that the earliest events of the Old
Testament occurred. Then too it was that the great Biblical heroes
were born. The estheticism and intellectualism of Greece and the power
and the rule of Rome were still enshrouded in the far distant mists of
futurity. Richard Hinckley Allen in his "Star Names" (1899) writes:
"This was the golden age of astronomy; in all ancient zodiacs preserved
to us, it (Taurus) began the year. It is to this that Virgil alluded
in the much quoted lines from the 1st "Georgic" which May rendered:

When with golden hornes bright Taurus opes,
The yeare; and downward the crosse Dogstarre stoopes;

and the poet's description well agrees with mythology's idea of
Europa's bull, for he always was thus described, and snowy white in
color...."
The lunar calendars of the ancient Semitic peoples, which among
others include the ancient Egyptians, the Akkadians (Assyro-
Babylonians), the Phoenicians, Moabites and Hebrews, made provision for
the annual celebration of two New Year days, the civil and the
ecclesiastical. The civil one was celebrated during the lunar month
Nisan. This was the first month of spring when the Sun was in
conjunction with the vernal equinox, equivalent to March 21st of our
modern calendar. The ecclesiastical one was celebrated during the
month of Teshrit when the Sun was in conjunction with the fall equinox,
equivalent to September 23rd, modern. All lunar calendars were from
time to time adjusted to accord with the seasons and hence were
tropical, seasonal and equinoctial as is our modern (solar) calendar
itself.
But the great point to note and never to forget is that during the
first two thousand years or so of recorded history, when the vernal
equinox was receding through it, Taurus was the first of the zodiacal
constellations and Aries the last! More than that Taurus not only was
the leader during this period of the seasons (tropical months) but was
for all time the captain of the zodiacal constellations. Even among
the Romans of the Aries age, Taurus was still hailed as "Princeps
armenti," leader of the zodiacal herd!
A feature of the architecture and sculpture of the first two
millennia of the historical period, and indeed for many centuries
later, was the astonishing prevalence of colossal and massive monuments
of bulls. Who is not familiar with illustrations of the formidable
"lamassu" (winded human headed bull) from the palace of Sargon II of
Assyria at Dur Sharrukin, or that of the Egyptian Apis of Memphis, the
Minotaur of Crete down the corridors of time to the sacred white bull
attacked by the scorpion, and sacrificially slain by the Sun-god Mithra
of Iran. Mithraism was the only serious rival to the then nascent
Christianity.
In remote antiquity the symbol of the bull became synonymous with
the first, the leader. Thus the first letter of the Greek and other
alphabets, alpha or A is derived from the Hebrew Aleph, a bull.
Moreover, in the melothesia of this period Taurus ruled the head,
Gemini the neck, ending with Aires ruling the feet!
Contrary to those of the later-day Greeks, the zodiacal
constellations of the ancient Egyptians and Akkadians each comprised
precisely 30 degrees. But how were the boundaries of the first
constellation Taurus defined? The answer to this tells the story of
the finest achievement of positional astronomy and of astrology of
modern times. Briefly it may be summed up as follows. It is generally
held in the East that the confines of the leading constellation is
usually indicated by a pilot or marking star of adequate magnitude.
Such a marking star is technically termed its fiducial. In India,
where their zodiac, as now in the West, commences with Aries, there
exists two schools. One maintains that Zeta Piscium (Revati) marks the
zero point of the constellation Aries, while the other school is
convinced that Alpha Virginis (Spica, Chitra) marks the zero point of
the constellation Libra.
For centuries our good Hindu pundits have been at loggerheads over
this problem, and as yet are no nearer to a solution. Their problem is
complicated by the fact that as a body they are not prepared to accept
Simon Newcomb's constants for general precession nor the equatorial
coordinates of the official star lists issued from time to time by
western observatories. They argue that the star positions and
constants as given in such medieval works as the "Surya siddhanta" by
their sacred Rishis are good enough for them. In consequence, each
Hindu astrologer has his own method of deriving the ayanamsha (gap
between the zodiacs) from his own pet fiducial and by the looks of
things, this stalemate is likely to subsist for many generations to
come.
In the "Paranatellonta of Aswini" (Astrological Magazine, Jan. and
Feb. 1952 issues, edited by B.V. Raman of Bangalore, India) it was
pointed out that while Chitra made a convenient marking star for
determining the beginning of the Sayana (tropical) zodiac in the 4th
century A.D. and Revati in the 6th century A.D., it was very doubtful
if they ever served as fiducials for the Nirayana or sidereal zodiac.
It never seems to have occurred to our esteemed Eastern confreres that
the fiducial star many not be at the beginning of a constellation. The
Yogatars (chief stars) of the 28 Hindu Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions) are
nearer the center than to the beginning.
When the mystery of the exaltation degrees of the planets was
finally solved in May 1949, it was found that in the sidereal zodiac of
the exaltation year, 786 B.C., Spica was in Virgo 29 degrees, a most
awkward and unlikely longitude for a prime fiducial star! The same
sidereal longitude for Spica was obtained by Professor B. L. van der
Waerden from an analysis of the lunar tables of the Babylonian
astronomers Naburiannu (B.C. 508) and Kidinnu (B.C. 379), from the
Jupiter tablets, the Babylonian almanacs and from a Babylonian star
catalogue (Sonderabdruck aus "Archiv fur Orientfors," Band II, Zweiter
Teil).
Clearly then, Spica was not the original prime fiducial of the
sidereal version of the zodiac. Even if Revanti's sidereal longitude
turned out to be precisely Aries 0 degrees or Spica's Libra 0 degrees,
it still would be doubtful that either was the original fiducial,
seeing that Taurus and not Aries was the first of the zodiacal
constellations, so what fixed star or stars defined the frontiers of
the sidereal Taurus?
It was during this impasse that Garth Allen came to the rescue. He
reasoned that if there was any truth at all in sidereal astrology it
should be possible to determine by advanced statistical methods alone,
of which he is a past master, the precise sidereal longitude of the
mean vernal equinox for any given epoch without any appeal whatsoever
to fiducial stars. Having computed numerous solar and lunar ingresses
and the like for a wide variety of happenings such as meteorological
phenomena, natural catastrophes, fires, explosions, earthquakes,
accidents "et hoc genus omne," he discovered for the epoch 1950.0 that
Spica's mean sidereal longitude was only in error by 06'05", an
extraordinarily close approximation to the longitude Virgo 29 degrees,
00' obtained by the resolution of the Hypsomata. (See the May, June,
July 1957 and the August 1964 issues of this magazine). But Spica in
Virgo 29 degrees, 06' 05" is even less convincing as a fiducial star.

THE BULL'S EYE!

Now for the remarkable part of Garth Allen's discovery of which at
that time he was totally unaware. According to Professor P. V.
Neugebauer's authoritive "Sterntafeln (Tafeln zur astronomischen
Chronologie I. Leipzip 1912) for the year 786 B.C.--the golden year of
astrology--when the exaltation degrees of the planets in the zodiac
originated, we find the following positions, proper motions having been
fully allowed for:

Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran, The Bull's Eye)
RA 30.80 degrees, Declination +6.7l degrees
Alpha Scorpii (Antaras)
RA 207.37 degrees, Declination = 16.00 degrees

the obliquity of the ecliptic being 23.79 degrees. By trogometrical
reduction their respective tropical and sidereal longitudes are as
follows:

Aldebaran Antares
Tropical longitude 31.08 degrees 211.11 degrees
SVP for 786 B.C. 13.92 13.92
------------------------------
Sidereal longitudes 45.00 225.03

or Taurus 15 degrees 00' and Scorpio 15 degrees 03 respectively.

This puts Aldebaran in the precise mathematical center of the Bull
and Antares almost in the precise mathematical center of the Scorpion;
both fixed stars being of the first magnitude and in partile (precise)
mutual opposition. The Arabs called Aldebaran "Ain al Thaur," the
Greeks "Omma Bos" and the Romans "Oculus Tauri," all meaning the Bull's
Eye. To this day the world over, the term Bull's Eye implies the
mathematical center! In the Greco-Roman star atlases (c. 600 B.C.)
only the Bull's head and forelegs are depicted, thus putting the bull's
Eye in the dead center of that constellation. In the Egyptian
Celestial Diagrams, as they were called of the New Empire period (c.
1500 to 1200 B.C.) it was usual for the scribes to represent the stars
by five-pointed devices called determinatives, but in one of the
Rameside diagrams, Aldebaran is shown as an eight-pointed star of
unusual proportions! The Arabs also name Alpha Tauri as Al Debaran,
commonly but apparently wrongly translated the Follower.
In his Babylonian Menologies and Semitic Calendars (Oxford
University Press 1935), Professor S. Langdon says Aldebaran was known
to the Babylonians as Al-debaranu "the forecaster and writer" and as
isu li-e "Star of the Tablet." It was identified with Nabu (Nebo) the
Babylonian god of astrology, who wrote the fates of all men at the
beginning of the lunar year, which began in the month of Nisannu
(Nisan) when the fine thin crescent of the New-moon in the
constellation Taurus was first seen above the western horizon just
before it set. Garth Allen's computations have revealed to the whole
astrological world that the Bull's Eye was and still is the prime
fiducial of the sidereal zodiac, with Antares as second fiddle in the
heart of the Scorpion. So the aged-worn vexed Hindu problem of the
ayanamsha finally was solved once and for all even though the solution
is not accepted by those most concerned!

THE PASSOVER

In the year B.C. 1955 the vernal equinox softly passed over from
Taurus 1 degree into Aries 30 degrees and thus initiated into being the
great Aries age when the great Aries age when the "Golden Calf" doffed
his crown as the leader of the herd and handed it over to the Lamb.
From then until 216 A.D. Aries the Ram was to reign as supreme leader
of the zodiacal flock. But note in this historical changing of the
guard the vernal equinox entered Aires by its postern port, backdoor or
servant's entrance. As already stated it is vital that we understand
this, otherwise we will get confused and go astray. Surely it is
unnecessary to detail here the great historical events of the Arien
age. In all their richness and minutia they will be found in history
and reference books. Suffice it to say that this age witnessed the
gradual decline and extinction of the glory that was Egypt, Babylon and
Assyria and the coming into being of the elegance of Greece and the
power of Rome. It also witnessed the coming into being of Buddhism,
Christianity and Mithraism.

MODERNITY

In 216 A.D. when the power of Rome and the estheticism of Greece
were moribund, the vernal equinox slipped out of Aries, and the Ram
glided like a dewdrop into the vast seas of Pisces. In doing so, the
Ram surrendered its leadership to the Two Fishes. From 216 A.D. until
2376 A.D. the Fishes will lead the zodiacal herd, with Pisces in the
anatomical melothesia ruling the head and Aquarius the feet!

THE BLUNDER

What is his historically known as the "Late Classical Period"
embraces the few centuries immediately before and after the beginning
of the Christian Era, when the mean sidereal longitudes of the vernal
equinox were as follows:

200 B.C. Aries 5 degrees 50'
100 B.C. Aries 4 degrees 27'
1 B.C. Aries 3 degrees 04'
100 A.D. Aries 1 degree 41'
200 A.D. Aries 0 degrees 18'
300 A.D. Pisces 28 degrees 55'

Although the birth and death of Claudius Ptolemy are not recorded it
is known form his own Al Magest that he made observation of the heavens
between 127 and 151 A.D. when the average sidereal longitude of the
vernal equinox was Aries 1 degree 09'. Should Ptolemy be the author of
the Tetrabiblos (now much disputed), he was perfectly correct and in
order when he wrote "...For this reason although there is no natural
beginning of the zodiac, since it is a circle, they (Nechepso and
Petosiris?) assume that the sign which begins with the vernal equinox,
that of Aries, is the starting point of them all..." (Tetrabiblos I.
10 P. 61). When this was penned "...the sign that begins with the
vernal equinox..." was undoubtedly Aries as the above tabulation
indicates. But ARIES DID NOT BEGIN WITH THE VERNAL EQUINOX SOME THREE
THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THEN NOR DOES IT BEGIN WITH ARIES NOW!
Today the tropical year commences with Pisces and in some four
hundred years or so hence it will begin with Aquarius. The blunder is
not Ptolemy's but that of his adoring fans of yesterday. Taking his
statements as eternal verities they "...forgot to put the zodiacal
clock back in A.D. 216..." and it has been in a deep freeze ever since!
At the ripe age of 2.170 years "the old lady" died in that year, but
unburied, her mummified remains are still in the cupboard.

Continued in 9/1967 "Solunars"; see file [WHAT_AGE?]
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[THE12] This file contains notes on files [PISCES through AQUARIUS]-
the 12 Star Constellation files with excerpts from the founder and
pioneer sidereal authors - CYRIL FAGAN, the re-discoverer of the Star
Constellation astrology whose seeds were found in ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia, GARTH ALLEN (Donald Bradley), and RUPERT GLEADOW. Their
viewpoints are essential and invaluable, but unfortunately mostly no
longer in print. These files are saved in ASCII format, a generic
format read by file-viewers and any word processor. Comparing these
major three authors in each constellation file helps to explain and
broaden basic concepts.
Additional excerpts from tropicalist Frederic Van Norstrand - see
tropicalist DISCLAIMER.


Centuries of confusion exist in the delineations or character
descriptions from the zodiac: original observations made of the
Constellations' characteristics and related symbols were overlayed with
the characteristics of the mis-designated Signs, which have precessed
backwards to overlap the previous constellations, presently by 83%.
Currently, "free-associating" from cultural images given to the signs
(which images and size have varied culture to culture) provides daily
newspaper horoscopes. The difference between actual character and
supposed theory is simply rationalized because of the intuitive scent
of the truth in the much garbled core archetype. To understand the
essence of the constellations, CYRIL FAGAN presented a classic
delineation of the constellations based on their more recent
traditional "ruling" planets (dignities) and exaltations (hypsomata):
Like Planet -Like Constellation! In this he was conservative.
[Note that the terms 'constellation' and 'sign' were historically
used interchangeably.]

Special Note: In files [TAURUS] AND [VIRGO], see sections from
Cyril Fagan's ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS and ZODIACS OLD AND NEW for
historical information on the original Egyptian zodiac to distinquish
between
<A> the occurrence of the (precessing/changing) equinoxes as when in
Taurus (Taurean Era), and
<B> the original divisions of the zodiac, 0 LIB-ARI, 0CAP-CAN,
marked by SPICA (at the end of Virgo). When writing, Fagan does not
make this distinction clear, although it would be clear to a few
scholars who had the same encyclopedic background he did.

BIRTHDATA for Fagan, Gleadow, Allen & Firebrace in TAURUS file & Van
Norstrand data end of CAPRICRN, as well as below, along with bookcopy
info on the authors.

DISCLAIMER of token tropical 'signs' orientation! (There, now.)
Explanation for including tropicalist Frederic Van Norstrand's writing:
he had studied early historical astrological tradition (Ptolemy &
others) when the constellations & signs were only a degree or so off.
Hence his sources were primarily sidereal. I radically cut his "occult
orientation" - his material on stones, colors, talismans, diseases; the
correspondences were unconvincing. I particularly cut his
contradictory descriptions combined from 1> the observed behavior of
the actual constellation, and from 2> the precessing/overlapping
"sign's" theory of one's character, and from 3> the rationalization for
making the two fit. Surprisingly and not surprisingly, what emerges
are character sketches in many ways similar to Fagan's & Gleadow's.
Albeit he had a quirky 30's psychology, F.V.N.'s description of the
Moon sign 'benefits' for each sex echoes a much older tradition of
understanding the Moon - specifically that one's Fate-with-a-mate
(sexual desire) relates to the Moon placement and aspects, as well as
to diseases, to their 'corresponding' healing herbs, talismans, stones,
and colors. Also Van Norstand was the only writer in his time to
publish particularly on the Moon signs, whether he understood the
implications of the spring equinox as the fiducial of the tropical
zodiac or not.
* * *


SOURCES:
Allen, Garth (Donald Bradley). Article series, American Astrology
Magazine. New York: Clancy Publications, Inc., 1950's & 60's.
Fagan, Cyril. Astrological Origins. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn
Publications, 1971
Fagan, Cyril. The Symbolism of the Constellations. London: Moray
Press, 1962.
Fagan, Cyril. Zodiacs Old and New. London: Robert Ascombre & Co.,
1951.
Firebrace, Brigadier R.C. Astrology Moray Series. London: Moray
Press, 1959.
Gleadow, Rupert. Your Character In the Zodiac. London: Phoenix House
1968.
Mayo, Jeff. D.F.Astrol.S. The Astrologer's Astronomical Handbook.
London: L.N.Fowler & Co.Ltd., 1965.
Van Norstrand, Frederic. The Influence of the Moon in the 12 Signs.
Tuscon, Arizona: Clancy Publications, Inc., 1942. San Francisco:
SoLunar Publication, 1970.
* * *



I would like as many interested folk as possible to see this
sidereal information. It must be the birthright of everyone on some
enlightened planets to know the actual astronomical, i.e., Star
Constellation position of their Sun, and hopefully their Moon and
Ascendant.


* * *


May you be an Astronaut of Spirit,
And within your own sacred Directions
Tread the seasons' turning spiral paths
through each year's seven dark eclipses,
Emerge to walk the Moon of your understanding in full light,
And return always to bless the Ground of Being - renewed.


* * *


EDITORS NOTE appended from file [4SPHERES]: Regarding the
constellation divisions, it is a helpful to visualize the Earth as
divided into 12 orange sections (cut longitudinally) or "lunes" as
these sections would have an appearance similar to a crescent lunar
phase. And further, to visualize the Earth's projection of longitude
and latitude onto the apparent sphere of the heavens-in-lunes. The
orange core would be the pole of the Earth's axis about which it turns,
and would point now to Polaris, the North Pole Star, the still place in
the sky about which all stars turn.

Each 30 degree "lune" section was historically named for a star
constellation near the ecliptic; i.e., the whole lune section of the
heavens from north to south pole is named for the 'zodiacal'
constellation, or the constellation nearest the ecliptic. That is, it
is not merely the plane of the ecliptic that is being divided, but the
entire celestial sphere in terms of the Earth's rotational relationship
to the heavens. Keep in mind Allen's "Radial movement in space defines
the zodiac." The primary historical and astronomical issue is how to
divide up those lunes in the first place - WHERE ARE THE BEGINNINGS AND
ENDS OF THE HISTORICAL CONSTELLATION DIVISIONS?
The related question has also been posed as to what constitutes the
axis of the zodiac? Is it, as tropicalists believe, the projected
Earth's-pole-&-equator which oscillate and thus cause the precession of
the equinoxes 1 degree every 72 years? (The stars have their own
proper motion which, as Aldebaran, may only change its sidereal
longitude by 3 minutes of arc in 2735 years, or 1 degree in approxi-
mately 57,000 years.) Or would it be the APEX of the Sun's Way? The
APEX studies by Garth Allen fairly coincide with the historical
evidence presented by Fagan in these divisions.
It is well to understand at the outset that it is the Earth's
angles, i.e., the ecliptic plane's crossing of the horizon and North-
South Prime Meridian, which provides the focus/scope or framework for
what impinges on our consciousness here. The angles are defined as the
foreground of consciousness, a kind of relativistic notion that
everything is relative to the observer, or the experiencer. This is
distinct from using the equinoctial measure 'as' the tropical zodiac.
And it does not answer the question of where the beginning and end of
the ecliptic/zodiacal constellations are.
Cyril Fagan rediscovered the in ancient Egyptian astrology the
historical roots of the constellations. Garth Allen attempted to find
in the APEX of the Sun's Way - an astronomical explanation for the
division within the physics of the universe itself. Consider that the
first step in observational astronomy is to establish the north pole
and the resultant north-south Meridian division of the celestial
sphere. By analogy, finding the APEX (the direction the Sun is
traveling in the universe) gives a kind of pole/pointer, from which a
meridian can be drawn down to the ecliptic to divide it at 0 degrees
Capricorn and Cancer.
Our personal and immediate perspective in the universe is FROM THE
DAILY ANGLES of the Earth in relation to our Sun; our Earth life, our
seasons, are dependent on the orientation of the Earth and its pole.
Earth is our position of perception to which the heavens are relative.
We are here the perceivers. But also astronomically, the direction in
the heavens that the Sun is traveling (APEX) is also the direction its
planets are traveling. And that is also a major factor of our
relationship to the rest of the heavens. The APEX, which divides the
ecliptic plane through the heavens analogously to the way the Earth's
tilt and pole divides our day and year, would offer the best
explanation I've yet seen of an astronomical basis for the
constellations.
Cyril Fagan's Astrological Origins refers to the research of
Professors A. N. Vyssotsky and Peter van de Kamp investigations of the
solar Apex with its position as follows: R.A. 19h 00m 00s plus or
minus a miximum error of 6m, and Declination N. 36 degrees 00' plus or
minus a maximum error of 1 degree 30'. 1950.0 = mean obliquity of the
ecliptic 23d 26'45". Reducing these to their ecliptical coordinates
gives the Mean sidereal longitude as 29 degrees Sagittarius 32' - "less
than half a degree from the sidereal Tropic of Capricorn....In this
respect it should be noticed that the Sun's ingress into the
constellation Capricorn, termed by Garth Allen the Capsolar, and the
Moon's ingress therein, the Caplunar, constitute the most important
ingresses during the year."
See also file [TRP&SID] on Tropical vs. Sidereal Measurement of the
Zodiac.
* * *
* * * * *


CYRIL FAGAN [May 22, 1896, Dublin, IRE., 12:25 pm = data given by
Pauline Fagan to Kay Cavender as the data Cyril used. Died January 5,
1970, between 2 - 5am, Tucson, AZ.]
Fagan's bio from a bookcover: Born into a well-known medical family
in Dublin, Ireland, Cyril Fagan was educated at Belvedere and
Castleknock Colleges. Prevented from following in the family tradition
through almost totally impaired hearing since childhood, he turned his
acutely enquiring mind to other things, many and varied, finally
deciding to make the betterment of the subject he loved the most
astrology, his life's work.
Dissatisfied with all available material on the subject, he decided
to set out and find the answers for himself. He combed the libraries
of many of the capitals of Europe and soon concluded that a working
knowledge of astronomy and Egyptology was essential if the embryo of
astrology was to be unearthed. These he mastered alone as he had done
everything else. He has lived in many places over the years including
Wales, London, Spain, Morocco, and the USA, and has traveled throughout
most of Europe and some of Canada.
Works include Astrological Origins; Zodiacs, Old and New; A Primer
of Sidereal Astrology; Symbolism of the Constellations; The Solunars
Handbook, and a monthly contribution to American Astrology, "Solunars"
published nonstop from 1953 - 1970. See also his articles in American
Astrology under his pseudonym, I. COWLEY, "The President's Outlook."
Cyril Fagan was President/Founder of the Irish Astrological Society,
and a Fellow of the American Federation of Astrologers; a Fellow of the
Federation of British Astrologers; and a Komandoro of the Universal
Order of Antares (Trieste).
The most momentous and revolutionary astrological discovery of all
time was made in 1948 by Cyril Fagan, the well-known astrologer and
Egyptian scholar. He discovered that the historical exaltation degrees
of the zodiac originated in 786 B.C. and that all these degrees were
expressed in terms of the zodiac of the constellations and not of the
signs. This led him into a whole series of further discoveries which
are equally important to the archeologist, the chronologist, the
historian, and the astrologer.
First and foremost, he found that the so-called Egyptian decans were
in fact pentades or 5-day star groups, a discovery that immediately led
to the identification of most of them. He also solved the precise date
of the Inauguration of the famous Sothic Cycle as well as dating the
zodiacs of Esna and Denderah.
* * * *




OTHER SIDEREALISTS:

GARTH ALLEN (Donald Bradley): (from American Astrology): Born 16
MAY 1925; 2:04 am CST; 40n21' 97w35' Nebraska. Died April 25, 1974;,
11.25 PM MST; 110w59, 32n14.

BRIGADIER ROY C. FIREBRACE (publisher of SPICA, A SIDEREAL JOURNAL)
(sent to me by Brigadier Firebrace): 16 AUG 1889; 5:00 pm InterColonial
or Atlantic time (-4h 14' 20"); Halifax, Nova Scotia 63w35, 44n38'
(Bio written on his death by Deputy Editor of SPICA, Dr. Mary
Austin). Brigadier Roy C. Firebrace. The Master and yet the Student
of Sidereal Astrology. He died peacefully at 10.30 a.m. on 10th
November 1974 in London and was cremated a few days later.
Brigadier Firebrace was, as you know, wonderful in his approach to
Astrology. He had a truly dedicated mind towards research. He was a
big man with a gentle nature and a fine sense of humour. He possessed
a deep understanding of life in all its aspects, a fountain of
knowledge and a wonderful memory, for he was fluent in seven languages
and understood several more.
Brigadier Firebrace had led a most interesting life having served in
two World Wars, been Military Attache in the Baltic States and Russia,
and had interpreted at Cabinet Meetings in Downing Street for Winston
Churchill. He was a soldier for forty years, an astologer for thirty-
five, and an ardent investigator of psychic matters for just as long.
He used to tell interesting stories of poltergeists and was even
successful in exorcism, occasionally in foreign tongues. His interest
in ghosts and other occult subjects was intense. He did sincerely
believe in an after life and spent much time reading and thinking about
this, leaving behind him the results of his researches in the shape of
seven boolkets in the Moray Series. His meticulously written NEW
STUDENTS OF SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY, published in SPICA, will help many
future generations to study this difficult subject. No man did more to
help individually anyone who came to him for advice.
May he enjoy his new investigations with the great men who I am sure
await him. The world has lost a truly remarkable personality.
RUPERT GLEADOW (data from inside of his book which he autographed;
and I suspect MER culminates rather than SUN): 22 NOV 1909, 11:55 am,
Leicester, England. Died October 30, 1974.
Bookcover bio: Rupert Gleadow was educated at Winchester and
Trinity College, Oxford, where having read Egyptology, Egyptian
hieroglyphics, Latin and classical Greek ('very useful in reading the
original sources'), he took a double first, first-class honors in both
classics and in Oriental languages. During World War II he was engaged
in secret work for the Foreign Office and Air Force Intelligence.
Among his books are Your Character in the Zodiac (on sidereal
astrology), The Origin of the Zodiac, Magic and Divination, The
Unclouded Eye, and Astrology in Everyday Life.
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

*************** DISCREPANCIES IN INTERPRETATION ****
[DISCREP] Discrepancies In Interpretation. Collection of Essays by
Cyril Fagan & Garth Allen between the observed character of a
constellation & the overlapping sign's skewed description of that
character, with the resulting mishmash. Especially good essays on the
Egyptian names & symbolism (Fagan's 3/56 "Solunars"), and the
artificial association of the Triplicity Elements (fire, air, earth, &
water) with the constellations (12/72 "Ye Gods & Little Fishes").

"Discrepancies" in interpretation results mainly from the
contradictions between the original symbolism of the sidereal or star
constellations and the overlapping/precessing 'signs' which took their
meaning from the star constellations. Generally, the astronomical
measurement of the spring equinox (i.e., intersection of ecliptic and
projected Earth equator) is considered the beginning of the tropical
zodiac and called the 'sign' Aries. But the equinox never was the
zodiac; it was a and is a seasonal marker moving against the backdrop
of constellations near the ecliptic; the signs now overlap the previous
named constellation some 83%, or nearly 25 days. The tropical zodiac
was a historical error. See file [TRP&SID] "Tropical vs. Sidereal
Measurement of the Zodiac" for clarification.

However, this collection hardly addresses all the issues. For
instance, the dubious usage of the Exaltations (Hypsomata) along with
the rulerships in developing the interpretation of the constellations
needs to be addressed. Cyril Fagan's own very signficant astro-
archaeological discovery of the Exaltation's origins in 786 B.C.,
marking the heliacal appearances and disappearances (the hiding places)
of planets, in no way relates them to whole constellation
interpretation. That year, 786 B.C., marked an ancient commemoration
of outstanding and unique astronomical phenomena. But such placements
are not consistent as to either heliacal appearances or disappearances.
As well, such heliacal phenomena change yearly and the Exaltations were
unique 'only' to that year; the Exaltations of 786 B.C. were a local
and discrete phenomena. Thus the association of heliacal placements in
786 B.C. for the Exaltations of the outer planets seems groundless.
And yet, according to Garth Allen, the Exaltation degrees themselves
may have been areas which empirical evidence had already established as
associated with the Exaltation planets, and 786 B.C. most noteworthy as
a year when all the planets were present in those degrees either by
their appearances or disappearances. See index at end for Allen's dis
cussions in American Astrology on the Exaltations.

House interpretation has long been an insult to even mediocre
intelligence. In his 10/68 "Solunars," Fagan's classic takeoff on
schematism in House Delineation with [LILLIPUT] is too good to miss.
It illustrates quickly the glib procedure.

In his 8/59 Moray Series Introduction and in his Your Character in
the Zodiac, Gleadow's point on CARDINALITY, as derived from the
equinoctial and solstitial occurrence in constellations, should be
noted as invalidating "cardinal-fixed-mutable" interpretation of the
signs, which has been re-fried respectively as "spokes-hub-wheel"
interpretation of the constellations. The cardinality of the seasonal
markers now occurs in Pisces-Virgo and Gemini-Sagittarius. It's
triplicity 'schematism' no matter who suggests it. This thinking is
predicate upon the seasons defining the constellations. (This is
distinct from the 'cardinality' as indicated by Allen's APEX
demarcation in Capricorn-Cancer.)




* * * * *


"Many Things," A.A. 7/72
THAT BUGABOO
Comment: Yes, a goodly share of the doctrinal motifs about each
sign of the zodiac, as conceived in olden times according to preserved
ancient literature, remains more or less intact in most modern
delineative descriptions one is apt to read. But what has happened, as
the centuries rolled along, is quite easy to grasp when you sample the
typical astrological literature of each era in the interim. Nowadays
the average sign "reading" represents a blend of these changes with the
original ideas.
Examples of these blendings are almost endless. This subject has
been dealt with at the scholarly level many times, but a few random
examples here can demonstrate the historic process. "Fickleness in
love" is nowadays an entrenched Gemini idea, but in Roman times it was
TAURUS which was noted for romantic wantonness ("fickle their
loves...on the Bull's front sits wanton Cupid"). As time when on the
precession accumulated, so that [the sign now labeled Gemini gradually
came to overlap] the constellation of the celestial Bull, the
observable fact that Taureans tend to fall too easily in love, and then
go on to the next crush, was recorded as a typical Geminian weakness.
That is, the reading for the [sign] Gemini took on distinctly Taurus-
Venus overtones.

In modern times, in Occidental astrology, we run across continuous
association of sports, "the wide open places," frankness and
forthrightness, and so on, with the sign Sagittarius. Originally,
SAGITTARIUS ruled by Jupiter, was one of the most indoorsy, not
outdoorsy, signs, being the regent of the Establishment professions
(bankers, clergy, physicians, the aristocracy in general). Sportsmen,
hunters, crusaders, those who thrived in the open air and who caused
commotion by telling it like it is, were representative SCORPIOS.
Nowadays, Scorpio's traits have been blended with the original
Sagittarian motifs, and [the description of] Sagittarius' penchant for
worldly ambition and financial status has shifted to [the sign]
Capricorn [which now overlaps constellation Sagittarius], Capricorn
which has been transformed from a goatfish into a peak-scaling mountain
goat (another version of Olympian aspiration as la Sagittarius), and so
on....
The main source of confusion now, in the predicated use of what is
simply traditional symbol, is to invent "traits" that remain stuck in
the zodiacal zone bearing the name of the original symbol attached
thereto. In this case the shift of meanings is stymied, causing hybrid
readings and general blurriness of each [constellation's] key motifs.
The Scales as a symbol of "the scales of justice," for example, or
Cancer's supposed arachnid way of walking, or Taurus' money-orientation
(the Latin pecu meaning flock of sheep, money, property, the root of
such words as pecuniary and fee)....
* * *


"Many Things," A.A. 8/72
RIGHT SIGN, WRONG BULL
Comment: ...We agree wholeheartedly that the commonplace
representation of Taurus is usually far off the mark, owing to the fact
that the metaphorical bovine traits are carried much too far to be
realistic.
Centuries ago, what is nowadays ascribed to the [sign of] Bull
symbol was very clearly blamed on the [constellation] Ram, obstinacy
and all. Ancient writers invariably associated finances and the
business world with ARIES; TAURUS was value-oriented only in terms of
productiveness of the earth and compensation for diligent hard work.
Money as such was considered strictly Arien, as was also ambition for
personal acclaim, traceable to the exaltation of the Sun in
[constellation] Aries (as well as the pushiness of its patron planet
Mars).... Many of the standard keywords for Taurus, it is plain to the
unbiased observer, are a lot of bull.
* * *

Garth Allen, "Many Things," A.A. 8/64
...As a good example of the delineative butchery that has
accumulated in recent centuries is afforded by ... stereotyped dislike
of Pisces. For eons Pisces was the most blessed of all "signs," being
the only one which was ruled by a benefic planet (Jupiter) as well as
being accorded the exaltation of the other benefic (Venus). You can
make a complete circuit of the zodiac and spot hundreds of instances of
the "idea-shift" that has taken place with the passage of time. As
[the sign] Sagittarius encroached on the area of [constellation]
"Capricorn," Saturn's bailiwick has gradually come to signfiy
aspiration and affluence--Jupiter's Mount Olympus symbol was changed
into a mountain-climbing goat, andthe goat's horn became the Horn of
Plenty--even thought Saturn istelf is the planet of deprivation and
withdrawal. Compliant, Venus-ruled Taurus has progressively [been]
turned into the stubbornest blockhead going, while the other side of
the sky, the unloving Scorpion has oddly changed into what might be
called, euphemistically, the Temptress of the zodiac.
* * * *



Cyril Fagan "Solunars," A.A. 3/56
EGYPTIAN HOMOPHONES
Egyptian texts on astronomy and astrology, whether written in
hieroglyphics, hieratic or demotic, abound in the use of cryptograms to
indicate the zodiacal constellations, planets, their positions and
configurations, and to one not conversant with astrological symbolism
in its original form, they can be completely mystifying.
For example, Mercury was frequently represented by a band of string,
which was used to bind papyrus books. This symbol is quite
appropriate, seeing that books of all descriptions come under the
dominion of Mercury. Most astrologers incorrectly assume that the
well-known glyph for what is now the eighth constellation represents
d31 (djal) "a scorpion." It is, in fact, the demotic ideogram for d.t
(dja.t) "a cobra," and what is taken to be the point of the "sting" is
actually the cobra's head, which faces to the right, as Egyptian script
was usually read from right to left. The serpent was the Egyptian
symbol for storms and gales, which became prevalent when this
constellation rose at sunset.
But the majority of these cryptograms take the form of homophones; a
homophone being one of two or more ideograms showing entirely different
representations but having similar sound values. In short, a homophone
is merely a rebus on the original word. In some texts, for example,
Venus is represented by the numeral 9, usually depicted by nine dots
arranged in the form of a rectangle. Now the phonetics for 9 are psd
(pesedj), which also are those for "one that shines," namely the planet
Venus, but differently arranged. For another example, the phonetics
for "Twins" are snw (senu) which are the same as those for "brothers,"
while those for Pisces are tbty (tebety) which are also the phonetics
for "a pair of soles" and "a pair of sandals," which partly explain the
development of the association of the feet with this constellation.
Both the constellation Leo and the planet Mars were symbolized by
the ideogram of "a knife" which is probably due to the fact that Mars
rose in Leo at the time of the inauguration of the Harakhte (Mars) era,
September 15, 3030 B.C. The phonetics for a "knife" are ds (des) and
for a flamingo dsr (desher) and Harakhte (Mars) was frequently
represented by the device of a red flamingo. In sculpture the god
Harakhte is represented by the human-headed lion known as the Sphinx.
To the stargazer the constellation of Leo is noteworthy for its
conspicuous "sickle" formed by its leading stars, and to this day it is
symbolized by the device of a sickle, wrongly thought to be that of a
lion's tail. The Egyptian for "sickle" is m3 (ma) which happens to be
similar to the phonetics for "a lion," namely m3i (may), and so on for
probably euphemistic and calligraphic reasons the ideogram for a lion
was substituted for that of a sickle to identify this constellation.
In short, the symbol for a lion is merely a charade for that of a
sickle.
The absurdity, therefore, of attributing lion-like qualities to one
born under the "sickle" constellation is too obvious to stress. Yet no
small part of Ptolemaic astrology is based on nothing more tangible
than homophonic similarities. Incidentally, this fact is one of the
strongest arguments that astrology originated with the Egyptians and
not with the Babylonians. To erect an interpretative edifice on a
symbol, before the symbol's origin is known, is surely the height of
folly.
Degree Symbolism
This brings up the whole problem of the symbols attached to each
degree of the zodiac.... Symbols have been allotted to the zodiacal
degrees by a variety of methods, the most common being based on
unadulterated schematism, having no natural or astronomical content
whatsoever. In this method a zodiacal constellation or sign--it does
not matter which--is divided into a number of small divisions, each
subdivision being identified with a planet or a microzodiacal sign....
To make any claims to validity, such a system must be anchored to
the sidereal zodiac, for in terms of the tropical zodiac, it would be
quite meaningless. If it can be established that any degree of the
zodiac does emit a distinct and unique influence, then the influence
could only be due to a fixed star or group of fixed stars, both visible
and invisible, that lie as a backdrop to that degree. In itself a
zodiacal degree is a mere mathematical abstraction, and obviously can
emit no such influence whatsoever....
The symbolical degrees of antiquity were, for the most part, based
on the paranatellonta of the fixed stars, and several lists of the
latter, such as those of Aratus, Hyginus, Manilius and Firmicus, have
come down to us. These relate only to the rising degrees of the
zodiacs, and are only true for the geographical latitude for which they
were computed, and then only for a limited time because the rising and
setting of the stars are affected by precession, despite the fact that
their longitudes may be expressed in terms of the sidereal zodiac....
How did the astrologers of antiquity discover so correctly the
influences of the planets? How did they ascertain that Mercury was the
significator of words, penmanship, and accountancy, seeing that their
ephemerides of this planet were so defective, because of the proximity
to the Sun. How did they discover that Venus was the significator of
love, Mars of war, Jupiter of joy, and Saturn of sorrow. Was their
knowledge the fruit of many thousands of years of tedious empirical
research, or had they a more direct approach?
While we can afford to take Simplicius' statement in his commentary
of the De Caelo of Aristotle (that he head heard the Egyptians
possessed written observations of the stars extending over no less than
630,000 years, and that the Babylonians possessed them for 1,444,000
years) with a grain of salt, it is nevertheless true that a large
quantity of observation tablets with their omens were found in
Ashurbanipal's library at Nineveh and elsewhere. But there is nothing
in these Babylonian tablets which would lead us to believe that the
astrology of Manetho and Ptolemy, was derived from them.
Unfortunately, our knowledge of ancient Egyptian astrology is deduced
solely form the monuments and the few texts that have survived
destruction. Of the Heliopolian library nothing remains, and the
famous library of Alexandria, which was so severely damaged in 48 B.C.
when Julius Caeser was besieged in that city, was ruthlessly destroyed,
with all its precious contents, in 641 A.D.
* * * * * *



GARTH ALLEN "Odds & Ends" American Astrology May 1963
Here are some puzzlers of the Have You Ever Wondered Why? variety,
and if you can solve them you're undeniably an astrological whizz kid.
Have you ever wondered why Virgo is regularly called a "barren" sign in
the texts and almanacs, which turn right around and say Virgo
represents groceries, farm produce and the like?
They go even farther, then, by describing the Virgin's ancient
status as goddess of the harvest (Ceres) by virtue of the sign's
seasonal occurrence and the fact that she is forever pictured holding a
shock of wheat. Of course, they confuse the gap of geometric space now
called Virgo in the tropical zodiac with the constellated goddess of
mythology, and these are two quite different things. But where, in
either case, did the notion of Virgo's unproductiveness, her intrinsic
barrenness, originate? Horary texts even assign "small animals" and
domestic livestock to Virgo's list of rulerships.

Have you ever wondered why one of the signs said to be ruled by Mars
and pictured as a denizen of the driest of all habitats, namely
Scorpio, is classed as a water sign, of all things, or rather, of all
elements. And have you ever wondered why the one sign of the zodiac
whose symbol is water itself, Aquarius the Water-Bearer, is
blithefully listed as an air sign--although there are three other so-
called water signs, none of which use the symbol of water itself?
Bovine properties are forever being read into things Taurean, duality
into Gemini, balance into Libra, leonine attributes into Leo, fishiness
into Pisces, et cetera. But when it come to Aquarius, one notes a
marked avoidance of water allusions in the standard delineative
literature.
Or have you ever wondered why Libra, one of the two signs ruled by
Venus, the femalest of all deific females, is perennially written off
in the textbook lists as a "masculine" sign? And so it goes. There is
an inconsistency in much of astrological imagery that is both annoying
and charming, in its own way. It keeps the curious mind hopping and it
keeps the merely believing mind alibiing. There are simple solutions
to the aforementioned questions, and we wonder if our sharper readers
can see what the answers really are.

[See files ORIGINS1 and ORIGIN3a & 3b for the historical origin of the
names of constellations.]
* * *



"Many Things," A.A. 12/72
YE GODS AND LITTLE FISHES
Comment:...First of all, pay no heed to authors who talk familiarly
of planets yet to be discovered. A characteristic of such writers is
the weakness of their comprehension of the planets that do exist.
Second, planetary rulerships of signs are man-made contrivances
which aid and abet the process of astrological interpretation. As far
as universal principles go, there is no linkage between signs and
planets, so the existence of the twelve signs has really nothing to do
with the number of bodies to be counted as planets.
Finally, do not take the TRIPLICITY elements too literally--these
too are symbolic and not at all germane to concepts of the zodiac, as
proven by the fact that the fire-earth-air-water scheme was unheard of
throughout the eras during which astrology was developed. Following
Aristotelian cannons of thought, late Greco-Roman and medieval
astrologers formalized the idea--it wasn't known during the heyday of
the science, and not even Claudius Ptolemy knew about it.
Too-literal usage of the element symbology leads to misleading
thoughts about zodiacal natures. We read endless references to the
warm passions of the fire signs, the stolidity and materialism and
levity of the air-born, the emotionality and perspiration of water
natives. Astrological writers milk these allusion-rich symbols for all
their worth, but in doing so they often miss the entire point of the
symbolism.
If Renaissance astrologers had saddled the triplicities with the
fourfold set of sword-cup-wand-coin images instead of the elements,
nowadays we would read endless variations on the themes of the
sharpness of sword-sign personalities, the retentiveness of cup people,
the nimbleness of the wand-born, the business acumen of the coin
natives. Try club-spade-diamond-heart as another such scheme and you
could come up with a whole new Sun-sign doctrine. How about Matthew-
Mark-Luke-John? You'd then be reading about the affectionate nature of
the John signs, the political instincts of the Marks, the dramatic
propensities of the Lukes, and the keen intuitions of Matthew types.
And so on.
Ponder this and you'll see the folly of trying to argue about the
element assignments of the signs in terms of modern astrological
stereotypes. You are quite right that CAPRICORN archetypally is a
watery sign; originally the symbol was not a goat at all but a horned
fish of the Red Sea! AQUARIUS the Waterbearer, whose symbol is waves,
was and is a watery sign despite the singsong symmetry imposed on the
modern zodiac by the triplicity elements. Modern astrology is loaded
with ludicrous inconsistences, mainly because people tend to believe
most firmly in what they learned through popular, elementary,
literature, rather than good textbooks.
This is why you should smile at, rather than complain about, the
assignment of TAURUS the Bull as a feminine sign, for instance.
Infantile thinking requires symmetry, as is well known in psychology,
so no wonder the most simplistic approaches to astrology are
characterized by all manner of balanced designs which in the final
analysis amount to little that is truly practical knowledge...
* * *
* * * * *



NOTE: Schematism at its best worst. A takeoff on "Classic
Delineation" by a master. This one is not to be missed.
*
Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," 10/1968 A.A.
Effect of Lilliputo in the 12 Mundane Houses
*
Entering the realms of make-believe for the nonce, let us imagine
that by accident a new planet has been discovered. The word accident
is used advisedly because the new planet could not have been located by
mathematics, as were Neptune and Pluto, for it breaks all planetary
laws including Bode's. Discovered in the constellation Sagittarius,
because of its diminishing temperature, its mass is out of all
proportion to its diameter, so it is classified as a planetary dwarf,
the first of its kind. Being unable to find an appropriate classical
name for the new-comer, astronomers decided to abandon mythology and
called it Lilliputo after the tiny inhabitants of Jonathan Swift's
Gulliver's Travels--the Lilliputians.
Needless to say the astrological world was delighted by this
addition to the solar family and soon the leading lights of this select
band were vying with each other for the honor of being the first in
print with an article on the "effects of Lilliputo in the twelve
mundane houses."
Once the valence and group of a new chemical element is known, it is
possible for a chemist to identify, without experimental proof, all the
possible salts and other chemical combinations that that element will
enter into, and their chemical reactions. In much the same way,
leaders of popular astrology believe they can correctly envisage the
effects of any newly discovered planet in the twelve signs, or in the
twelve houses, 'once the mythological equivalent of the planet is
known' notwithstanding that such rapport may be purely guess work. So
an article on the HOUSE POSITIONS OF LILLIPUTO could take shape
something like this:
When in the First House the signature tends to be undersized but the
body is tough and innured to pain. The muscles are knotty and
unusually strong, the head is disproportionate and diminutive. In Leo,
Gemini, or Sagittarius, the frame will be medium-sized; but in Taurus,
Cancer, or Pisces, especially if configurated with the Moon the native
will be a pigmy.
In the Second House there will be an inclination to earn money by
the operation of slot machines or such. More successful in handling
and in collecting small coin than in the manipulation of bills of large
denomination.
A Third House position inclines the native to be narrow-minded and
petty. Much given to pacing the room. Eschewing lengthy
correspondence, they are addicted to communication by postcards. They
hoard microfilms of favorite books. Have numerous brethren who live in
the same house.
When in the Fourth House the native inclines to dwell on the side of
a cliff where he ultimately is buried. Avoiding marshy soil, he
prefers arid ground. He secretly buries his collection of precious
stones. Lives to a grand old age and rarely is a victim of violence.
The Sixth House placement of Lilliputo gives a dislike of read meat
and cooked foods so there is a partiality for nuts and small shellfish.
The native inclines to suffer from bladder trouble and muscular
rigidity. Often deaf and blind.
With a Seventh House position of Lilliputo, the marriage to a
sibling is accepted as a matter of course and is usually a routine,
prosaic affair.
Should Lilliputo in the Eighth House be afflicted by Mars, the native
will die from the venom of reptiles or from a poisoned spear. If
Saturn afflicts, then the native will be crushed by falling masonry and
the like. Otherwise, in a semiconscious condition, he will have a
lingering but painless demise.
In the Ninth House, travel to mountainous retreats and places of
scenic splendor is foreshadowed and so the necropolises of the world
are favored. The religious outlook will be austere. The native is
hard with a firm belief in the eye for an eye doctrine.
A Tenth House placement produces types who excel in jobs that call
for smallness of stature and slimness of girth such as jockeys or
steeplejacks. this individual also makes a fine janitor.
When placed in the Eleventh House, the native is anti-social but
some off-beat friends will be welcomed to the home.
A Twelfth House Lilliputo inclines to a danger from venomous
creatures in foreign lands. Lurking enemies await the dark to attack.
Aggrieved employees could pose a threat.

Of course, all this is mere nonsense and pure fantasy, but no more
so than the masses of similar type reading doled out month after month
in the astrological press, and in textbooks, for the benefit of the
credulous. As far as is known, no serious attempt has ever been made
to test the validity of such delineations by rigorous statistical
methods. And few astrologers have either the inclination or the
courage to face such a task. It could prove to be too revealing.
* * * *



From Rupert Gleadow's Foreword to ASTROLOGY MORAY SERIES, NO. 2:
"Wars In the Sidereal" by Brigadier R. C. Firebrace
10th August, 1959
One word of warning is however necessary: it is more than doubtful
whether we should speak of "cardinal constellations." The cardinal
signs were originally so called in the Latin translation of Ptolemy's
Tetrabiblos, but only because they were measured from the four turning-
points of the zodiac, the solstices and equinoxes. The cardinal
constellations, if there are any, should therefore now be Gemini,
Virgo, Satittarius and Pisces, and should remain so until the equinox
enters Aquarius.
*
*
*
From Rupert Gleadow's YOUR CHARACTER IN THE ZODIAC, 1968
(Cardinality, Sexism, Elements)
...Claudius Ptolemy of Pelusium was the writer who popularized the
tropical scheme of measuring the zodiac, and at the same time tried to
determine the characters of the signs by dividing them up in three new
ways. First he decided that the four signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and
Capricorn should be called 'cardinal' bacause they began from the
dardines' (Latin for hinges) of the zodiac, that is to say the
solstices and equinoxes; and these, he said, moved of their own motion.
The four that follow them he called 'fixed'; they are Taurus, Leo,
Scorpio and Aquarius, and have now been made to correspond to the four
evangelists by a mistaken attribution fo the Eagle to Scorpio. The
remaining four he called 'mutable.' Further, he derived the character
of Aries from its position next to the spring equinox, which means that
in the southern hemisphere Aries should have the influence of Libra,
and vice versa.
No one now takes this seriously, and of course it has nothing to do
with the constellations, but it almost suffices by itself to disprove
the influence of the tropical signs with their supposed beginning on
21st March. If there are any 'cardinal' constellations they must be
those in which the solstices and equinoxes actually fall at the present
time, namely Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. The vernal
equinox will pass out of Pisces into Aquarius about A.D. 2360, when the
Aquarian Age will (if this line of argument is valid) really begin.
It was Ptolemy too who invented the notion that the signs should be
masculine and feminine alternately. This was useful for answering
questions, for instance if you put up a horoscope in order to ask
whether a thief was male or female; but it never had any other utility,
and in the constellations does not apply.


Ptotemy's third regular scheme (he had a mania for regularity) was
to allot the signs to the four elements in the regular order Fire,
Earth, Air, Water, beginning with Fire and Aries. Even Valens knew
better than that, for he gave Aries to Earth as well as Fire, and
Aquarius to Water as well as Air.
* * * * * * *



Garth Allen, "Many Things," 3/72 A.A.
The Best Laid Schemes...
The main basis for any kind of "rulership" scheme for the decanates
is that someone long ago once broke down the signs in this way--and his
system-building caprice has been copied faithfully ever since as gospel
truth, like so much of what is taken for granted in astrology. In
astrological literature one can find the signs schematically halved,
thirded, quartered, eighted, nined, tenthed, twelved, fifteened,
thirtied, ad nauseum, not to mention lunar-mansioned with quarters and
thirds of mansions.
Decanates are handy as descriptions of relative placement of a sign.
using subdivisions of signs for helping to narrow down an
interpretation or Sun-sign forecast, for instance, is a standard
practice in popularly-slanted astrology. Such usage of ten-degree
areas does not, however, by itself impute to those areas any secondary
set of rulerships.
The fact remains that statistical research does not reveal any basic
division of the signs into thirds; there are not significant ten-degree
'waves" running through data grouped naturally. There is no sound
evidence that, say, Taureans of the first 10 degrees of Taurus are any
Taurier than Taureans born in the middle or last 10 degree areas of
Taurus--and certainly second-decanate Taureans are not noticeably more
Virgoey, just as third-decanate Taureans are not observably more
Capricornish than two out of every three of their fellow signsmen.
Such beliefs are interesting, possibly even harmless mental
adventuring, but they are examples of what experienced astrological
scholars call "schematism" in our budding science. As an answer to
your question, then, we advise you to steer clear of adding to the
junkpile of schemes and rather focus your attention on matters which
will enhance your competence as a practical astrologer. Those who are
preoccupied with endless schemes and systems cannot delineate their way
out of a paper bag, let alone an actual horoscope. ...
* * * * *



Allen's comments on EXALTATIONS can be found in the following issues
of American Astrology (list below) in his article series, or otherwise
in the column "Many Things" as indicated. According to Garth Allen,
the Exaltation degrees themselves may have been areas which empirical
evidence had already established as associated with the Exaltation
planets, and 786 B.C., most noteworthy as a year when all the planets
were present in those degrees.


Mar 52: Truman, JUP & SUN angular.
Nov 55: (Many Things)-JUP.
SEP 56: Nepalese crown king, Moon, Sun, Jup, Mars; golfer Ben
Hogan's grip & TR JUP in CAN.
JAN 57: (Many Things) Open Forum - Hypsomata.
JAN 58: (Many Things) Launching of first Sputnik Oct 4, 57 -
URA in 16CAN (JUP's EX), JUP in 16VIR (MER's EX); Exaltations as
independent of their commemoration year in 786 B.C.
FEB 58: Russia's Sputnek, Oct 4, 1957, 8:00 AMEST (1:00PMGMT)
- URA in JUP's EX in CANCER, "ruled by the satelite that is
granddaddy of them all."
APR 58: JUP in 15CAN on 10th cusp.
JUN 59: Pop Songs & VEN in 27PIS; (see file J&V&N) AUG 59: Fagan's
fiducial 1 degree East of Spica.
JAN 60: MARS in CAP = Fighters statistically. Fighters vs.
Ballplayers.
DEC 60: CAPLunar with SAT in EX. degree of CAP.
DEC 62: Most Marian minded Pope (who proclaimed Mary's Assumption)
had reign coinciding with fullest flowering of Mariology - his VEN
in EX degree of PIS and Moon in 7 TAU.
JAN 63: VEN EX. in PISCES: Robert Joseph Parks - director of
Mariner Project who sent space probe to Venus = SUNPIS; PIS on MC
of Cape Canaveral at launching; SUN PIS: Bowditch Practical
Navigator, also Henry the Navigator, Americgo Vespucci.
DEC 63: SAT conjunct EX degree of MARS in CAP = cold weather the
world over; MARS conjunct Vindemiatrix in VIR = climate of vineyard
crisis;
FEB 64: SAT in CAP & NEP 21LIB (EX of SAT) = exposee of mortuary
business;
OCT 69: (Many Things) Cape Kennedy Takeoff of Moon Landing,
July 16, 1969, 13:32 UT; Armstrong & Glenn = CAN SUN
DEC 71: Nixon's China move - station of MARS 28CAP (rare!); also
Nixon's Moon 27CAP;
OCT 74: (Many Things) Statistical examination of Exaltations of 1,113
boxers in which degree frequencies were included: Births (above
expectation) around sidereal exaltation degree of MARS 27CAP (low
number of Sun's in opposite degree which would be fall of MARS).
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[TERMS] & [ETC]
[TERMS] Mini-excerpts including Fagan and Allen on "Terminology"--its
confusion and contradictions. This file is by no means comprehensive.
Getting an astronomical dictionary is recommended. Subjects:
Nonagesimal, Rapt Parallels, Paranatellonta (Parans), Sidereal
Time/Right Ascension, Vernal, Heliacal, Hypsomata, Ayanansha, Old Style
Calendar, Terminology, Horoscope, Sign-Constellation, Sidereal Time,
Foreground, Middleground & Background, Cardinality.


[ETC] Herein be miscellany --
including historican and mythologist Barbara Walker, Rupert Gleadow and
Fagan on Rulerships; the times of Sun and Moon cycles; Bode's Law
Revisited; on Polaris;
* * *


NONAGESIMAL: (10/53 A.A. Cyril Fagan) that degree which is the
zodiacal degree in dexter square aspect to the Horoscope (ecliptic
degree that is crossing the eastern horizon). For example, 27 LEO is
nonagesimal when the ASC is 27 SCO.
* * *


From "Many Things," 7/54 American Astrology
Question: What is meant by "Rapt Parallels" and how are they
figured?
Answer: RAPT PARALLELS are parallels created through the Diurnal
motion of the earth on its axis which is called "Rapt" motion.
Parallels as is commonly understood are measured in Declination
...distance (north or south) from the Celestial Equator, whereas "Rapt"
parallels are measured in elevation ...distance (north or south) from
the horizon.
* * *


PARANATELLONTA: (12/54 A.A. Cyril Fagan) "to rise alongside of"
For example, Sirius will rise at different times at different mundane
latitudes because of excessive ecliptic latitude.

Yogataras (principle fixed stars)
Nakshatras (Lunar Asterisms)

If 2 planets have the same ecliptic longitudes (as in ephemerides)
these are conjunct in "eclipto."
If 2 planets are the same Meridian longitude, these are conjunct in
Right Ascension, i.e. in "mundo."
And when 2 planets rise together or set together, i.e. have the same
oblique ascension or descension, these are also conjunct in "mundo." In
the case of oblique conjunction, the planets may have widely differing
ecliptic longitudes. [Problems in calculating, formula, etc.]
* * *


What PARANATELLONTA Means (9/1958 A.A. Cyril Fagan)
If two or more planets or fixed stars bodily rise or set
simultaneously, or come to the Midheaven or Nadir together, or if one
crosses any of the angular cusps while another is also crossing an
angle, then each is said to be the parantellonta of the other. These
paranatellontas constitute the most powerful configurations in
prognostic astronomy, and even a beginner should be able to see why
this should be so. Paranatellonta is a Greek word signifying "acting
simultaneously," but it is such a long and difficult-to-pronounce word,
let us hereafter abbreviate it to paran -- say "per-ran" for
convenience.
* * *


Garth Allen, "Many Things," American Astrology 7/59
...In the 61 years between the 1900 and 1960 sidereal Aries
ingresses, the right ascension of the Sun at the critical moments
advanced a total of 188 seconds. Any similar catalog of consecutive
solar returns or ingresses over a span of years will show this same
rate of roughly 3 seconds' increase per annum. Therefore, the right
ascension of one's Sun at RETURN cannot be the same as at birth.
As for the equating of SIDEREAL TIME to apparent RIGHT ASCENSION,
this is elementary astronomy, for at the moment a celestial object is
on the upper meridian,, its right ascension exactly coincides with the
sidereal time of the moment. Because a table of houses gives cusps,
calculated on the basis of the ecliptic, which represents 0d00'00"
latitude (i.e., no latitude at all), it naturally follows that the
apparent right ascension of any body without latitude will necessarily
have a tropical longitude identical with that of the Midheaven cusp.
This inevitability enables us to use Midheaven longitudes as a short
cut to obtaining the Sun's right ascension, since the Sun has no
appreciable latitude, thus eliminating the need for trigonometry in the
absence of ephemerides giving solar right ascensions. Reader[s]...
would do well to experiment with...data along these lines, as well as
bone up on definitions, especially the standard one which states that
sidereal time is the hour angle of the vernal equinoctial point. The
ephemeris column headed simply "Sidereal Time" for brevity's sake gives
the sidereal time at the instant of the zero hour (noon or midnight)
at the zero meridian (Greenwich), and not for any other moment or
place. The sidereal time for elsewhere and at other times can be
computed directly from it by a procedure familiar to all students. Any
accurately figured-out sidereal time gives the hour angle measured
westward from the meridian, of the vernal point. Hour angles are
therefore differences between right ascensions. When there is no
difference, the right ascension of a body is the same as the sidereal
time at this moment of no difference. For all practical purposes in a
noon ephemeris, that first column can be headed 'Right Ascension of the
Mean Sun," and in a midnight ephemeris, "Right Ascension of the Mean
Sun plus 12 Hours," as has been the case in official government-
published ephemerides for many years.
* * *



Cyril Fagan, "Many Things," 12/59 A.A.
Letter: July 11, 1959, Tangier, Morocco
The words VERNAL, HELIACAL and HYPSOMATA are well-known technical
astronomical and astrological terms, whose meanings have been explained
many times in the Solunar series. "Heliacal" does not mean "with the
Sun," but "before the Sun" (heliacal rising) and "after the Sun"
(heliacal setting). See American Astrology August, 1958, p. 35. When
a planet or a fixed star rises or sets precisely with the Sun, it is
referred to as its cosmic rising and cosmic setting respectively.
There does not appear to be any word in the English language
equivalent to the Sanskrit term AYANAMSA, which simply means the
distance, measured in degrees along the ecliptic, between the beginning
points of the ancient sidereal and the modern tropical zodiacs. These
two were in conjunction--that is, their positions exactly tallied--in
A.D. 220, when the ayanamsa was zero. But on January 1, 1960 they will
be 24d11' apart. This is, therefore, the ayanamsa for this date. The
sidereal longitude of the Sun, Moon, planets and fixed stars can be
immediately obtained by subtracting this amount from their tropical
longitudes for January 1, 1960.
Unfortunately the writer has not studied the Cro-Magnon cave
paintings, and is, therefore not in a position to give an opinion about
them. Virtually all the leading astronomers of the world credit the
Greek astronomer Hipparchus (139 B.C.) with the discovery of the
phenomenon of precession, and with the invention of the modern version
of the tropical zodiac. If precession was known during the end of the
Ice Age, it finds no mention in any of the modern authoritative
astronomical textbooks consulted by the writer.
Those who have diligently studied the Solunar article that appeared
in the June 1959 issue of this magazine, cannot escape from the
conviction that the zodiac was an Egyptian invention, holding true for
Egypt only, as it hieroglyphic script narrates the story of the rise
and fall of the river Nile. It informs us that harvesting took place
in February; the dreaded Khamsin blew in April, the great Inundation
took place in July and the land was turned into a vast sea in August.
This was perfectly true of Egypt during the late period, but could
it be held true of Cro-Magnon civilization, Babylonia or India? Is
there any country in the northern hemisphere, except Egypt, where
harvesting took place so early in the year as February? If not, then
surely the zodiac must have had its origin in the land of the Nile.
Consequently, if the "Cro-Magnon" cave paintings show the same zodiacal
ideograms, the zodiac must have been imported to Europe from Egypt; and
the paints must obviously be of late date; certainly not earlier than
the first millennium B.C., if indeed, as early as that.
For Egypt and Babylonia, the length of Sirius' heliacal year is
almost exactly the same as that of the Julian year (see J.K.
Fotheringham's "The Calendar," British Nautical Almanac, 1935), with
the result that Sirius rose heliacally on almost the same Julian date
for 4,000 years (see Zodiacs, Old and New, table X, p. 78) as follows:

HELIOPOLIS
B.C. 4000 July 16 (Julian)
B.C. 3000 July 16 (Julian)
B.C. 2000 July 17 (Julian)
B.C. 1000 July 17 (Julian)
A.D. 1 July 18 (Julian)

During all this period, while Sirius' sidereal longitude at Gemini
19d21' remained constant, it paranatellontic longitude--that is, the
longitude of the degree of the zodiac which rose simultaneously with
it, when it crossed the eastern horizon--kept altering according.
The Egyptians identified Hathor the "House of Horus" with Libra, the
diurnal house of Venus, just as they identified Ka "the Bull," with
Taurus, the nocturnal house of Venus (see American Astrology, July,
1958, pp 38-39).
* * *



American Astrology, "Many Things" 8/61
OLD STYLE CALENDAR vs NEW STYLE
Perhaps it would be possible for you to help me out in your "Many
Things" department. Recently I cast the horoscsope of a Russian
nobleman who told me his birth date was April 11, Old Style, or April
24, New Style, 1887, at 1:00 A.M. Now I have always heard that the
calendar correction for the 19th century is twelve days, not thirteen.
If this is so, then shouldn't the date be April 23rd instead of the
24th? The whole matter of new style and old style has given me a great
deal of trouble, not only with persons of Russian birth but with
historical dates as well. I wish therefore that you would publish a
table showing the correction ofr each centry and when that correction
became effective. For example, is the correction for the old style
date April 24, 1533 nine days or ten?

TO CHANGE THE OLD STYLE (O.S.) DATES INTO NEW STYLE (N.S.), ADD THE
FOLLOWING NUMBER OF DAYS;
CENTURY DAYS CENTURY DAYS
22nd 14 11th 6
21st 13 10th 5
20th 13 9th 4
19th 12 8th 4
18th 11 7th 3
17th 11 6th 2
16th 10 5th 1
15th 9 4th 1
14th 8 3rd 0
13th 7 2nd less than 1 day
12th 7 1st less than 1 day

Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar (N.S.) on February 14, 1918.
* * *


Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," American Astrology 4/62
TERMINOLOGY
...Let us digress for a moment to consider the question of
nomenclature for it is possible it may be in no small measure
responsible for much of the confusion. Originally the term "house"
meant what we now term a sign of the zodiac. Thus in the ancient and
medieval literature we read that "Aries is the diurnal house of Mars
and Scorpio is its nocturnal house." The word "house" was never
applied to the 8 or 12 divisions of the mundane sphere, which were
called places or spaces, but was reserved exclusively to mean what we
now call the sign of the zodiac.
Today we talk of Jupiter being in the sign of Leo, but how can a
planet be in a sign, which is but another name for a symbol? This,
surely is an abuse of the English language and of astrological
terminology. Again, today we refer to a birth chart as being a
horoscope; but in ancient times the word horoscope (horoscopus) meant
only "the degree of the zodiac rising at birth," namely the Ascendant.
It never meant the chart as a whole.
Again in modern times, those who have the Sun in the tropical Leo,
glibly say "they were born under Leo," but in antiquity to be born
under a sign of the zodiac meant either that it was on the Ascendant at
birth or more frequently that the Moon was in it--never the Sun. Thus
on the coins of the Emperor Augustus the symbol of Capricorn is found
engraved. He was born at sunrise when the Sun in Virgo was on the
Ascendant but the Moon was in Capricorn. The standards of the Emperor
Flavius bore the symbol of the Lion, but he was born at sunset when the
Sun was in Sagittarius and the Ascendant in Gemini, yet the Moon was in
Leo. The Emperor Hadrian informs us that he was born under Aquarius.
In his case, the Sun, Moon and Ascendant were all in the beginning of
Aquarius. To this day in India to be born under a sign of the zodiac
means either that it is on the Ascendant (Janma Lagna) or that the Moon
is in it (Janma Rasi). It never refers to the Sun sign.
Take the expression diurnal motion: in astronomy and astrology it
could mean one of two things: (a) It could refer to a planet or fixed
star's motion in the mundane sphere. Thus the time taken by the Sun
from sunrise to the following sunrise is its diurnal motion (diurnal
meaning, of course, daily). (b) It could mean the number of degrees of
the ecliptic a planet will traverse in the course of 24 mean solar
hours. Thus the Sun's mean diurnal motion is 0d 59' and the Moon's 13d
09'....In this article, the expression diurnal motion has reference to
the apparent rising, culmination, setting and anticulmination of the
celestial bodies in the mundane sphere and not to their motion in the
zodiac.
Again in our nautical almanacs and astrological ephemerides there is
a column headed Sidereal Time. This has nothing whatsoever to do with
the fixed stars as the name implies, but with measurements of time from
the vernal equinox. Hence its more correct name is equinoctial time,
which has wisely been adopted in Stahl's Solunar Ephemerides.
* * *







Cyril Fagan, "Many Things," AA, Apr 67
"The Word Horoscope"
It is not generally known that Horoscope is a Greek word which
literally means "an observation of the rising degree of the ecliptic"
and in the classical period was used by the Greeks and the Romans to
mean exclusively the Ascendant. The Greek word for a birth chart was
geniture and the Roman words were Thema Coeli (Theme of the Heavens).
For fuller information the reader is referred to Dr. Richard Garnett's
paper "On Some Misinterpretations of Greek Astrological Terms" which
appeared in the Classical Review July 1899. Dr. Garnett, who was the
Curator of the Printed Books in the British Museum, was regarded as one
of the foremost Greek scholars of his day.



Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," A.A. 10/69
NOMENCLATURE
One of the problems besetting beginners in sidereal astrology is the
confusion and contradictions extant in astrological nomenclature extant
in astrological nomenclature and it is difficult to know just what can
be done to put this matter straight. To cite an example--in antiquity
a zodiacal sign meant a constellation but now the word sign in
astrology is held by tropicalists to mean a twelfth of a division of
the ecliptic circle, reckoned from the moving vernal point. In olden
times the zodiacal constellations were known as the houses of the
planets but not, alas, in tropical astrology the word house (spacial)
is held to be one-twelfth of a (time) division of the mundane sphere.
Astronomers and astro-chronologists refer to the Babylonian zodiac as
the "fixed signs" because it is not subject to precession but in
astrology the term "fixed signs" means the grave quadruplicity, namely
Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. In Hindu astrology, which is
sidereal, the 12 zodiacal constellations are termed signs while the 27
lunar mansions (nakshatras) are called constellations! No wonder
beginners feel confused.
To clear up some of this confusion, as sidereal astrologers let us
tentatively agree to restore the old name of signs to the
constellations and refer to the lunar mansions as asterisms with the
initial point of both in 0 Taurus 00'. Let us still continue to call
these signs as the houses of the planets. As to the mundane sphere it
should be spoken of in terms of time and not of space at all.
* * *



Research Dept. (G. Allen?) A.A. 1/72
Sidereal Time
Sidereal Time is measured equatorially, but the ecliptic does not
lie in the plane of the equator. For the interval of elapsed time,
therefore, the same arcs do not measure the same absolute distances,
just as on Earth one degree of longitude is 69 miles long at the
equator but considerably less at, say, the latitude of Hannibal. If
you have access to a celestial globe (though even a geographical globe
will serve the purpose), you'll quickly see the answer to your key
question.
As for Sidereal Time, this is the rate at which the earth rotates
with respect to the point of the vernal equinox, not with respect to
the Sun (the mean movement of which dovetails with Civil Time). Much
of the confusion students experience with this topic stems from wrong
labveling of the column in an ephemeris headed "Sidereal Time." The
figures in this column are, more correctly, the right ascension of the
Mean Sun, from which one is able to calculate the Sideral Time. The
Mean Sun travels the full circle of 24:00:00 during one tropical year.
* * * * *


4/72 "Many Things," A.A.
(Foreground, Middleground, Background)
The terms foreground, middleground and background are roughly
equivalent to the standard terms angular, succeedent, and cadent which
they often replace in order to prevent confusion. So many students,
owing to the faulty textbooks of the pat, think of the 1st house, for
instance, as extending from the ascending degree down to the 2nd-house
cusp, that they might mistake what area is meant if a writer simply
used the word "angular" without qualification. The ascending degree or
1st-house cusp is, however, the strongest point of a zone called the
1st house. As astrology's foremost authorities from Ptolemy to
Llewellyn George and later, have taught, any planet above the horizon
which is within orb of conjunction with the 1st house cusp is to be
read as a 1st-house occupant. Similarly, with other cusps. This is
because the cups are actually the focal points or centers of the house,
not their outside borders--in fact, the Greek word we translate to mean
"cusp" itself means "center."
Within the frame of reference of the prime vertical (the great East-
West circle engirdling the apparent celestial sphere at the place of
birth), the term foreground refers to the zone that lies 15 degrees
either way from the angular cusps of the Ascendant, Descendant,
Midheaven and Nadir. The smaller zones that lie within the orb of
conjunction with the cusp, say in the order of 5 or 7-1/2 degrees, are
collectively called "the immediate foreground." Naturally, the closer
to the cusp itself, the stronger and more immediate it is. The
middleground is the four 30 degree lunes centering on the 2nd, 5th,
8th, and llth house cusps. The background is made up of the zones
centering on the cadent cusps. The usage of these terms is mainly for
convenience in general description. Planetary influences are at their
peak in the centers of the foreground houses, weakest in the background
houses. The importance of this basic doctrine was generally lost sight
of in modern times when authors of books and articles felt it advisable
to give about the same number of words to each house in their list of
delineative paragraphs, unwittingly misleading students to assume that
each of the houses is equally important, which cannot possibly be the
case. Statistical studies that we and others have published in the
past reveal very clearly that this age-old tenet of the primacy of the
foreground house is astrology's key premise.
* * *



From Rupert Gleadow's Foreword to ASTROLOGY MORAY SERIES, NO. 2:
"Wars In the Sidereal" by Brigadier R. C. Firebrace
10th August, 1959
One word of warning is however necessary: it is more than doubtful
whether we should speak of "cardinal constellations." The cardinal
signs were originally so called in the Latin translation of Ptolemy's
Tetrabiblos, but only because they were measured from the four turning-
points of the zodiac, the solstices and equinoxes. The cardinal
constellations, if there are any, should therefore now be Gemini,
Virgo, Satittarius and Pisces, and should remain so until the equinox
enters Aquarius.
* * *


From Rupert Gleadow's YOUR CHARACTER IN THE ZODIAC, 1968
(Cardinality, Sexism, Elements)
...Claudius Ptolemy of Pelusium was the writer who popularized the
tropical scheme of measuring the zodiac, and at the same time tried to
determine the characters of the signs by dividing them up in three new
ways. First he decided that the four signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and
Capricorn should be called 'cardinal' bacause they began from the
dardines' (Latin for hinges) of the zodiac, that is to say the
solstices and equinoxes; and these, he said, moved of their own motion.
The four that follow them he called 'fixed'; they are Taurus, Leo,
Scorpio and Aquarius, and have now been made to correspond to the four
evangelists by a mistaken attribution fo the Eagle to Scorpio. The
remaining four he called 'mutable.' Further, he derived the character
of Aries from its position next to the spring equinox, which means that
in the southern hemisphere Aries should have the influence of Libra,
and vice versa.
No one now takes this seriously, and of course it has nothing to do
with the constellations, but it almost suffices by itself to disprove
the influence of the tropical signs with their supposed beginning on
21st March. If there are any 'cardinal' constellations they must be
those in which the solstices and equinoxes actually fall at the present
time, namely Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. The vernal
equinox will pass out of Pisces into Aquarius about A.D. 2360, when the
Aquarian Age will (if this line of argument is valid) really begin.
It was Ptolemy too who invented the notion that the signs should be
masculine and feminine alternately. This was useful for answering
questions, for instance if you put up a horoscope in order to ask
whether a thief was male or female; but it never had any other utility,
and in the constellations does not apply.
....
Ptotemy's third regular scheme (he had a mania for regularity) was
to allot the signs to the four elements in the regular order Fire,
Earth, Air, Water, beginning with Fire and Aries. Even Valens knew
better than that, for he gave Aries to Earth as well as Fire, and
Aquarius to Water as well as Air.
* * * * * * *






[ETC] Here follows more miscellany: Sun & Moon Cycles, Bode's Law
revisited. Historian and mythologist Barbara Walker's excerpts on
Rulerships are moved above near Fagan's comments.
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Cyril Fagan, "Many Things," AA, 8/66
"Planetary Rulership"
(Referring to his October 1954 issue, pp 28-29) "The word ruler is,
however, not a happy choice. In Ptolemy's time it was believed that
the earth was the center of the universe, with the Sun, Moon, planets
and stars revolving round it. So it was natural to suppose that each
planet ruled the distant constellations. But in our modern Copernican
conception of the universe it is utterly preposterous to believe that
Mercury, relatively a mere speck of cosmic dust compared to the
magnitude of many of the fixed stars, could rule the constellation
Virgo which contains within its confines teeming billions of fixed
stars and other universes (i.e. spiral nebulae, galaxies). So when we
say that Mercury rules Virgo, we merely mean the influences of all the
fixed stars in the constellation Virgo, taken in the aggregate, accord
with those of the planet Mercury, and similarly for the other zodiacal
constellations and their planetary rulers..." an opinion, that is also
shared by the editor of Spica.
...When siderealists refer to the constellations they are not so
naive as to have in mind the Greco-Roman constellation figures, with
their unequal boundaries which have been adjusted so many times and
which adorn our modern star atlases. The zodiacal constellations of
the siderealists, each rigorously 30 degrees in extent, are those which
constituted the zodiac of Pyramidic Egypt, and which terminated with
the fixed star Menyet "The Peg" (Spica) in 29 Virgo 06'. This was the
original, and hence, authentic zodiac of antiquity. (vide--Zodiacs Old
and New and The History of the Zodiac by B.L. van der Waerden,
Sonderabdruk aus "Archiv fur Orientforschung" Baqnd XVI, Zweiter Teil).
* * *



From Rupert Gleadow's ORIGIN OF THE ZODIAC,
The TWelve Gods; Plato and Augustus. page 81 & 82.
....
But it is most important to distinguish Plato's spiritual attitude
to the zodiac from the more mechanical attitude of the average
astrologer. Plato had no use for the angry assumption which is
sometimes vented on the words: 'I did not ask to be born.' He was
convinced, on the contrary, that the soul chooses to descend, and even
if it chooses unwisely it is none the less responsible for its presence
here. Hence the 'followers of Zeus' are not those born under the
mechanical influence of a celestial sign or planet, but those who have
chosen to mansifest according to, or to be guided principally by, that
particular mode of the Creative Force which among the Greeks was called
Zeus. All the gods are part of god, but some express one aspect and
some another, and so do we ourselves.
Further, though Plato calls the planets 'visible gods', and
'animals', that is to say living powers, the rulers of the twelve signs
are not for him the planets, since they are specifcally started to be
invisible; they were the twelve principle manifestations of the
Creative Force which runs the universe.
So the twelve Gods of Plato are neither the planets nor the signs
of the zodiac. They are the Dodeka Theoi, the twelve Greek gods who
were pictured on the central milestone of Athens, from which all
distances were measured. And Plato is not the only one to tell us of
the Twelve Gods; the full list comes from Manilius.

Pallas rules the woolly Ram, and Venus guards the Bull,
Apollo has the handsome Twins, and Mercury the Crab,
Jove, with the Mother of the gods, himself is Leo's lord;
The Virgin with her Ear of Corn to Ceres falls; the Scales
To Vulcan's smithy; while to Mars the warlike Scorpion cleaves;
The Hunter's human part Diana rules, but what's of horse
Is ruled by Vesta, with the straitened stars of Capricorn;
Aquarius is Juno's sign, as opposite to Jove,
And Neptune owns the pair of Fish that in the heaven move.

This list of gods is arranged so far as possible in opposite pairs,
and is not inappropriate, except that Vest, who is Hestia the hearth-
goddess, has no particular connection with horse or goats. The
attribution of Cancer to Mercury, though it may shock modern
astrologers, comes from Egypt....
Pallas Athene, or in Latin Minerva, is perfectly suitable for Aries
which rulesthe head and is a warlike sign, since she sprang fully armed
from the head of Zeus. For the Ear of Corn, no ruler could be more
suitable than Demeter-Ceres. Diana as the huntress is obviously
correct for Sagittarius, and her brother Apollo, the spirit of music
and prophesy, rules the opposite sign. The many-breasted 'Diana of the
Ephesians' would equate with the Mother of the Gods and be placed in
Leo. Taurus and Scorpio have their usual rulers, and the Scales, as
the only manufactured object in the list, are naturally given to Vulcan
the craftsman. As for the Fishes, their allotment to Neptune ought to
be welcomed by astrologers, who have been trying for the past hundred
years to hand them over to the planet of that name!
* * * *



From Barbara Walker's
THE WOMAN'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYTHS AND SECRETS, p802:
As the planets ruled various divisions of heaven, so also they were
believed to rule various places on earth according to their qualities.
Under the SUN were "light places, the serene air, kings' palaces and
princes' courts, pulpits, theatres, thrones, and all kingly and
magnificent places." Under the MOON were "wildernesses, highways,
groves, woods, rocks, hills, mountains, forests, fountains, waters,
rivers, seas, seashores, ships, and granaries for corn." Under MARS
were "fiery and bloody places, furnaces, bakehouses, shambles, places
of execution, and places where there have been great battles fought and
slaughters made." Under MERCURY were "shops, schools, warehouses,
exchanges for merchants." Under JUPITER were "all privileged places,
consistories of noblemen, tribunals, chairs, places for exercise,
schools, and all beautiful and clean places, and those sprinkled with
divers odors." Under VENUS were "pleasant fountains, green meadows,
flourishing gardens, garnished beds, stews, the sea, the seashore,
baths, dancing places, and all places belonging to women." Under
SATURN were "all stinking places and dark, underground, religious, and
mournful places as church-yars, tombs, and house not inhabited by men;
and old tottering, obscure, dreadful houses; and solitary dens, caves,
and pits; and fish-ponds, standing pools, sewers. From Agrippa, 149-
50.
*********




From Meir H. Degani's ASTRONOMY MADE SIMPLE,
"Ocean Tides on Earth," page 138.

The surface of the ocean rises and falls at any given place at more
or less regular intervals. On an average, the period between two
successive high tides is 12 hours and 25.5 minutes--exactly one-half
the time it takes the moon to complete the circuit about the earth,
i.e., one-half of 24 hours and 51 minutes. This is no a coincidence:
the ocean tides are caused primarily by the moon's gravitational pull,
an effect to which the sun contributes.
The tides travel with the apparent motion of the moon, from the
eatern horizon toward the western horizon of the observer. Except for
lags due to secondary effects, high tide at any place on the earth
occurs when the moon is at the local meridian or at the anti-meridian.
The effect of the sun on tides is secondary to that of the moon--the
ratio of the tide-raising force of the sun is only about 7% that of the
moon-due to its much greater distance.
When the tide-raising forces of the moon and the sun coordinate, the
resulting tides are at a maximum--i.e., at new moon, when the two are
at the same side of the earth. MAXIMUM TIDES ARE KNOWN AS SPRING
TIDES. The other extreme is reached when the sun is at 90degrees to
the moon--the tides are then at MINIMUM, AND ARE KNOWN AS NEAP TIDES.
The moon's closeness also has an influence on the magnitude of the
tide. When the moon is at perigee, the tide-raising force is greater
than normal by some 20%

* * * TROPICAL YEAR/Solar Year: The time required by the sun to
complete one revolution in its apparent orbit with respect to the
equinoxes (the points of intersection between the ecliptic and the
equator). 365.2422 mean solar days. About 20 minutes shorter.
SIDEREAL YEAR: The time required by the sun to complete one revolution
with respect to the same star. 365.2564 mean solar days.
* * * * *



.... a couple of definitions on SUN and MOON cycles from DICTIONARY OF
ASTRONOMICAL TERMS by Ake Wallenquist:

There are several ways of measuring both the Sun's yearly and Moon's
monthly cycles depending on the point of origin. The SIDEREAL YEAR is
the sun's period of revolution with respect to the stars which
coincides with the earth's revolution in its orbit around the sun. The
sidereal year = 365.2564 mean solar days. (Then you have to look up
"mean" solar days.)
The TROPICAL YEAR is the year of the seasons; the time required by
the sun to complete one revolution with respect to the vernal equinox.
Because of the precession of the vernal equinox along the ecliptic in
the opposite direction of the sun's annual motion, the tropical year is
about 20 minutes shorter than the sidereal year and amounts to 365.2422
mean solar days.

The SIDEREAL MONTH is the moon's true period of revolution around
the earth, or the time required by the moon to complete one revolution
with respect to the stars. The sidereal month = 27.3217 days. Whereas
the SYNODIC MONTH is the period of time required by the moon to
complete all its phases, or the interval between two successive full
moons. The length of the synodic month is 29.5306 days.
Additionally there are other moon cycles: The DRACONIC MONTH or the
nodical month is the time required for the moon to complete one
revolution with respect to one of its nodes. The draconic month is
equal to 27.2122 days. The ANOMALISTIC MONTH which is the moon's
period in two successive passages of perigee (the point in the moon's
orbit nearest the earth), equal to 27.5546 days. There's also the
TROPICAL MONTH which is the time it takes the moon to return to the
same longitude, equal to 27.3216 days (only 7 seconds less than a
sidereal month). And, there's the CALENDAR MONTH, one of the 12
divisions of the Gregorian year, varying in length between 28 and 31
days.
* * * *


From Peter Tompkin's SECRETS OF THE GREAT PYRAMID (page 347):
"In astronomical calculations, there are employed two different
kinds of time, SOLAR time and SIDEREAL time. SOLAR time is our
ordinary time. Solar time assumes that the day is the interval between
two successive passages of the sun at the meridian. The length of the
day so defined varies greatly according to the seasons of the year; it
varies by more than 1/90. The reason for this variation is that the
speed of the earth along its orbit around the sun is not constant and
that the apparent motion of
the sun around the earth does not follow the line of the equator, but
of that of the ecliptic. Hence in ordinary life we reckon by mean
solar time, which is obtained by assuming that a fictitious sun moves
along the celestial equator at a speed equal to the average speed of
the sun along the ecliptic.
"Mean solar time is a highly artifical concept and we can use it
because we have mechanical clocks. The ancients calculated by sidereal
time, which they could measure by observing the apparent movement of
the vault of heaven. Sidereal time has the advantage of flowing
evenly. There are small variations due to the nutation of the earth
under the influence of the gravitational pull of the moon and the
planets; but these variations are too small to be relevant to the
calculations we are considering.

"A SIDEREAL DAY is the interval between two passages of a star at
the meridian. A sidereal day is shorter than a SOLAR day. If one
observes a star at the meridian today, that star will be again at the
meridian in less than a solar day. In other words, if one counts by
SOLAR time, the vault of heaven rotates about one degree more than a
full circle in a day. The difference between MEAN SOLAR TIME and
SIDEREAL TIME can be easily computed, because in a year the vault of
heaven makes exactly one more circle about the earth than the number of
circles made by the sun.

Hence the ancients could reckon:

Solar time 366
---------- = --- = 1.00273972
Sidereal time 365

or more precisely:

Solar time 366.25
----------- = ------ = 1.00273785
Sidereal time 365.25

"They did not need a formula more precise than the second one; today
we reckon by the ratio 1.00273791.

"The ancients simplified this complex matter by counting by the
spped of movement of a point at the equator. That speed was taken by
them as constant; the infinitesimal variations in speed of the rotation
of the earth on its axis are relevant only to some calculations of
modern astronomy."
* * * *





APPENDIX 1: BODE'S LAW REVISITED
Those who may have been excited to hear of Bode's law and disappointed
in its downfall years back may be heartened to hear of its restoration
in Mary Blagg's work. Gerald E. Tauber says, "The remarkable fact
about her law (and later modifications) is that it not only fits the
planets very well but also fits the different satellite systems.
Discrepancies still occur, but the question should be asked not why
these occur, but why the law holds as well as it does." From Gerald E.
Tauber's MAN AND THE COSMOS:
Chapter VI * The Discoveries
Section 4 * A Praiseworthy Relation Regarding Asteroids
and their implications for Bode's Law

"The different types and sizes of orbits seriously disrupted the
idea of an exploding planet being the cause for the asteroids. Suppose
that a shell describing an elliptic orbit suddenly explodes in midair.
Its center of mass continues to move exactly along the same orbit
traversed by the center of the shell before the explosion. Each
fragment would describe an orbit of its own, depending on its initual
velocity. Since these orbits are ellipses, each fragment would return
to its starting point, the place where the explosion occurred. Thus,
there should exist some common point through which all asteroids pass
sooner or later, if they originated from a planetary breakup. True
enough, the different orbits may have been perturbed from their
original positions by other planets (Jupiter and Mars) and by their
mutual interactions, but the effect would not be very large. Also--
this may be a bit of hindsight--the total mass of all the known
asteroids is only a fraction of the mass of the earth, hardly the
remnants of a major planet. Finally, it is completely unknown where
the enormous amount of energy would have come from necessary to break
up the unknown planet against its own gravitational field. It seems
more likely that the asteroids or minor planets originated together
with the other components of the solar system, leaving meteoroids to
result from their collisions or internal breakup.
"Where does all this leave the Titius-Bode law? It received its
first major setback with the discovery of Neptune. Both Adams and
Leverrier carried out their calculations assuming that the law was
valid, using major axes of 37.25 and 36.15 respectively. The predicted
value would be 4 + 2 x 192 = 4 + 384 = 388 compared with the actual one
of 300.7 (taking the Sun-Saturn distance as 100). But the law truly
broke down with the discovery of Pluto; the predicted distance was
almost twice the actual one. As early as 1787 Joahann Friedrich
Vikarius Wurm (1760-1833) had pointed out that a better fit could be
obtained if the two constants in the law were taken to be 3.87 (instead
of 4) and 2.93 (instead of 3). This, of course, destroys the simple
basis but also introduces some physical features. Wurm was of the
opinion that the law should also pertain, perhaps with different
constants, for the satellites of the various planets.
"In 1913 Mary Blagg used an empirical approach. After much trial
and error she found that a good fit could be obtained by using a
progression of 1.7275 (instead of 2) multiplied by a periodic function,
i.e., one that returns to the same value after some given period. The
remarkable fact about her law (and later modifications) is that it not
only fits the planets very well but also fits the different satellite
systems. Discrepancies still occur, but the question should be asked
not why these occur, but why the law holds as well as it does. Only
when we understand the origin and evolution of the solar system, will
we also know why the planets (and satellites) move in their present
orbits."


TITIUS-BODE LAW
Planet n* Titius Progression Actual Distance +
[ ] = to the power
Mercury 4 = 4 3.9
Venus 0 4 + 3 = 7 7.2
Earth 1 4 + 3 x 2[1] = 10 10.0
Mars 2 4 + 3 x 2[2] = 16 15.2
Ceres++ 3 4 + 3 x 2[3] = 28 27.7
Jupiter 4 4 + 3 x 2[4] = 52 52.0
Saturn 5 4 + 3 x 2[5] =100 95.5
Uranus ++ 6 4 + 3 x 2[6] =196 192.0
Neptune ++ 7 4 + 3 x 2[7] =388 300.7
Pluto ++ 8 4 + 3 x 2[8] =722 395.2

*The successive numbers assigned to the planets (including Ceres).
It is the number that determines the power of two in the Titius
progression: Distance = 4 + 3 x (2)n [here "n" is written "to the
power"]. For example, for Mars n = 2 so that its distance will be 4 +
3 x 2 x 2 = 16. Agreement is very good up to Uranus but breaks down
for Neptune and Pluto.
+All distances for the sake of convenience assume a sun-Earth
distance of 10.0. The figure 15.2 for Mars, for example, simply
indicates that compared with earth it is roughly one-half farther from
the sun, or three-halves the earth-Sun distance.
++Not yet discovered when the law as formulated.
______________________________________________________________________



BLAGG "LAW" FOR PLANETS
Planet n Calculated Distance Actual Distance
in A.U. ++ in A.U.
Mercury -2 0.387 0.387
Venus -1 0.723 0.723
Earth 0 1.000 1.000
Mars 1 1.524 1.524
Vesta } 2.361
Juno } ____ 2 2.67 2.670
Pallas} 2.767
Ceres } 2.767
Jupiter 3 5.200 5.203
Saturn 4 9.550 9.546
Uranus 5 19.23 19.20
Neptune 6 30.13 30.07
Pluto* 7 41.8 39.5

++The distances were calculated based on an empirical law that used
1.7275 instead of the factor 2 in the progression and the number n in
the exponent. As seen by comparison with the last column, agreement is
quite good.
*Pluto had not yet been discovered when the empirical relations was
proposed."
_______________________________________________________________________
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * *


The below is an "ascii art" attempt to diagram the positions
assumed by the Big Dipper in the early evening each season.


*
' . * *
* * ' . .* '
' : * . . * '
SUMMER * * SPRING
.
. * |
* v

' Pole
* . . * --> (*) <-- * . . *
Star '
'
^ .* |
* '
'
* *
* . * : .
* ' ' . * *
' AUTUMN * ' ' WINTER
* *




From Olcott & Mayall's FIELD BOOKS OF THE SKIES on URSA MAJOR, The
Great Bear (Face North).

Location: The first step in observational astronomy is the
location of the Pole Star, named from its position "Polaris," about
which, as a wheel about a hub, the heavens seem to turn because it
marks the place toward which the axis of the Earth points.... If you
do not know where North is, a compass will direct you. You should have
no difficulty in identifying the seven bright stars that form the well-
known "Big Dipper."
You will note that a line drawn through the two stars forming the
side of the "bowl" farthest from the "handle" of the dipper point
toward another bright star. This is Polaris.... (These could be
considered the "pointer" stars; arrows indicate they point at the Pole
Star)
The elevation of "height" of Polaris above the horizon is about
equal to the latitude of the observer. At the North Pole of the Earth,
latitude 90, Polaris would be directly overhead; at the equator,
latitude 0, it would be on the horizon. A moment's consideration will
show the simple reason for this. South of the equator, Polaris of
course cannot be seen; it never rises....
A Scale of Celestial Measurement: the pointer stars, the stars in
the bowl of the dipper farthest from the handle, are about 5 degrees
apart, and point to the Pole Star some 28.75 degrees distant (in the
last star of the Little Dipper, Ursa Minor). Across the top of the
bowl of the dipper, from pointer stars to where the handle begins, is
10 degrees.
...The entire figure of the Great Bear circles about the Pole once
in 24 hours. This is, of course, an apparent motion due to the
rotation of the earth. A line connecting the "Pointer Stars" with
Polaris may be regarded as the hour hand of a clock. With a little
practice the time of night can be ascertained to an approximate degree
by observing the position of this stellar hour hand.
In the early evening hours in the Spring, the "Dipper" will be seen
high in the northern sky above the Pole. In Summer, it is to the left
or west of Polaris. In the Fall look for it close to the horizon below
the Pole, and in the Winter it will be found to the right or east of
the Pole Star.
* * * *



From Olcott & Mayall's FIELD BOOKS OF THE SKIES APPENDIX XIII:
Perpetual Star Timepiece, Compass & Calendar

If you know the star pictures, and memorize the following rhyme,
you will ever have at hand for reference on clear nights, a reliable
timepiece, compass, and calendar.
The numbers above the star names indicate consecutively the months
of the year in which these respective objects rise about the first of
each month in the eastern sky. In additon to 1st magnitude stars that
rhyme refers to the head of Capricornus, the Sea Goat, the Great Square
of Pegasus, and Orion's Belt. All except Arcturus rise between 9 and
9:30 pm. Arcturus rises at 10 pm February 1st.
1
First Regulus gleams on the view,
2 3 4
Arcturus, Spica, Vega, blue.
5 6
Antares, and Altair,
7 8 9
The Goat's head, Square, and Fomalhaut,
10 11
Aldebaran, the Belt, a-glow,
12
Then Sirius most fair.

Eight months of the year are identified by the position of the Big
Dipper at 9pm. In April and May it is north of the zenith. During
July and August it is west of the north. In October and November it
lies close to the northern horizon and in July and February it is east
of north with the "Pointer Stars" highest. (see above).
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[TIME] Incorrect birthdata recording is a difficulty, compounded by
variations in time standards and boundaries, here and abroad. A
general reminder to do one's research. Skepticism regarding times must
be practiced. Plus excerpt on Old Style Calendars.
Do find D. C. Doane's TIME CHANGES IN THE USA, IN THE WORLD, IN
CANADA & MEXICO.
* * * *


TIME AND CIRCUMSTANCE

Technically, a chart/horoscope is done for a TIME AND PLACE.
There is NO way to tell from that chart if it is for an event, or an
animal, or a person's birth - or if that person is woman or man, genius
or idiot, saint or sinner, or from what culture or time - unless so
specified.

Perhaps the most difficult thing in casting a chart is GETTING
THE CORRECT TIME. Time standards and boundaries for recording data
vary from state to state and from time to time, and also from person to
person - that's the rub. And without meeting the person, it is very
difficult to tell the chart is descriptive, unless one should have a
very good character description and life events. This also depends on
the astrologer having a sense of character delineation, which may not
be his forte. One has to "trouble-shoot" each horoscope. The angles
are the most affected. Keep in mind that generally every 4 minutes
(for the MC-IC), the Earth moves one degree, and in 12 minutes moves 3
degrees, which is the limit of functional orb on the angles, i.e., the
sorth-nouth meridian and the horizon. The horizon (ASC-DES) does not
more at exactly the same speed as the MC-IC. Visually in celestial
space, 1/2 degree is about the span of the Full Moon, so 1 degree would
be the span of two full moons. In terrestial terms, 1 degree is about
60 miles of terrestial space (about 64 miles per degree at the
equator. Thus 3 degrees in a locational map would roughly equate with
about 180 miles. That's serious time and space which have implications
for interpretation and for transit studies.

Even if the time is correct in terms of the standard zone, some of
which in the U.S. have changed boundaries through the years, and
without the complication of DST or WT, still and yet TIMES are often
recorded to the nearest l5 minutes, not necessarily even to the nearest
5 minutes. Additionally, the delivery room clocks are not necessarily
accurate, nor the watch of whomever records the birth after the fact,
when they have time, if they remember even approximately.
Consequently, most birthtimes in standard time are at best plus or
minus l5 minutes of actual birthtime, providing the doctors really
think that "first breath" is important rather than the cutting of the
umbilical cord, which they don't. Getting the best descriptive
assessment of character within a margin of error, which will always be
there, takes time and work and study and perception and data research.
One must always question if the character described in a chart fits the
person rather than assuming the chart is correct.

Generally, the older the data, the more the time may have been
rounded. "O'clock" times should be particularly suspect as being
rounded off and mere guesses after the fact. So this can indicate more
than a 15 minute (3 degree) rule-of-thumb error. One can see why some
siderealists consider a wide orb of six degrees for planets near the
angles to allow for a margin of error in recording birthdata. The
concept of the foreground provides an even wider net.

Then, the Standard Time versus Daylight Savings and/or War Time
issue can give another hour off. The books show the laws that "were
supposed" to be in effect regarding Daylight Savings or War Time. They
do not show the human factor, i.e., which town within a state, or which
hospital in that town, or which nurse in that hospital, may have an
independent view as to which was real time, i.e., Savings Time vs.
Standard Time. Many considered DST as a plot of the government to take
away the farmer's time, and Arizona still does not accept DST altho
it's a national law. To further complicate the issue, within the
general time zones, some states have laws to record in Standard Time
even though Daylight Time is in effect, and it is not clear in some
reference books which states these are. So mentally consider another
hour's possible error for WT or DST times. As previously mentioned,
the boundaries of standard time zones have changed as well in some
states. Generally all birthtimes should be viewed with skepticism.

European countries also have changed time zone standards. And the
distinction between Permanent Summer Time and New Standard time is not
always clear. And there's also "Double Summer Time." As well, the
time advancement for Summer Time has been 40 minutes, rather than 60
minutes as in the U.S. All this has to be checked. The purpose here
in noting this is to bring about a general awareness of getting the
right time.

In foreign countries, one also should be aware of calendar changes
in countries using Old Style (Julian) dates after 1870. The New Style
(Gregorian) calendar replaced the Old Style in most countries long
before 1870, but some may still need conversion, such as Greece, China,
Japan, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia. Check time zone books
for tables on how to convert times.

So why bother? Because it's one's universal characteristics, which
are also enduringly and endearingly personal, that can be known.
* * * *




From American Astrology 8/61 - OLD STYLE CALENDAR:

Perhaps it would be possible for you to help me out in your "Many
Things" department. Recently I cast the horoscsope of a Russian
nobleman who told me his birth date was April 11, Old Style, or April
24, New Style, 1887, at 1:00 A.M. Now I have always heard that the
calendar correction for the 19th century is twelve days, not thirteen.
If this is so, then shouldn't the date be April 23rd instead of the
24th? The whole matter of new style and old style has given me a great
deal of trouble, not only with persons of Russian birth but with
historical dates as well. I wish therefore that you would publish a
table showing the correction ofr each centry and when that correction
became effective. For example, is the correction for the old style
date April 24, 1533 nine days or ten?

TO CHANGE THE OLD STYLE (O.S.) DATES INTO NEW STYLE (N.S.), ADD THE
FOLLOWING NUMBER OF DAYS;

CENTURY DAYS CENTURY DAYS
22nd 14 11th 6
21st 13 10th 5
20th 13 9th 4
19th 12 8th 4
18th 11 7th 3
17th 11 6th 2
16th 10 5th 1
15th 9 4th 1
14th 8 3rd 0
13th 7 2nd less than 1 day
12th 7 1st less than 1 day Russia adopted the
Gregorian calendar (N.S.) on February 14, 1918.

* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[CONSTELL] "Sun Sign or Constellation?" A biographical approach to
understanding the constellations by Paul Albertsen. The author missed
the essence of Libra and Capricorn, but generally very good.
* * * *


SUN-SIGN OR CONSTELLATION? by Paul Albertsen
American Astrology 8/71
In trying to resolve the central confusion in modern astrology,
namely the controversy between sidereal and tropical systems, it is
instructive to approach the matter from a simple biographical
viewpoint. By assembling groups of people who share the same basic
character attributes and patterns either a sidereal or a tropical Sun
position?
For example, persons born in the last week of April or the first
two weeks of May have their Sun in the tropical sign Taurus but in the
SIDEREAL (OR STAR) CONSTELLATION ARIES. (Because the tropical zodiac
is currently some 24 degrees behind the sidereal, and the gap increases
one degree every 72 years.) Let's look then, at some prominent people
born at this time of year to see if most of them form a coherent
character pattern. In collect-ing examples of these particular
birthdates I was immediately struck by three outstanding names:
Cromwell, Marx and Freud. A formidable trio of leaders who dared to
leave the established way and take the forefront in breaking new paths.
And have we found here a path of our own? Do not these lives evoke
pioneer Aries rather than settled Taurus?
Oliver Cromwell instilled such fighting spirit into the
Protestant-Parliamentary troops he organized in the English Civil War
that they succeeded in destroying the power of the crown and sweeping
all opposition before them. Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud are both
eulogized as lone pathfinders who now have millions of followers. In
fact, have not these three movements--parliamentary democracy,
Communism and Freudian psychology--been the three greatest influences
on mass thinking in modern times? And here we have the three men who
played the most instrumental part in founding each movement. The
"founding father" role seems to have come naturally to each of them.
Let us summarize the situation with a quote from David Hume,
English philosopher also born when the Sun was shining in the starfield
of Aries. In his autobiography he mentions "a certains boldness of
temper which was not inclined to submit to any authority (in
philosophy) but led me to seek out some new medium by which truth might
be established." That boldness of temper was certainly shared by the
three initiators named above.
Finding a common link for the next position was not so easy. With
natal Sun in tropical Gemini, but in SIDEREAL TAURUS, are figures like
Yugoslavia's Tito, Germany's Wagner, America's Frank Lloyd Wright and
Rachel Carson... Then it was noticed that Rachel Carson's concern for
the environment (books: Silent Spring, The Sea Around Us) had much in
common with Wright's insistence that his buildings fit naturally into
their surroundings, blending with the scene rather than disrupting it.
He was also exceptional among great architects for the amount of
attention he devoted to the single-family house as opposed to large
public works.
From this emphasis on the immediate surroundings, the close-at-
hand, it was not much of an extension to notice that Wagner based his
major operatic cycle on native German mythology (The Ring of the
Nibelungen), and that Tito is preeminently a person who has fought to
secure his native land against foreign intervention. It is also
noticed that Wagner caused consternation in the musical world by
apparently abandoning formal musical structure and relying instead on
the sensual impact of the sound, and that some of his operas (e.g.,
Siegried) requires and audience to sit still for the better part of a
working day to hear them completely. Altogether there seems to be here
a decided emphasis on stability, on the physical and the familiar, an
"at-homeness" that fits Taurus splendidly, Gemini not at all. Let us
add just a word from Walt Whitman, who called himself "...a Kosmos/
fleshy, sensual, eating, drinking, and breeding...I loaf and invite my
soul." And although he had a well-developed mystical nature, it was of
a comfortable, assured sort--singularly different from Gemini, as will
appear next.
Our first two instances have favored the sidereal over the
tropical. This pattern holds well as we continue. Thus the Sun was in
the CONSTELLATION GEMINI (but the "sign" was Cancer) at the births of
Franz Kafka and Herman Hesse and both writers show us a central
Geminian concern: the quest for definiteness, for purpose. Kafka's
heroes (e.g., in The Trial and The Castle) are forever trying to get an
explanation for what's happen-ing, forever pursuing an elusive
rationale that keeps receding before them. At one point he wrote "Thus
the meaning of life becomes a search for the meaning of life." Hesse
too wrote of this quest, in a more overtly relig-ious mode (Journey to
the East, Siddhartha). The search seems to proceed along two principal
paths. One the one hand, the mainly mystical way as with Hesse. This
way also attracted Ruth Underhill, one of the world's best known
writers on the subject of mysticism. On the other hand the search may
stress definiteness, as was the case with Lord Kelvin, the fore-most
mathematician and physicist of his time, and Leibniz, one of the first
and greatest of modern mathematicians. It was these two poles of
mathe-matics and mysticism that Hesse envisioned being reconciled in
his last book, The Bead Game.
Now certainly not all Geminians are mathematicians or mystics.
But these are extreme developments. They appear more commonly as a
tendency to "put two and two together," to relate separate elements in
new structures of meaning. Thoreau is a good example in his detailed
observations of nature and the illuminating way he related these data
to human events. And motivating his observations was a constant
seeking for some real clarity behind the mask of amazing detail.
When we leave this workshop where meaningful combinations are
assembled or pursued, we plunge into the fluctuating waters of CANCER.
Now we're hunting a great white whale that hides somewhere in the deep,
in the uncer-tain expanse of ocean. But we're not chasing him for any
explanation or clarification of purpose. Ahab hunts Moby Dick because
"He tasks me!" The whale will not leave us alone. He haunts us, so to
speak. Or it may be a "human" figure, such as Robert Graves' White
Goddess, said to have been seen all over the world. But turn a third
time and both whale and goddess appear to be archetypes of the
collective unconscious. The originator of that term, psychologist Carl
G. Jung was not stranger to these numinous figures as he pursued his
depth psychology into the arcane waters of dreams and mythology, of
alchemy and psychic phenomena. Nor was this atmosphere of unseen
presences alien to Emily Bronte, authoress of Wuthering Heights, a tale
of mysterious emotions on the wild English moors. Add William Beebe,
who set new depth records for ocean diving, in his bathysphere, and the
indications seem quite clearly to favor a Cancer, rather than a Leo Sun
position. For the latter, we turn to--
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun,
Tamerlane. Now where would the Sun be, if not in LEO? Not necessarily
at the births of these named, but in the birthcharts of E. R.
Burroughs, who created the famous king of the apes, and of Harold Lamb,
who wrote popular historical accounts of the legendary conquerors.
These authors may not have enjoyed the same sort of regal renown as the
heroes they admired. But the follow-ing two, in their own realm, did.
Goethe, after a passionate youth, settled down to produce world
classics in dramma and poetry (e.g., Faust).
He was hailed in his lifetime as King of European Literature, and young
writers made pilgrimage to his residence with an awe that many a
monarch might have envied. In philosophy the name of Hegel was without
a peer in 19th century Europe. Young students from all over the
continent flocked to his lectures and no dissenting voice was listened
to. (K.C-R's note: as well, Napoleon, King Louis 14th--The Sun King,
and Alexander the Great, world conquerors all were sidereal Leos.)
This steady sway changes in the next position VIRGO to something
quite different: a sort of orderly disintegration, an incessant
process of breaking things up and rearranging them, separating and
combining. Picasso became famous for painting figures with their
features broken up and rearranged in novel patterns. This activity of
forever turning things over, never satisfied that any view is final, is
well-exemplified in the fiction of William Faulkner (The Sound and the
Fury, The Bear) who never tells a story just one way, but continually
interrupts himself in mid-sentence for a long digression to analyze the
matter in alternte ways. In novel after novel he keeps going over the
same ground, dealing with much the same material, but always in a
slightly different perspective.
Mahatma Gandhi devoted his life to the steady disintegration of
British power in India. And he epitomized the Virgo function of
constant turnover in his devotion to the spinning wheel, that endless
recycling from which a single, continuous thread is extracted. Lastly,
John Locke, 17thy century English philosopher, set himself the task of
examining the process of thinking itself, the result being his Essay
Concerning Human Understanding. In a preface to the work he apologizes
for its length and repetitiveness, offering as excuse the suggestion
that matters must be turned over many times and looked at from many
sides to gain understanding.
We might well introduce LIBRA by comparing it to its Venusian
counter-part Taurus. Then it is immediately apparent that the "at-
homeness" of the latter is replaced by a new forward-moving urgency, as
Dylan Thomas well-expressed in the lines, "The force that through the
green fuse drives the flower/drives my green age." There is indeed a
strong affinity for the Venusian graces (John Keats: "A thing of beauty
is a joy forever.") but rather than a capacious Taurean enjoyment,
there is a striving that reminds us of Libra's opposite: truth-seeking
Aries (Keats: "Truth is beauty; beauty truth."). There is a
thoughtful disposition in Libra, and these various faces are
specifically portrayed by Auguste Rodin in two of his most famous
statues: The Kiss, depicting a man and woman in soft embrace, and a
more rugged figure titled The Thinker. Another master of graceful
sculpture was Benvenuto Cellini, who is as well-known for his
Renaissance life of wine-women-song as for his fine art. There was a
deal of turmoil in some of these lives (notably Thomas and Cellini) but
it was what we might term a turmoil of affinity, quite distinct from
the truculent opposition we encounter in the following position.
Sun in SIDEREAL SCORPIO, Martin Luther, one of the champion
antagonists of all time, stood on his inner resources against the
massive weight of the Church and almost single-handedly changed the
course of religion in Europe. Jonathan Swift ws a single voice in a
singular scorn of society, a master of satire and wielder of one of the
"most subtle and vitriolic pens that ever wrote English. And nearer to
the present day, Winston Churchill proved to be a heroically trenchant
foe, encouraging a whole nation to fight through "blood, sweat, and
tears" till their militarily stronger attacker was beaten back. The
source of Scorpio's basic unsurrendering strength is suggested by the
following two myth-makers (for a man who can make his own myths need
not be dependent on the public ones). John Milton wrote Paradise Lost
about the archetypal rebel Lucifer. And William Blake went still
further in private rebellion by creating a wholly original mythology,
perhaps not so difficult a task for a man who commonly saw angels.
Deriving their energy from deeply personal springs, the Scorpio native
can be extremely, and defiantly, self-reliant.
Turning now to SAGITTARIUS, consider Tolkien, author of The Hobbit
and The Trilogy of the Ring. For all that his heroes are said to be
home-loving creatures, this has little effect on the story itself,
which is one of distant adventure among exceedingly foreign peoples.
In fact the hero of the first book, the homey Hobbit himself, is seen
in the second book to have taken up steady residence among one of these
foreign peoples.
Another man fascinated by far-away foreigners was Rudyard Kipling.
And when we consider his life-long concern with the government of the
far-flung British Empire, we may perhaps have another thread on which
to string our Sagittarian examples: this combined concern with
government (i.e., regulating) and distance. It was demonstrated by the
astronomer Kepler who first discovered that the shape of planetary
obrits is elliptical and worked out the exact mathematical proportions
of the ellipses.
His achievement was later expanded by Isaac Newton, discoverer and
formulator of the laws of gravity that govern these planetary
movements. Now to turn our telescope around, as it were, we will find
there is a dis-tance in the other direction. Louis Pasteur saw through
his microscope the miniscule foreign bodies that control various
diseases. In a purely visual context, these bacteria are even farther
away than the planets, and the process of pasteurization is designed to
regulate their activity in milk. Returning to the first name, we note
that the entire purpose of the distant adventures in Tolkien's tales is
to govern, not conquer or destroy, the foreign forces of evil.
SIDEREAL CAPRICORN. This position is particularly favorable to
generals. Start listing the most outstanding U.S. Army commanders in
his-tory and you'll find that four of the first five or six had this
placement: Robert E Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, William T. Sherman, and
Douglas MacArthur. These were all men of singular perseverence, of
determined drive toward solid and prominent achievement, who were
stopped by no adversity. Lee showed their tone when he wrote to his
son at West Point, "You must press forward in your studies. You must
be number one." And the young Thomas Jackson remarked after his first
battle that the only fear he had felt was "a strange sort of fear lest
I should not meet danger enough to make my conduct conspicuous." But
self-restraint was as characteristic of them as unswerving attack.
Sherman, finally successful as a general after a long series of
business failures, became the most sought-after presidential candidate
the nation had ever seen. But he knew his own mind on the subject and
consistently said "No," feeling that his ambitions had been achieved
and that further advance could only be ruinous. When his petitioners
continued to plague him with the offer year after year, he finally
announced, "If nominated I will not run. If elected I will not serve."
At last they believed him.
We see also in these men an instinct to drive right to the heart
of the enemy's force, as Sherman did in Georgia, as Lee and Jackson did
in The Wilderness, and as MacArthur did at Inchon, Korea. What could
be more appropriate to this Saturnian position than a regular-army
commander? (Editor's Note: I disagree)
To introduce SIDEREAL AQUARIANS, here are two renowned
astronomers, Copernicus and Galileo, and we notice at once that
movement is a keynote. They both gained fame for the revolutionary and
unpopular claim that the whole Earth is moving. Galileo retracted his
advocacy in face of threats from the Church, but his last words before
dying were, "Eppuor, si muove." (Nevertheless, it does move.) We note
that they emphasized the movement itself. This willingness and ability
to see things in ways shockingly at variance with the conventional view
(eccentric, as it were) showed in the work of the Frenchman, Renan, who
stirred up quite a controversy in the 19th century with his book The
Life of Jesus, in which he advanced the radical-humanitarian viewpoint
that Jesus was rather an outstanding human being than a divinity.
Not all Aquarians make revolutionary gestures, but the attitude
that makes their behavior potentially revolutionary can be seen even in
so mild-mannered a person as the poet W.H. Auden. His poetry is
directed toward general social issues and is notable for its detached,
impersonal tone, using very little imagery or colorful expression. It
seems to be this very detachment from intimate personal involvement
that leaves the Aquarian free to present the facts as he sees them,
nakedly, which may disturb those who feel the value of familiar
garments. The story traditionally told of George Washington, when he
is reported to have said, "I cannot tell a lie," may be historically
false but true to his Aquarian character of letting things stand
revealed, without customary disguise. The tenor of his life with its
impersonal devotion to principle in politics, clearly shows the
Aquarian hallmark of cool distance rather than Pisces more passionate
involvement.
On looking into SIDEREAL PISCES, we see many poets and artists,
often in characteristic inner torment amid an atmosphere of confusion.
Verlaine captured the mood nicely: "Il pleur dans mon coeur/comme il
pleur sur la ville." (The waters weep in my heart/as they rain on the
roofs.) His con-temporary, Van Gogh, also suffered an excess of
personal agitation, as can be seen in the stark vibrancy of his
paintings. But when inner currents begin to flow harmoniously, great
developments may occur. William Booth began the Salvation Army out of
sympathy for the lost and downtrodden. J. S. Bach blended the mighty
currents of the soul into a masterful confluence of sound. And the
missionary, St. Francis Xavier, showed the strength of his faith when
shipwrecked in the Indian Ocean. Drifting about on a raft, suffering
heat, hunger and thirst, he prayed to God to send him more pain.
And here we terminate our survey, which we hope has been, at best,
suggestive, if not persuasive to you.
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[HORRIBLE] Dr. Pluto N. Mundo's "HorribleScope," a curmudgeon's takeoff
on one's sex life, based on attributes of the constellations (therefore
information!) & exaggerated to a verbal caricature. It may even have
food for thought as to the virtue-vice continuum implicit in each
planetary archetype. Through knowing the extreme, one (sometimes) can
intuit the mean -principle. So much from so little.
* * * * * * * * *


To confirm your worst fears regarding your Sun constellation, the
brilliant psychologist and logician Dr. Pluto N. Mundo, that
curmudgeon of the Star Constellation Zodiac himself, presents the -

HORRIBLE-SCOPE IN THE STAR CONSTELLATIONS

PISCES (Mar 14-Apr 13) You have a vivid imagination and sense of drama
and often think you are being followed by the CIA or FBI...or else you
are following them as a double agent. When you are off work, you tend
to see spirits, and so as an astral lover, you have no peer. In
general, you are an affable actor and like leading a double life as well
as an other-worldly life. The extraordinary emotion is your all!
Whether following your spiritual "Guides" or taking a Hitchhiker's Tour
of the Universe, traveling is your thing. Catch a falling star or a
flying saucer to Peru-that's the trip for you! The All is your All!
And the Act Must Go On! Dedicated to the glamorous, fantastic, and
deceptive, Pisces are incapable of fidelity and make good spies or car
sales-persons. In general, Pisces people are drunks, opium smokers,
writers, actors, psychics, and other creative types. You think reality
is a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs. You'd love living at
Disneyland.

ARIES (Apr 14-May 14) You are the independent type and hold most people
in contempt. You are quick tempered, impatient, scornful of advice,
blunt and abrupt. You like to do things your own way; your arrogance is
disgusting. You thinks there's only your way and the wrong way to do
things. You are continually at odds with anyone who does not support
your narrow ideals. You are flash-in-the-pan lover (fast to fizzle out)
and nobody will go to bed with you twice. You set yourself up for
shallow, sexual encounters wherein you claim conquest. You should
become a photographer so you will have some way to remember all the one-
nighters. Besides being rotten in bed, you lack other social graces.
Naturally you are in the vanguard of any new movement since you can't
make it in polite society. You are not very nice. Hence, you make a
great Capitalist. Politics is your favorite game and Machiavelli is
your spiritual leader.

TAURUS (May 15-June 14) You are congenial, serious, a natural environ-
mentalist, and thick in the neck. Respecting "the Natural" means that
at Christmas, you won't even "Kill a Tree for Jesus!" You're the
only one worrying about the ozone layer. Because you "loaf and invite
your soul," you are sensuous, oversexed, and eat too much. You even
cook. "Good friends and good food" summarizes your philosophy. But
family values are your favorite thing, and you come from and reproduce
large families. Obviously you are a lover and main contributor to the
population explosion. Worse than a Communist, you might even be a
worshipper of Nature and the Great Mother. All this 'groundedness in
mind and skyclad body' stuff is just a cover-up for a mother complex and
incestuous impulses. You have too many close relatives.

GEMINI (June 15-Jly 15) You are a quick and intelligent thinker. You
approach life like a game. And creating computer games is your most
lucrative occupation. You are shrewd in business and cannot be trusted,
but you will achieve the pinnacle of success because of your total lack
of ethics. Geminis are inclined to try to get too much for too little
because they are clever enough to do so; this means you are cheap as
well as a thief and pervert. Jack of all trades, the nimble, the quick!
You would do well as a Talk Show or TV Game Host. Just tapdancing your
way through life! But people like you because you are bisexual and have
no sticky emotional ties to either sex. People also tend to think you
are a swinger because you are entertaining and musically talented. You
have a sense of playfulness and youth and never grow up, so people
overlook your Peter Pan Complex. Hence, you best represent the American
Way of Life, and the Pepsi Generation.

CANCER (July 16-Aug 16) You are sympathetic and understanding to
people's problems. Therefore you make a good follower. People think
you are a sucker and a soft touch. You have a lively imagination and
respond well to TV commercials and soap operas, on which you are as
dependent as if they were your family or welfare check. You think you
know what people like, but you have no discrimination in lovers and will
make do with any bum with magnetic appeal. You collect all kinds of
junk as your artistic taste runs to knickknacks, and gingerbread,
rococo, over-ornamentation. At best, Cancers have the personality of
fuller brush salesmen or politicians. All for the gratification of the
moment! You do well running your mouth, but your brains and your thighs
are full of putty, and you are lazy and fat.

LEO (Aug 17-Spt 16) You consider Yourself a Born Leader. Others think
You are a pushy, ego-tripper. Because You are so full of Yourself, You
have what it takes to survive a Presidential Campaign. You tend to be a
liberal, right-wing Republican Baptist, a supporter of God, Motherhood
at any cost, Virginity, U.S. Military Expansion, and Absolute Monarchy.
You decorate Your home with pictures of Yourself and read books on the
Rich & Famous. You think driving a Big, Expensive car makes You
Important, and You think any job You have is a Career. Since You
believe any flattery, You definitely accept all compliments graciously
and can thus be easily prevailed upon. You love Titles and Status
Symbols and show great generosity to menials who You require around You
to witness to Your Superiority. You don't notice how bad Your lover is
in bed if he or she has Expensive Taste and looks good. Leos are known
as very self-confident, competent, Braggarts and Bores.

VIRGO (Spt 17-Oct 16) You are the logical type and hate disorder. You
own too many dictionaries, health and reference books. You hang
pictures straight and do your income tax expertly. This knit-picking is
sickening to your friends of whom you have very few. Before the
improbable event of your having an affair, you organize your underwear,
calculate extra laundry costs, and expect health certificates from
prospective lovers. You are unemotional and sometimes fall asleep while
making love if you aren't planning your next week's schedule. Daily
routine is your favorite mania. However, Virgos make good ashtray
cleaners, budget planners, librarians, sanitation inspectors, and
professional virgins. You think if you make a list, you know what
you're doing. You wash your hands too much. Lady MacBeth is your God
Mother.


LIBRA (Oct 17-Nov 15) You are the artistic type, get along with people
too well, and therefore are judged to have a difficult time with
reality. Since Libras are absent-minded compromisers, people tend to
think them devious because nobody believes in unselfishness. You prefer
politeness, appeasement and reconciliation to standing up for yourself.
Luckily, congeniality is not hereditary. Your stylistic sense of True
Colors makes you an excellent decorator. Good thing, because you have
no true grit. But chances for employment and monetary gains are
excellent anywhere you can be a professional "Yes-sayer." Since you are
a hopeless Romantic and hardly ever meet a person you don't like, most
Libras die of venereal disease.

SCORPIO (Nov 16-Dec 15) Though straight-forward and energetic, Scorpios
are also argumentative, fiesty, uncouth and like offending people.
Scorpio men are macho-chauvinists, have smelly armpits, and think sex is
all muscle and calisthenics. The Wham Bam approach. Scorpio women are
tomboys and make good lady wrestlers. You are all accident-prone and
love bragging about your scars. In general, Scorpios like dirt, mud-
slinging, and other acts of passion. Only snakes would think Scorpios
are charming. For you, 'working it out' & 'going for the burn' in
exercise, love, or war is a good way of life. You don't know when to
give up. You believe that 'God loves a Grunt' and that 'getting down &
dirty' is next to godliness. Your next-best idea of heaven is the
Olympics. The Jock mentality is the only one you've got, and you are
successful in athletic pursuits where bad temper and argument is
rewarded. Most Scorpios are murdered by other Scorpios--and should be.
You do terrible things to small animals.

SAGITTARIUS (Dec 16-Jan 13) You are optimistic and have a reckless
tendency to rely on luck since you lack talent. You tend to think
positive and so get more out of life than you deserve. You prefer to
see 'half-empty' as 'half-full." You believe that too much of a good
thing is wonderful, and that God will provide that for you. The
majority of Sagittarians are status-seekers, snobs, religious fanatics,
and other kinds of gamblers. You really do think it matters what other
people think of you. You are houseproud and undersexed and a Bible-
toter. Your only love affairs will be Platonic. Your personal mantra
is "Every day in every way, I'm getting better and better!" This does
not apply to your nightlife. Because of your incessant goodness, you
drive your spouses to drink and into extra-marital affairs. You will
die devoutly living the good life and traveling as a distinguished
Yuppie.

CAPRICORN (Jan 14-Feb 11) You are conservative and afraid of taking
risks. You are skeptical in all matters but believe in work like a
religion. You are so responsible, you feel guilty if you have fun. You
take 'Dull' to new lows. You think functional practicality is the only
consideration, and have no capacity for emotional rapport. You really
can live on bread alone. Capricorns are miserly, anal-retentive, live
in unfurnished gothic rooms, and eat from generic-labeled tin cans.
Surviving an economic depression is your favorite thing; you framed your
first dollar. There has never been a Capricorn of any importance. You
have no sex drive and don't even masturbate (saves energy!). You are a
rotten conversationalist and would tend to make good only as a vivi-
sectionist or mortician. Morbidity becomes you.




AQUARIUS (Feb 12-Mar 13) You have an inventive mind, are inclined to be
progressive and opportunistic, and like to do your own thing. You
obviously smoke too much dope. Because you are organized enough to just
go about getting things done, people think you are offbeat, cool,
and non-committal. You tend to volunteer for things like the first
space flight to the Moon. You are tolerant of others, support communal
living and love-ins rather than war, are offhand about paying your
debts, and are therefore obviously an anarchist. You don't care who you
sleep with as long as there is variety. Otherwise, Aquarians make good
social welfare workers-that is, when they are not traveling the globe
living off whoever will take them in. Since you don't care how you
look--plaids with stripes and no two socks alike--people think you are
stupid and lazy. You believe in the universality of all people. Hence,
you are a threat to the status quo.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[PLANETS] Adaptation and condensation of several sidereal
delineations. Excellent Standard Stuff. Sources and names
unavailable.
* * * *


DEFINITIONS OF THE PLANETS & LIGHTS:
IN TRANSIT CHARTS, IN LOCATION, AND/OR IN THE NATAL

First and foremost, always keep in mind that the planets are never
literally a person, place, or thing. They do not "rule" anything. And
they are 'not' other people in your chart. As always in such writeups,
the sentence structure when referring to any planet tends often to seem
to "equate" the planet and the quality or condition referred to.
Beware. The planets signify and symbolize archetypal characteristics,
energies, and conditions. There is no way to tell from a chart if it
is of a person, animal or event. Given that it is of a person, there
is no way to tell from the chart if the person is male or female,
genius or idiot, saint or sinner. But the outstanding qualities of any
of those may be known.

THE SUN much like the Moon, draws and focuses attention upon you,
but it brings more emphasis to your all-around individuality, your own
"personhood" and productivity, and your basic values. It might
precipitate questions from others such as: "What are your abilities,
talents, potentials?" People will want to know just where you are
headed and how you plan to get there. You can increase your status in
the world by bringing others to review your current or past
accomplishments. You too will be reviewing your status, becoming more
aware of how you stack up in the eyes of those in a position to
influence your affairs. In general, a feeling of increased importance,
and a greater sense of purpose may be experienced. This can indicate
possible glories or potential successes if supported by other transits
such as an angular Jupiter. The Sun dominates elements of pride and
ego gratification, the need for recognition, & the fires of ambition,
fame, fortune or importance in the world.
If self-esteem is low, the SUN generally revives it, as your
appreciation of yourself and the good qualities you possess become
important. Because of you are centered in your own purposes, you can
come over now as the "boss" or the master of current situations or
circumstances. You tend to impress people in general, and thus your
ego gets a warming massage and personal status or regard is uplifted.
The transit of New or Full MOON over the SUN can overstress the
physical or emotional system, sometimes indicating a drop in overall
vitality for the duration of the transit. This can be aggravated by a
tendency to concentrate energy on personal matters meant to gratify
your ego. But a basic self-interest manifests concerning your
potential, what satisfies you and what does not. This can make you
feel you are a power to be reckoned with, to be placated--a bit of a
potentate in your own field of interest.


THE MOON angular accentuates the power of your emotions, memories,
intuitions, prejudices, sentiments, passions and sensations. You may
find yourself ardent over fanatical whims and dreams, or going
overboard on cherished projects. When the Moon is angular, refrain
from swinging wildly from the heights of euphoria to the depths of
despair, as this lunar angularity can whip up buried feelings and
sensitivities. In general, the motion of nature and life, the
perceptions and sense within yourself and the tidal or cyclic movement
of existence is deeply felt. For some, this brings an acute awareness
of the emotional interactions between you and another. Eager to
sympathize, easily wounded, responsive to overtures, you tend to filter
down any and all situations onto a personal and emotional level. You
are impressionable and susceptible to others' opinions, subject to more
or less wild mood fluctuations, setting your sails according to every
prevailing wind. And as the late Cyril Fagan indicated, Sun-Moon
contacts present opportunities for amorous attractions to manifest
because of one's heightened emotional receptivity.
Publicity, or public opinion, and feeling loom larger than usual
with the MOON. You may feel the importance and impact of your peers,
or society rules and regulations upon you at this time. Your position
or status can be subject to changing opinions of others and you may
experience alterations or transitions in your occupation or in your
community standing. Since there is a more emotional element to your
actions and especially reactions, impulse or reaction to others plays a
greater role in your moves or decisions. As your 'openness' assails
you & you become thin-skinned, there can be a strong urge to surrender
to the moods of the moment.
THE MOON indicates a restless astmosphere in domestic relations at
home and office with wide fluctuations of mood. You can experience an
increased desire and taste for variety. Thus, alteration in decor, the
rearrangement of furniture, or other changes around the house may be
instigated by you, as impulsive decisions and emotionalism prevail.
Current fads capture your attention, and can be accompanied by
emotionally based resolutions to follow some new trend, but staying
power may be lacking. You tend to be more vulnerable than usual to
appeals to your sympathy or generosity. On the whole, relations with
those at home or at work on daily basis are especially emotional and
sensitive.


MERCURY: Mental activity, your ability to focus thought, observe,
assess, learn, perceive, concentrate or memorize are featured or called
into play. Much exchange of information and a general air of busyness
is manifest, even quick changes in atmosphere, comings and goings. You
could find yourself bringing work home from the office, engaging in
extensive homework for school projects, signing or studying official
papers and reports. Messages and phone calls can be prevalent and take
up much of your time. Whenever Mercury is angular, details tend to
demand more attention, as well as letter writing, conversation, study
and news. You may find relatives coming to visit or neighbors
temporarily assuming a larger role in your affairs. A burst of
activity often accompanies Mercury. Clean-up work, details, news,
written material and the spoken word come to your immediate attention.
Efficiency on the job or in creative expression is stimulated. Arri-
vals, departures and other transportation matters assume importance.
MERCURY usually means a heavy volume of correspondence--letters
coming and going, packages, and a myriad of details to be attend to.
Mercury's aspects are particularly important in determining the type of
communications you can expect. If with Uranus, unexpected calls or
startling news. With Pluto, it also can mean shocking or amazing news,
while with Jupiter, it may indicate uplifting news. Mercury with Venus
can inspire musical or artistic interest, or focus attention on
language and social communication that have to do with friends or
romance. Mercury with Saturn may require dutiful response to some
serious matter or unpleasant news, or at least tiresome business such
as form letters. Mercury with Mars can show communications hassles, as
business tensions or everyday frictions can increase and become wearing
on the nerves. Mercury with the Sun touches on news affecting status,
ego, and so on. Mercury with Neptune or Moon increases emotionalism
and the impact of feeling in news, letters and conversations. With
Neptune, Mercury can set off misapprehensions that have little
foundation. Don't sign contracts or papers under this, though. Only
creative or aesthetic projects with non-material goals are "favored."


VENUS: 'Your peace is my peace' appears to best express the desire
for oneness with others that manifests when touched by Venus. One
tends to be attracted at this time to activities which require harmony,
rhythm, beauty and refined conduct. Relaxation, enjoyment and
tranquility are emphasized. Venus is essentially tolerant, lax and
lenient implying that you will take the line of least resistance.
and just let things ride. Conciliatory action such as extending the
olive branch can accentuate any basic tendency for compassion,
tolerance and mercy. Forgiveness is apt to be exhibited. And so Venus
can ease circumstances, relieve pressures and smooth your relations
with the world; likewise in your daily environment, with Venus there
is a harmonizing, quieting, tenderizing influence promoting peaceful or
cooperative conditions. Your home may become restful, tranquil and a
thoroughly enjoyable place in which to pass your leisure time.
Familial and on-the-job frictions should subside, at least somewhat,
while this influence is in effect. Even if traveling under this
influence, you feel more or less at home, no matter how exotic your
surroundings.
Gains in material possessions as an external expression in addition
to gain in status or esteem are also possible. You could find ways and
means for improving the beauty of your home or office. Gardening and
the addition of some lovely new plants, for instance, or other
incidental items to your home may also feature importantly. Under
Venus, one tends to be "in the mood" for love, with the desire to
express affection for a person, place, or thing. Feelings of affection
and benevolence often coincide with offerings of money and gifts and
other tokens of affection.
Generally, romance and friendships brighten, and prospects for
future seem more optimistic because Venus accentuates tender, gentle,
sentimental and esthetic feelings; so there may be a strong inclination
to seek our the joys of social life, dances, parties, or any activity
that centers around person-to-person contact. Invitations to formal
occasions (weddings, graduations, etc.) may be received and accepted
happily. So friendship and romantic opportunities are always possible
with an angular Venus, and social contacts are likely foremost, though
nothing is fated. There is a possibility that your peers, or society
at large, may express affection for you and approval of your
accomplishments, or you may just experience a general feeling of being
accepted and part of the group. You will probably feel content with
your status. Hence, VENUS is a helpful influence for parties,
celebrations and entertainment as Venus angular often brings the desire
for activities which give enjoyment. You may find the general
atmosphere more or less festive. Even when something goes sour in the
proceedings, you tend to sweeten things by unobtrusively smoothing over
troubled waters.


With MARS, you seize the initiative. Energy is up and a search for
adventure ensues. You are brash, rash, and rush in where angels fear
to tread. You are ready to participate in the life around you, and you
have an eagle eye out for your own interests. Any provocation you
offer may be returned in kind, so do be careful what you do and say.
You are intolerant of other's foibles. Emotionally you can be high
strung, irritable, testy. Something or someone may really set you off,
as it were, since you are laboring under the stress of a short temper
and feel the need to let off steam. Exercise, movement and flexing
your muscles both figuratively and literally in constructive ways is
called for. Take action on previously planned projects, sports, or any
activity that gets you moving, but be careful not to burn yourself out.
Caution with tools or machinery is needed as tenseness or nervousness
can make you careless at just the wrong moment.
With MARS, your reaction to affairs can get irritating and perhaps
a bit explosive. Great physical activity is indicated, expressed in
housecleaning, furniture moving, painting, extensive home repairs, and
other heavy household jobs. Relations with parents or a spouse can be
quite tense. The emphasis is on commotion, tumult, and nervous energy
looking for an outlet. Guard against outbursts of impatience, temper
and emotional agitation. Because Martian mishaps are usually the
result of "too much, too fast" on the part of the individual concerned,
try to slow yourself down in order to avoid them. Mars can precipitate
clashes that could lead to break-ups or temporary separations, brought
about in the heat of anger rather than through considered reasoning.
It can however bring to the surface matters that need to be faced
before they can be cleared up.
MARS is a combative influence; there is an element of attack to be
considered. You may feel the domination of someone in your life trying
to take control of your direction, your career. Mars angular usually
foretells a "rough ride;" you could get it or give it; you could be
called on the carpet by authority figures and really get chewed out or
chew someone out. Another usual form of Martian expression is through
possible attacks from germs, e.g., virus, cold, fever, etc., or even
pests from the insect world. Mars often manages to get your adrenalin
flowing in a big way. Mars calls for action, excitement, aggression,
and you are usually presented with circumstance to fill the bill, or
you present the reaction and change the circumstance.


Any angular position of JUPITER injects a feeling for the lighter
side of life, encouraging enjoyment in the here and now and hope for
the future. Jupiter tends to ease your general circumstance into more
palatable channels and usually represents opportunities of all kinds.
If Jupiter is also near the natal angles, or the natal Sun, as well as
return angles, you may experience once-in-a-lifetime elevations of
influence, prestige and status. In general, your position in your own
eyes and in the eyes of your peers is upgraded. If changes of
residence are made under this Jupiter position you are likely to
improve your conditions and move into better circumstances than you
left behind. This is an excellent influence for outpourings of
concern, interest and acts of kindness directed toward you or from you.
You may increase your material possessions because of such actions by
others. The overall Jupiter influence indicates a feeling of
prosperity or some kind of gain, help, success or relief from burdens.
JUPITER can indicate opulent or progressive conditions in your
philosophy, home or family life. Under Jupiter, you can advance and
improve close relationships. An element of celebration or the impulse
to rejoice may be relevant. Jupiter angular by location or transit
frequently indicates increases in your material assets in some way,
adding to your possessions, indicating optimism and a feeling of
hopeful expectation. If VENUS aspects JUPITER, the receipt or giving
of expensive items or gifts may follow. Jupiter enlivens the
atmosphere and conditions around you, and your home or backyard may
become the center for happy occasions that upgrade your status in the
local community. You may feel like thinking of positive new beginnings
that lay the groundwork for future material growth and expansion.
Raises, praises, and promotions sometimes occur with this placement.
You, your home or family life can experience welcome breath of optimism
and high spirits.
With JUPITER you experience a lift in spirits, feelings of luck,
jubilation, of having a good time, and of being of value to yourself
and others. You mood radiates with expectations, enthusiasm, hope and
confidence as everything seems to go your way. This is a time when you
are apt to be rewarded for past favors or services rendered. You are
given a boost in self-esteem as business, social, friendship or
financial interests take on new vitality. Cares and responsibilities
seem to fall from your shoulders as you don the garb of humor,
geniality and good cheer and good will to all. If you can keep from
feeling too relaxed to do anything because everything is coming up
roses and already going your way, this is a fine time to go out and
actively promote your interests. This is your best of all times in
the best of all worlds.


SATURN: Physical, emotional, intellectual inertia can manifest.
You become acutely aware of the passing of time. The spotlight seems
to be on your sense of inferiority, and you become sensitive to your
own limits: your faults, mistakes, and weaknesses--and assume that
everyone else sees them, too. As your vulnerability and morality seem
to be hanging out, at least to yourself if not to the rest of the
world, it is not the best time to apply for a job or ask for favors.
The positive emphasis, although it's hard to focus on such, is on
the cultivation of such qualities as self-control, discipline,
responsibility, sobriety, autonomy, and self-sufficiency. Saturn gives
a feeling of being on entirely on your own with the necessity to work
to carry out ambitions and practical objectives. You may feel you are
on the short side of the bargain unless you are experienced in the ways
of the world and spirit. With Saturn activated, questions about your
limits on all levels are raised. What is your physical and material
security and protection? Is your body and mind healthy? What are your
financial weakness and strengths? What is your spiritual status? All
difficult questions, but Saturn plays the investigator, cross-examining
you in every way.
SATURN may spur you into stronger desires for increasing your self-
sufficiency and security. Your standing in the world or your
reputation can come under severe scrutiny at this time. You can become
acutely conscious or sensitive about your current status in life and
the lack of fulfillment in your expectations. This may signify a
period when you take stock of where you now are and where you actually
want to be. You may feel a necessary tightening of the purse strings
cramps your style. Saturn angular puts a strain on your pocketbook,
piling up the expenses, increasing debts or, at the very least, making
your usual payments temporarily a heavier burden than normal. A
slowdown in business, office or domestic affairs is usually more
noticeable, as Saturn often places limits on one's normal cash flow and
everything else.
SATURN tends to stress duty, self-sacrifice, restrictions or
disciplinary action with the concomitant feelings of constraint or
being "put upon" by fate. You could imitate these conditions yourself
through a self-imposed isolation, retreat or fast. This can be
extremely boring placement indicating time on your hands, yet without
the feeling of freedom to do with it as you please. It can emphasize a
sense of solitude in the world or the feelings of deprivation. You may
need to resist the temptation to worry and fret as Saturn can be a
great initiator of negative emotions.
But transits of SATURN tend to bring awareness of deadwood in your
life, or outmoded or otherwise undesirable situations. In many cases,
a curtain of sorts is brought down in some phase of your life. Saturn
can indicate feelings of restriction, even of depression over any ruts
you've allowed yourself to fall into. It may add an element of sadness
or moroseness to your daily activities, with your mundane affairs
becoming stultifying, stagnant, or far too humdrum for your taste.
Demands on your time, the passing away of old customs, habits, people
can occur. Saturn can bring self-sacrifice, self-discipline, duty or
the necessity of coming to terms with circumstances over which you have
no control. Boredom, worry and a sense of isolation are common.


URANUS: You experience a sense of uniqueness, and express creative
action or ideas. Attention is focused on your inventiveness,
originality, and any singular abilities or contributions you have to
make. Sudden inspiration may occur to you, or strange, unusual, "far
out" ideas occupy your mind and impinge on your concentration. A inner
need to express you uniqueness builds up and can break loose to make
you appear undisciplined and uncontrollable. In a sense, you come
alive with a new independence. A chance to travel may present itself
just when your own wanderlust and restlessness hit hardest. Contacts
with unusual subjects or strangers attract your interest and may offer
new delights--or you may discover amazing personal, mental or psycho-
logical breakthroughs. Especially interesting dreams can also occur.
Whenever URANUS hits an angle, it freshens your outlook, calls for
new perspectives, and creates ideas for ways of breaking up the status
quo. Uranus does not take to the tried and true; on the contrary, it
embraces the possibilities inherent in each passing moment. It can
help you take the pigeon-holing and categorizing out of your life, and
instill a new openness to life's uncertainties. To those who are
somewhat habit-bound, this can be disturbing, but disturbing or not,
the changes experienced with Uranus can be expected to promote a new
awareness of the impermanency of nature and the infinite possibilities
of your own individuality.
URANUS likes to work on us like a bolt out of the blue, to shake us
up a bit and renew our sense of excitement in life. Its placement may
mean a complete change in environment, such as an opportunity for
travel or a residential move. You tend to be "up," ready for something
interesting to happen if you have to make it happen yourself. If
Uranus is sumultaneously transiting the natal Sun or angles, it accents
and personally intensifies its power to rip up your usual patterns of
activity and introduces, for the nonce, circumstances in which your
life definitely take on added zest and totally new dimensions. With
Uranus, unexpected visitors, surprising developments, or even changes
of residence can occur; change is in the air and it hits you right in
your sanctum santorum, so be prepared for most anything!
The element of surprise, shock, and the unforeseen must always be
counted upon when URANUS comes to an angle. Nervous tension,
stimulation and high awareness occur. In general, it breaks up
tiresome routine, and kicks tedium in the seat of the pants! Uranus
will definitely relieve boredom and maybe even shake you up a little,
at least temporarily. All this tends to be unsettling, of course, and
you have to be on your toes to meet the challenge of changing
circumstance.


NEPTUNE: You tend to drift, sitting by the water counting every
star, as your time is occupied with weaving dreams, ideas and images
that never were. Searching for the key to paradise, you look in
mysterious places for answers to mysterious questions. The dim past,
the far-away future, weird happenings are subjects designed to raise
good bumps--all these crowd your mind. Emotionally, you can be
extremely vulnerable, easily swayed, overjoyed, depressed, embarrassed
and melodramatic. There is a need to emotionalize and internalize the
world which can only be done by wearing rose-colored glasses and
avoiding practical realities. The real world assumes a low profile for
you. If you find yourself weeping suddenly, chalk it up to Neptunian
emotionality, and let it go at that. Fervent feelings, extreme
tension, nerves and various emotional states that can range from the
blues to the heights of spiritual exaltation are often engendered by
this planet of extremes. On the positive side, Neptune can increase
one's dramatic ability and creative imagination as well as psychism,
clairvoyance or visionary experience. At the very least, you may find
retreat in a good novel.
NEPTUNE can stir up the emotional atmosphere in your home. Should
you have a larger than usual number of people coming and going,
visiting for a long period of time, using your house for a base of
operations so to speak, you can find yourself succumbing to great
nervous strain. Demands are made on you to smooth over others'
problems, to sympathize and render emotional support and to, in effect,
be all things to all people in the family circle. On the other side of
the coin, a strong desire to be alone, to ponder the mysteries of the
universe, as it were, may come upon you making relations with those who
would intrude upon your privacy more stressful. There is always a
possibility of some health problems and dependence which can confine
some to their homes during a Neptune transit or location. Should
Neptune be in aspect with Saturn, any physical health problems could be
complicated by depression or anxiety at not being able to handle your
usual chores and duties. In this case, self-recrimination may be the
unhappy result. Insecurity and unjustified fearfulness may be diffi-
cult to overcome without the emotional support of other close family
members.
The home or office area may become overripe with sensitivity where
you feel you have to walk on egg shells to avoid emotional complica-
tions and outbursts. This is not a good time to move into or buy a new
home. Hidden clauses, poor plumbing, or other unnoticeable trouble
spots may not be detected until it is too late and you're already
signed on the dotted line. Your dreams and fantasies may be played
upon to your detriment, so try to keep your feet on the ground and your
head as far away from the clouds as possible during this period. If an
artistic or spiritual person, you can glean much from Neptune in the
form of increased studies in your special field of interest. However,
if you allow yourself to become too absorbed by your mental pursuits,
you can leave other important duties undone.
NEPTUNE can bring strange and subtle pressure to bear with both
emotional and psychological overtones that can work upon your sense of
well-being in terms of worldly status. It may indicate the possibility
of a humbling experience concerning prestige or community standing or
strange worries, tensions and fears about what people think about you.
It can bring you inklings of unrest about your position in the eyes of
acquaintances, friends, society at large, etc., as Neptune angular can
making you feel "like a fool" for any number of reasons, and it tends
to feed off your reputation, using your life, position or status as a
basis for speculation. Officials, bosses, and those in authority may
not be dealing with you very decisively now--sort of letting things
ride with no clear signals to let you know where you stand. Don't
expect promotions, as Neptune's transit usually doesn't bring them, and
if it does it may be all glamour and no substance. Rumors are rift
with Neptune. You can get "sucked in" to unprofitable ventures or
schemes. Watch out for glorified hucksters or conditions that may make
you ripe for a royal "scam" or just plain hoodwinking as any angular
position of Neptune can indicate deception. This is not a time for you
to "show your stuff" to the world. If you do, you tend to wind up
feeling a bit inept and ineffectual as your energy is now turned
inward. In other words, you are not operating at peak efficiency in
the external world. The natural tendency is for you to retire from the
world, depending on the power of fantasy or faith to get you by.
Neptune is for the inner world.


PLUTO: There is vitality in your determination to get what you
want and to go where you want to go. Your goals become clearer and
your resolve to meet them stronger than ever. A change in address or a
turnabout in domestic relations can occur most abruptly. You may
"choose" to cut loose from formerly restrictive ties and associations
and close out affiliations that no longer "cut the mustard." A
startling revelation may set you back on your heels, or you may set
others back. A variety of odd circumstances can assault your domestic
peace and quiet. The basic effect is of transient bombshells leveling
your current state of normalcy, and with this, you may find yourself
frequently wondering, "What's next?" Important matters tend to come to
a head. There is often a feeling of finality when this influence is in
effect. Many people come to sudden decisions which can affect their
futures in an important way.
The element of shock and surprise can not be overestimated where
PLUTO's position is concerned. Pluto tends to introduce the antisocial
or the elements of the "ugly truth" into your life when it is on an
angle, so be prepared for some unpleasant or shocking facts about to be
revealed as such a time. Whether such shocks are pleasant or not seems
to depend on Pluto's aspects to other planets in natal and return
charts. Pluto's effect is often on the order of "shock therapy."
Examples of this type of influence are the discovery of snakes in your
plumbing, a hive of bees converging around your car or clinging to your
front door, a wasp's nest on your roof or other unnatural, but natural,
anomalies that can strike home with sudden force and stunning vitality.
PLUTO often shows a very basic change in your affairs, and you'll
look back and realize that Pluto has initiated a real life drama into
your private world. Pluto makes its own rules, and it can bring about
big changes in environment, rearrangements in your normal circle of
friends and perhaps indicate a new job or a different attitude toward
bosses and superiors or everyone. Pluto tends to make you aware of
realities, usually with a striking force that reaches you in a totally
personal way. Pluto is the great revealer, bringing all kinds of
strange, even alien, and perhaps unwanted emotions and situations out
into the open. It brings you face-to-face with the eternal verities
and invites you to take a long, hard look at life. Pluto gives you a
feeling of the power of personal action being taken out of your hands
and put into those of "fate" or a higher power.
With PLUTO, your concepts of time, space and the universe are
subject to sudden revision. Incredible opportunities or experiences
can appear offering a totally different perspective for living your
life. You are totally transfixed with what happens around you under
Pluto. Pluto tends to expose a raw nerve, to unmask or uncover that
which you would often rather not deal with . In some area of your
life, this is the time when you lay your cards on the table. The
intensity of expression required by Pluto necessitates some kind of
drastic or dramatic reactions within the personality, so precipitous
actions or words can come out. This is your moment of decision, or so
you feel, and you must make a stand, whether for defense or offense.
The materials for a personal renaissance, a transformation, a new
lease on life are definitely here with PLUT0's transit. For this, you
may feel you have cast yourself into the role of outlaw or rebel.
Pluto doesn't play by the book and when you are strongly under the
influence of this transit, you don't either. You stand on the
threshold of time and existence alone, and find yourself singled out,
sensitive to the consequences of your actions and to the turnings of
fate. You can appear to others as anti-social, or unwilling to
cooperate, dogmatic, unbending, or fanatical, as you seem to be
marching to the beat of a different drummer. This influence is
responsible for the internal force to overcome, the will to power,
and feats of an almost supernatural nature.
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[J&V&N] Gems by Garth Allen on JUPITER & VENUS & NEPTUNE. For more of
his excellent delineation, do find his booklet, Taking The Kid Gloves
Off Astrology, Clancy Publications, Inc. Tucson, Arizona, 1955, 1956,
1975
* * *


From Garth Allen's "Your Corner," American Astrology 6/1959

TOUCHES OF VENUS...

One of those little coincidences that evoke a "Well, whaddya know!"
was the sudden shoot to the top of the best selling list by a
phonograph record called Venus. The song zoomed from apparently out of
nowhere to be Number One on "Your Hit parade: the third week of its
popularity. On the music industry's scoreboard of standings Frankie
Avalon's serenade to "Venus, goddess of love...." under the Chancellor
label, ranked 14th on the top-twenty list of record sales during the
week ending February 28th this year. The following week Venus was in
6th place, on her way to the top of the heap by March 14th. Weekend
newspapers all carried reports about the success story of this love
song, with headlines varying on the theme of the N.Y. World Telegram's
"Frankie Avalon Makes 'Venus' a Queen."
And why shouldn't Venus be made a queen the week her planetary
namesake was on her throne in the heavens--the 27th degree of the
constellation Pisces? The planet Venus entered sidereal Pisces, her
classical starfield of exaltation, on February 19th, when the recording
Venus just happened to be put on the market. At the rate of about one
decanate per eight days, Venus reached her traditional "throne degree"
on March 12th, coincidental with the song's deserved publicity. It is
the sort of minor incident in the passing parade of events in the world
around us that makes an astrological student pause to ponder the
question of the literalness of planetary symbolism on the 'collective
unconscious mind: or what some call mass psychology. There are always
unanswerables, among them in this connection the question of whether
the song could have become so big a hit so fast, had it been released
and plugged by disc jockeys during some other time of the year, when
Venus was not in any kind of essential dignity.

On An Art Kick
A personal experience under this same most recent enthronement of
Venus in the sky put yours truly in a very Venussy mood, though it was
not until the day after the binge had consummated itself that I
realized I had personally reacted to her sidereal coronation. On the
way home from work Wednesday evening, March 11th, during the Moon's
occultation of Venus, I was attracted to a gift-shop window which
displayed attractive plaster-of-Paris miniature reproductions of
familiar Greek, Michelangelo and Rodin sculpture. Most prominent
figure in the display: a 20-inch Venus de Milo, resplendent as an
alabaster hen mothering her brood of Davids and Dianes, Apollos and
assorted nymphs.
Completely unaware at the time that I was ripe for this sort of
thing, since the Venus occultation was square my natal Jupiter and
Jupiter currently was closely opposing my natal Venus, on arriving home
I couldn't get over the compulsion to rid my living room of the bric-a-
brac, antique plates and ceramic figurines that cluttered the
knickknack shelves, coffee table and television top. Venus would be
a superb solitary piece, there on the TV, and The Thinker (in fact,
anything) would surely be a big improvement over the yawning polka-dot
rhinoceros some well-meaning relative had foisted upon me one yuletide!
There was also a stuffed baby alligator which had overstayed his
welcome as a conversation piece. Into a carton and the closet the junk
went, like a Dali version of Pandora's box. I was on an art kick. The
living room was stripped of everything save furniture, memories of a
day touring Forest Lawn's sculptural paradise keeping me enthused. If
I could minimize the show of callipygian and mammiferous wonders among
my selections, so as not to offend the priggier of infrequent visitors,
I could tastefully adorn my quarters with objets de'art having a white
marble look at white chalk prices.
The next day when Venus was exactly on her heavenly throne, that
precious 27th degree of Pisces, I made my first purchases. The new
look at home was an instant success; the statuary became the only
decorative items in sight and I've been reveling psychologically in the
restful pleasantness of the change.

"Dollatry"
Having a penchant for the depth-psychology approach to appreciation
of astrological approach to appreciation of astrological experience, it
intrigued me that the gift-shop lady was unashamedly saying emotive
good-byes to the statues as she packed them gently in shredded-paper
nests. The Thinker she called "Darling: and the pillared bust was her
"Hermes, Baby!" Venus was merely "Doll" but was given a head-to-base
optical hug reminiscent of a little girl's instinctive affection for
her Raggedy Ann. A mild case of neurosis born of thwarted maternal
instinct, I decided on the spot in the usual oversimplified manner of
an amateur psychoanalyst.
But look who was talking! Before two days had passed, my household
additions had become quite personalized in their effect, almost to the
point where I was helloing and goodnighting them as though they were
friendly entities, pets or, yes, sibling substitutes. Animal pets are
taboo in my apartment building and the statuary readily filled the
vacuum I had unconsciously sensed; until only recently I had been an
inveterate pet owner. The lady in the shop, to whom the art wares had
become sentimentally intimate company during the hours of dull
business, was no nuttier than I--we were both reacting normally to the
stirrings of the Venusian ergie in our subconscious minds, stirrings
that were prompted by the presence of truly Venusian stimuli.

The Babying Urge
It seems that a large share of our "Your Powwow Corner" material is
in the nature of addenda and theme-expansions to my "Kid Gloves" series
on depth planetary symbolism run in these pages a couple or so years
back. This recent self-realization, that I was really "buying dolls"
and committing unconscious idol-worship of a sort as an aftermath, has
helped to clarify my own theory regarding Venus in the psyche.
Statistics have shown that the event of parturition, that is, child-
bearing, is primarily a Venus matter. Carry this a step farther, or
rather deeper, and we see that 'babying" in the everyday sense of
doting is equally of and through Venusian influence. Oohing tenderly
over an infant is hardly different than awing fondly over a puppy.
Even that word puppy is something to conjure with as a Venusian,
for in actuality it means "child substitute." That's why childless
adults are more apt to be animal lovers and pet owners than others, and
why an adopted dog or cat becomes virtually "like one of the family"
in most happy households, nearly on a par with the human children
themselves. In fact, etymology finds a direct common denominator
between the three words puppy, doll and child. Latin puppis is a doll
and pupus is child, from whence such words as the English puppet
(animated doll), German Puppe (doll), Dutch pop (doll) and French le
poupard (literally, babe in arms) are derived. It is certainly the
shortest of steps to find the psychological link with beautiful statues
of human forms. This urge to magically imbue infant-substitutes with
life is just another form taken by the planetary ergie in our souls
which goes ga-ga over Lassie's television litter of puppies or relishes
pictures of human babies. The Pygmalion and Pinnochio stories are key
Venusian myths, as inferred in "Kid Gloves." Office lore in the slick-
magazine field has it that the two cover themes with most sales appeal
are pictures of infants or winsome animals. Surely there is no need to
suspect having lost a few of your marbles if some piece of sculpture or
painting seems to take on an intimate living quality which you inwardly
sense as one facet of your capacity to love. You are responding whole-
somely and creatively to the Venusian ergie in your psychic make-up.
It is no accident, incidentally, that the commonest word in America
for children is "kids," and that affectionate nicknames for love
partners draw habitually upon the same motif (kitten, lamb, chick,
duckie, or just plain "baby"). Now as for idolatry or eye-dollatry
(Latin idolum and Greek eidolon, meaning image, form, apparition), one
can easily see why religious idols such as of Catholic saints, or
Buddhist incense burners, totem carving and voodoo icons, have such
magnetic impact on the people to whom they bear significance. All of
these psychological devices originate from the same ergie of the soul
that in astrology is symbolized by the planet Venus. Rites are of
Jupiter or Neptune inspiration, but the special emotional charge one
has toward an object of veneration is of Venus. If it is dear, a thing
is of the planet of love, If it is attractive, it is of the planet of
beauty. If it is companionable, it is of the planet of friendship.

The "Mother Bit"
Yet other items for this addendum to the Venus chapter of "Kind
Gloves" are contributed by no less surprising a source than Madison
Avenue. It took the probing of advertising specialists versed in
psychology to unearth this remarkable parallel: A cake is the chief
birthday symbol, and cake-baking is the most pleasurable chore in the
average woman's homemaking existence, because they sub-consciously
represent what is called "pregnancy activity." Women shoppers, it was
found, instinctively spurned the cake mixes on the market which
required only the adding of water, choosing instead the mixes to which
they have to add eggs and milk and otherwise fuss over. The ad
agencies and mix manufacturers wanted to know why, and the "depth
detectives" soon came up with the solution, having noted that an
extensive folklore had always associated female functions with the
production of goodies, in jokes, fairy tales and endless superstitions.
There is more to turning children into gingerbread and gingerbread
into children than just a bedtime story. An old-wives-tale test of
failure to conceive was to bake a cake to see if it fell or not; one of
the many superstitions surrounding the subject of menstruation is that
cake-falling is a sign of that time of the month. Another old bridal
tradition holds that a young wife cannot become pregnant until she
learns to bake a cake successfully first, and so on. The actual
process of cake-making, from the original beating of the mixture of
eggs (procreation symbols themselves), milk (maternal symbol),
shortening and other ingredients, to the steady rise of the loaf in the
oven (ovum chamber?) until ready for removal, is a psychic enactment of
the whole coitus-to-cradle saga. The decorating of the cake (its
layette, figuratively) and then its proud presentation to the family
are high points of the drama. "Sweet!" is no doubt the commonest
adjective in people's baby-admiring vocabularies, while the threat to
eat it up is probably the most endearing thing a new mother can say to
her darling creation.
It is plain to the astrologer that parturition is a Venusian
matter. Similarly, gardening, which is also classed by analysts as a
symbolic "pregnancy activity" notably popular among those past the age
or opportunity of reproduction. The planting and growing of living
things with loving care, and then to either eat or proudly display the
results, fill a psychological need that has its roots in the
procreative urge. So you see that there is a whole world of rich,
purposeful information to be explored in the fusing of astrology with
the deeper psychologies. There is so much more to understanding Venus'
function in our lives than can be appreciated by superficial
application of the keywords love, Art and Beauty, or merely consigning
that planet to rulership of things social and romantic. There is an
easy-to-comprehend, fundamental reason for the odd, at the time,
"mother bit" staged so sincerely by the lady who sold me the statues
and why their addition to my home environment took on such personal,
symbolically parental overtones in my own feelings about them.



* * *
























From Garth Allen's "Your Corner," American Astrology 12/59

REST YE MERRY!

Every Christmas season the press runs the familiar but never
tiresome stories repeating the possible origins for the legend of Santa
Claus, why we decorate trees, the nature of the original Star of the
Magi, and so forth. We all love the Yes Virginia editorial, the richly
melodious carols, the fables of littlest angels and urchins in
cathedrals, and a memory-jogging recitation of reindeer names. Even on
the most inclement days the dreariness of the sky and coldness of the
street are forgotten when the very air carries the smell, the nostalgic
feel of Christmas.
During the last half of December our parent luminary, Old Sol, is
forging his majestic way across the densest starfields of the sky--the
heart of our galaxy--in the constellation of Sagittarius, the zodiacal
regency of Jupiter. Mankind has responded to this seasonal passage by
creating the happiest holy day of them all, to be celebrated while this
Jupiterlike influence is at its crest in the world. The Christmas
spirit of the so-called Christian world is contagious and is now found
to infect whole societies and nations not classed as seekers of Those
Pearly Gates. Whether the Yuletide spirit is expressed through the
days of the Festival of Lights in the gala gift sales of a Shinto-owned
department store, or as the anniversary of the birth in Bethlehem, the
heart-warming influences of this period pervade the world and make
people show their better sides.
The "depth astrology" of this holiday season is usually overlooked
in the endless explanations we read of the evolution of Christmas
symbols. The passage of the Sun through the core of our universe--
its heart or, in truth, the womb of creation--is part and parcel of the
Christmas story itself, for it is no accident that mankind
instinctively named the galaxy just that--the Via Galactea, the Milky
Way, the Cosmic Nursing Mother.
You students of mythology, of anthropology and of occultism--any or
all--already appreciate the true meaning underlying the fact that the
Madonna figure has come, over the years, to monopolize the symbiology
of the original Christmas drama. It stems from the mystery of the
White Goddess about which much has been written in recent years, by
even Christian scholars bothered by the evolution of Mariology, by
growth of emphasis on adoration of biblical personage so secondary in
importance, originally, that the epistle-writing apostles never
referred to her. This is understandable in the light of the
patriarchal nature of the religion from which Christianity sprang to be
adopted by matriarchal civilizations. Robert Graves' monumental work
The White Goddess leaves no room for doubt about the etiology of
mother-symbol worship which explains many a seeming contradiction.
Even the words "merry" and "gala" in connection with religious
festivals in Western civilization have origins in the Madonna cult.
And after all is said and written, it all goes back to astrological
origins, to the ascendancy of the M-initialed constellation of the
Virgin at Midnight when the Savior-representing Sun is nestled against
the Breast of all creation, the Milky Way.
The modern development of the Santa Claus is also of unusual
interest because it represents a mass-psychological rejection of the
original image given us of a dwarflike St. Nick in the famous poem.
Christendom took the poem to its heart, but closed its collective ears
to the description of the imp-sized visitor and his eight tiny
reindeer. We couldn't leave the team alone either, and now there are
nine reindeer with Rudolph in the lead. All this expansive tampering
with tradition is certainly typical of Jupiter-bias! Nowadays Santa is
depicted as of generous proportions, with a rotundity of tummy and
jollity of facial features that are more in keeping with the Jupiter
stereotype than the original version.
This is a good example of how the collective human psyche responds
unconsciously to astrological pressures. There is no such thing as a
really "accidental" formation of a symbol which becomes accepted, even
if the symbol arises from what is considered an unlikely, unrelated
source. The seasonally-appearing accounts of where Santa actually
originated have unfortunately failed to take account of depth
psychology. A legend doesn't just grow from out of nowhere; it
develops within the minds and hearts of human beings and reflects
"archetypes."
The Santa Claus symbol probably arises from the same archetype
which gave rise to the legend of Prester John, a kind of Christian
Dalai Lama who was believed in the Middle ages to have his temple, his
Vatican as it were, high in the snowy mountains north of India. In
fact, it is believed that the Church in the West sent delegations to
the Oriental papacy, and Himalayan rosaries and other artifacts are
said to be proof of his one-time existence. This is all fascinating
since there is still so little difference between present-day Tibetan
religious organization and medieval Christianity. The Guru legend, in
which the Holy Teacher is characteristically to be sought out in the
snowy regions "of the North," has roots in the same archetype. The
idea of North-ness, rather than the literal geography of it all, is the
key to understanding the archetype. The Egyptians are claimed to have
used a semicircle with a tilted flagpole on it, to symbolize both
heaven and North. And in our times and climes, the personification of
goodness is none other than Santa Claus, just as white-bearded as the
fabulous Prester John, whose headquarters are also in the snowy regions
of the north--the North Pole itself.

* * *


Garth Allen, "Your Corner" - A.A. 11/59
Symbol Diving [NEPTUNE]
What planet rules skindiving? This question was thrown us by a lass
who lives on Florida strand where she has fallen in love with this
increasingly popular sport. Skindiving's adherents are now numbered in
the millions and yet, she rightly complains, she's never read a line in
any astrological magazine about it. Well, honey, you have to be a
little patient with our profession because-to-dateness has never been
our strong point.
Athletic activity as such is primarily Mars sponsored because that
planet has rulership over muscular exercise and the expenditures of
energy. But a specialized form of that expenditure, such as skin-
diving, would necessarily have a more specific planetary regency.
Racing as a sport, as also any athletic effort where speed is of the
essence, is principally under the wings of Mercury, the planetary god
of speed and courage. Then there are the status-seekers' sports which
definitely come more under Jupiter than any other planet, examples
being horsemanship, golf, boating and similar activities which (a) have
come to represent class superiority and (b) typically buy or hire
something or someone to do the really hard part, whether animal, caddy,
or Evinrude. These snob sports are not really sports at all and should
be called recreations.
As for skindiving, there are unique elements to consider. Its great
appeal is traceable in part to the other-worldness of the diver's
surroundings. Too much exposure results in the euphoria called
"rapture of the deep." which alone tells us what planet is the key. We
recall one leading newsmagazine's analysis of the chief reason for the
popularity of television's Sea Hunt--something to the effect that the
viewer is transported into an eerie but beautiful other world which
strikes a chord in the deep subconscious mind. The explanation for the
instinctive, almost hypnotic, attraction is not as far-fetched as it
might seem. One has to look beneath the surface of things to
understand the thralldom a diver feels beneath the surface of the
water. All life originated in the sea and all warmblooded animals,
including human beings, under-go a re-enactment of this feeling of
being water-borne, of being "rocked in the cradle of the deep," during
the gestation period. The unconscious memory of the blissful, detached
existence of intrauterine life has been held by prominent depth
psychologists to be the key to may of man's behaviorisms. For a brush-
up on depth symbolism, dig back to page 31 of your February 1956 issue
of this magazine; you'll find there is a lot more to the seemingly
superficial things in life than you dreamed. [see Garth Allen's Taking
the Kid Gloves Off Astrology - on Neptune]
Two of childhood's commonest fantasies are flying like a bird and
swimming underwater without breathing difficulty. These both have
roots in the unconscious longing for a restoration of paradisiacal
existence where the only restriction is the limit of one's powers of
imagination. In short, what we are driving as is the obvious Neptune
rulership of the motive, if not of the sport itself, of skindiving. To
a great degree the paraphernalia of the sport has made fulfillment of
this childhood yearning possible, a whish half-way come true.
Having been a beach resident for many years, with the seashore
virtually my front yard, I have hundreds of times slipped into the
ocean during the darkness of night for a pre-bedtime frolic, completely
alone save for "the sea around me." Not primarily to swim, but to
wallow physically and revel spiritually in mergence with what Whitman
profoundly called "my mother, the sea." Within myself I know this
exultation to be Neptune-insured. The effect is particularly
heightened to the point of psychical transfigurations should the water
be blanketed by a thick fog. Then the vestiges of ordinary existence
disappear and one is without reference points around, above or below
....and one feels himself the repository of the evolution of all life,
the archetype of everything that has or will every have form. One's
whole thinking processes change radically under such conditions.
This is way-out, real gone talk, as our young'uns might put it, but
perhaps there are a few readers who will get the general idea and sense
what is trying to be conveyed. I've often wanted to recommend
nocturnal ocean swimming in solitude and grabbed the opportunity to do
so, in some relevant context, when this question about skindiving was
raised. Everybody should try it at least once in a lifetime. Don't be
afraid of the dark, for on a moonless night the water boils with
phosphorescence and the merest flutter of your eyelids underwater sends
out cascades of luminous bubbles. It's a unique, rewarding experience
--Neptune's finest hour.
In summary, skindiving is Neptune's favorite sport and people who
cotton to this sort of thing would necessarily have a prominent natal
Neptune that is free of affliction by another malefic. An affliction
to Neptune is the earmark of a soul that is actually afraid of
spiritual discovery and cringes at the prospect of mergence with the
ocean of life and creation. Other likely features of a "born"
skindiver's horoscope would be a general impression of healthiness to
the whole layout of planets, with a robust Mars and Venus--love of
action and love of life--to make the prompting a reality.
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

Kay Cavender's PLANETARY WORDLIST

Planetary psychology is basic; it's like the 'green fuse' that
drives through the root, stem, and flower of astrology. Planetary
psychology also enters into the delineation of the star constellation
or Sidereal Zodiac which has been developed by reference to the
constellations' ruling and exalted planets. The maxim "Like planet,
like constellation" summarizes this, this of course does not apply to
the 'signs' of the Tropical or moving Zodiac.

If one describes himself or herself, or another, and listens to
others describe the same person, very often the same or similar words
may be used to describe one's most obvious characteristics or
qualities. Those qualities will often be indicated in astrology by the
angular planets or those planets strongly aspecting one's lights.

In this wordlist, there is an implied sense of understanding
'forest by counting trees'--that by noting the kinds of words,
one can come to a sense of category. Once that leap of insight
is made, one finds the categories are not precise. A category is a
generalization to express an idea and will not always fit all
particulars. While aware of similarities in descriptive words given to
several planets, I have tried to be true to a core meaning of each
planet insofar as that is possible. That is, of the nouns, adjectives
and phrases in the planetary wordlist, some words apply to more than
one planet (such as "shock" and/or "change" for both Uranus & Pluto)
but for different reasons because the archetypes each have distinct
motives. Uranus effects change because it looks at things in a unique
way; Pluto effects change because it sometimes represents a crisis
which necessitates choice. Shock often results from abrupt change, or
in Uranus' case, just from being startlingly different.
Similarly, both Mars & Pluto have striking force: Mars for the
sheer delight in exercising prowess, but Pluto for its Kamikaze intent
to finalize any goal without considering anything but its prime
directive. Straight ahead and damn the torpedoes! Pluto might be
thought to share 'withholding tension' with Saturn: Saturn's tendency
is to withhold to the extent of concretizing even dripping water into
stone, but Pluto's tendency of withholding, after it stockpiles enough
stones, is to catapult the whole stack onto you. And so some 'words'
may just meander a bit from one category to another--as words do
anyway. Customizing the list to suit one's own understanding is a good
exercise.
As another example, Venus & Moon are both empathetic, and Neptune
also shares that, but each have a different core meaning and are
empathetic for different reasons. Venus just 'likes' others, sees the
sameness of another to himself, and is kind, but it does not generally
share the distinct intuition of the Moon and Neptune. The Moon feels
others' feelings. Neptune, by its hypersensitivity, and/or by virtue
of being able to let go of self identity like a costume and take on
another's characteristics, i.e., to 'act' like another, learns how it
feels to walk in another's shoes.
Both Jupiter & Sun tend to status and promotions. The Sun
naturally likes to be the center of any activity, while Jupiter strives
for what is best and likes the prestige as recognition. Both Sun &
Jupiter may have the very best quality shoes, but Jupiter will
likely polish his more. These two are busy walking in their own shoes
and want them to be better than anyone else's. And so on.

The planetary archetypes, as types or kinds, are often expressed in
ways and activities which are in characteristic of themselves, as
Venusian picnics and/or Martian sports competitions. Of course, while
Mars will participate in a Venus activity, Mars will do it 'his way,'
and Venus likewise. Venus will gravitate more to food, fun,
festivities, while Mars will be flexing his muscles to get a game
going. As a point of self-definition, Venus' first move is to be in
sympatico, to be 'with' another, to identify with another because sees
likeness, and truly 'likes' self and others, whereas Mars will be
'against' another and view another person as distinct from self. At
the table, Venus might serve up the chocolate mousse pie, whereas Mars
might be chopping up meat as a butcher. Just hand him the knife.
Interestingly Mars turns up in horoscopes of surgeons which only
requires a more precise anatomical sense. Mars has the ability to
objectively deal with another as meat, and appropriately so if a
surgeon, as it would not do at all to sympathize when one should cut.

While each planet has its talents and its most likely expression,
it will still be itself in uncharacteristic expressions. As for gain
or loss, one might win or lose under Jupiter cheerfully, and one might
win or lose under Saturn with less grace and more practicality and
planning. As for accumulating wealth, Jupiter parades or emulates
wealth while aware of abundance and prestige; Saturn, aware of poverty,
stockpiles wealth out of fear of a long cold winter. Thus while both
Jupiter and Saturn are aware of financial status, their motives and
expression are generally different.

Within each core planetary meaning which is 'generally' expressed
most of the time, there will be the extremes of expression which will
to a lesser degree sometimes be expressed. Given that one knows a
horoscope for a particular 'time and place' is for a man or woman, in a
particular century, in a particular culture, astrology shows the
universal (general) qualities which can be known and can be applied to
understanding character and its potential. In the astrological study
of universals as expressed through character, i.e., one's personal
limits, is the great joy of expanding one's understanding beyond the
everyday personal limits. Just as one's everyday idiosyncracies
illustrate the universals, conversely, the universals are expressed
individually and enliven the everyday with significance. A continuum.
For this astrologer, it is not in the prediction of an event that
astrology shines, but in the delineation of character as expressed in
the event, which when seen in terms of universals, indicates that there
is meaning in the universe.

Regarding one expression of URANUS, an energy concerned with
universals itself: the tendency of URANUS to be evident in engineering
charts would not be as common for women (if in the U.S.) because of
cultural restraints on women's occupations. Nor for most folk in other
cultures. One has to go to character & see the quality of mind that is
inventive & unique or even quirky. For example, perhaps in an existing
hunter-gatherer cultures, a medicine-person with Uranus strongly
emphasized may discover new herbs or new ways of using herbs. And in
that everyday perception, one sees again the universal. A Saturnine
medicine person may depend on a learned tradition of herbal cures. A
Jupiter person may heal through inspiring faith. Although
understanding more of one's own or another's character is greatly
interesting and rewarding in itself, the accompanying concept of the
universal consciousness is a even larger gift.

One must keep in mind a distinction between the person and the
horoscope. Any horoscope is comprised of only the elements of a
particular TIME and SPACE. One cannot tell if that horoscope is for an
event--as a barn raising, a new company, or an animal's birth, or a
human's birth. And, GIVEN THAT IT IS FOR A HUMAN, NEITHER CAN ONE TELL
IF THAT PERSON IS MALE OR FEMALE, GENIUS OR IDIOT, SAINT OR SINNER.
The intent is in the person; the horoscope shows only the kinds of
archetypal talents that a person will use for accomplishing his or her
purposes. The person is not known; the archetype is. Nor can it be
known what will happen to a person with any certitude, just the
characteristic energy that a person will have at a particular time.

I do always emphasize that no archetype is good or bad in itself.
People have known before Shakespeare that the virtue or fault is in
ourselves, not in our stars. Within each planetary archetype of
qualites 'generally' expressed most of the time, there is the key to
the extremes of expression which will be, to a lesser degree,
expressed. In terms of Venus being the "yes-man" and Mars being the
"no-man," a Mars person will be more inclined to temper and physical
violence as an extreme because its province is physical prowess and
strength, and Venus will be more inclined to sensuality and dalliance
as an extreme because its province is congenial negotiation. On the
other hand, with a strong Venus one can kill sweetly with poisoned
chocolates, and you are just as dead as if with Saturn&Mars, another
chops you up into little pieces with a meat hatchet. The intent and
choice is in the person. The person's good or bad character, intent or
choice is not shown astrologically; the archetypal quality is.

Each archetype has in its virtue the seed of its vice, and likewise
in the vice the seed of its virtue; both virtue and vice, as we think
of them, are the expressions of a principle. For instance,
Michelangelo, (Sun in starfield PISCES for creative imagination) saw in
a block of stone the form of David and hewed it out. And yet, PIS/NEP
folk are often accused of seeing things that aren't there. An actor by
virtue of Neptune conveys a truth through illusion, and yet Neptunians
are accused of unreal feelings. PARADOX is a key here. If a talent is
strong, it will be more of an asset and more of a liability, both
simultaneously! Within each planetary expression, there is that
seeming vice-virtue continuum; it manifests as a PARADOXICAL expression
of the principle in each archetype. For instance, for MERCURY, a
youthful playfulness can also be expressed as gamesmanship; quick
intellect can be virtuoso trickery. VENUS' loving sociability can be
spineless compromising. The MOON's empathy and emotional support--
emotional dependence. MARS' bravery--brutality. JUPITER's choice of
the best positive outlook--selective snobbery. SATURN's conservatism--
blockage. URANUS' individuality & creativity--eccentricity &
nuttiness. NEPTUNE's ultra sensitivity--spacecase foolishness.
PLUTO's laser focus--fundamental radicalism.

To repeat a first and final philosophic point, one cannot remind
himself enough that no archetype is good or bad in itself, that humans
live in the whole spectrum at once. As a corollary to that premise,
I want to address the bugaboo of "prediction," which for many people
and astrologers defines whether an astrologer or astrology is valid.
All too many astrologers fall into the ego-trap of pitting their
ability as an astrologer on trying to "predict" events for folk which
are desired or not according to perceived 'goodness or badness.' Many
astrologers are psychic and, however impeded or aided by symbols
systems, can often sense situations for other folk. When they are
"wrong," does that disprove them as an astrologer? Yes, if that's the
limit of what they think astrology is. But that view does not allow
for choice and our ability to change events in our lives, which we do
daily, partially if we heed forewarnings, which are primarily our own
commonsense awareness of so simple a thing as applying brakes when we
see a "danger" sign on the highway.

One virtue of a prediction is in the option to change the predicted
outcome, thus seemingly invalidating the prediction. Dealing with our
own nature is not as easy as reading an external sign, oftentimes we
need the help of friends and counselers with perception. But in the
final summation, we each individually still have to become aware of the
implication of our actions and choose to accept that or to to change.
Accepting someone else's pronouncement on one's own life as a fact
accomplished without taking personal responsibility is also a choice;
that is, telling ourselves we have no choice is a choice, and an
irresponsible one.

In accord with the necessary general nature of the archetypes
because they are universals, and with a preferred focus on the inner
nature of a person or event, in a delineation it would be stupid to try
to predict/name the event as if that were already written. Events
depend on an individual's choice which can and does - cause, change,
prevent and/or affirm events. Such expectation for prediction
pressures an astrologer to be all-knowing and totally disregards
commonplace observation of people's ability to change their lives. So
following my philosophy, should this section be bare? What can be
known about future events? If a Mars Transit occurs (to one's lights
and/or natal or locational angles), is this a terrible indication of
aggressive energy resulting in anger or accidents? For an athlete, it
might be devoutly hoped and prayed for, and at the Olympics may result
in crowning glory. It is in an individual's use of Mars energy which
indicates whether he be trophy winner or trophy, hero or bully.

Whereas a Venus Transit, thought to be "benefic," may only result
in a nice time at the Olympics. Generally one can find if there will
be, figuratively speaking, cloudy, or stormy energy, or sunshine to
come. Given that, one can plan a picnic or sandbag one's psyche. But
to say a literal picnic is forthcoming under Venus is to misinterpret;
better to say that the genial Venusian feeling which finds expression
in picnics (or other parties and social connections) is forthcoming.
This is distinct from psychic attunement which picks up on another's
thoughts and plans regardless of astrology.

What can be calculated in time and space is the kind of energy
available to an individual at a particular time and space. To know
this is to enter into a positive and conscious personal witness and
living of archetypal energy. To place yourself in attunement with
universal energy is a very different focus. But this understanding,
wonderful as it is, requires that an astrologer direct a "client" in
the study of energies rather than telling him or her what will happen
or what he should do. Not many pay for a tutor, they want a reading as
to what 'will' happen to them. Re-education is necessary in all facets
of life. This is an unpopular view, of course, but a necessary one if
astrology is to be understood at all. We should cultivate at least the
minimum respect which does not demand that the Mystery of the universe
conform to our understanding of it. This is Celestial, Stardust Stuff
that we are all made of--afterall.
******************


____________________________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------------------------


PLANETARY KEY WORD LIST
Compiled by Kay Cavender


Note: Compiled with strong emphasis on the writings of Cyril Fagan,
the Founder of Western Sidereal Astrology, and his contemporaries Garth
Allen and Rupert Gleadow.


SUN: [Religious expression: Monotheism, 'Heliolatry']
Identity, 'I Am' consciousness, character, integrity, presence,
autonomy, ego, personhood, centeredness, spirit, heart, vital
principle, nucleus, volition, acts of self, values, purpose,
achievement, pride, self-reliance, self-esteem, self-possession,
self-assurance, self-actualization,
Further described as or expressed in: clarity of outlook,
confidence, leadership or authority, dominance, self-interest, self-
assertion, self-aggrandizement, showmanship; a quest for supremacy or
recognition or honor & fame, or for glory & renown; goal-oriented,
imperious, ego-centered, yet can be genuine & authentic. These are
precisely the qualities required in a leader, knowing what to do
without thinking about it or questioning oneself.
Negative expression (or failure of virtue /or exaggeration of
virtue): egocentric, selfish, bombastic, pretentious, insensitive to
others, unsympathetic, opinionated. Hubris. These all can result from
excessive self confidence. Angular sun folk do not tend to be very
self-critical or analytic, unless other aspects so indicate.

PARADOX: centeredness vs. selfishness & egotism.
Slang Readout: an ego-tripper, has it together, naturally
gravitates front & center stage, lord & master stuff, full of himself,
glory-hound,



MOON [Religious expression: Polytheism, Pantheism]
(Moon/Yin - Sun/Yang polarity of self) If this analogy is
accepted, one must remember that the Earth and Moon are almost a double
planet as they move about a mutual center, that the Moon is the pulse
of the Earth, and that the Earth shares the Yin quality of the Moon in
distinction from the Sun.
Feelings, emotions, psyche, soul, memory, habits, intuition,
senses, sensations, sensuality, sensitivity, subconscious behavior or
associations or mannerisms, idiosyncracies, subjective processes,
sensitivity as gut instincts, psychism, perception of emotional
motivation, moods, responses or involuntary action, reactions (rather
than actions), responsiveness, tastes, sensual desires, appetites,
Further described as: impressionable, empathetic, cuddling or
caressing impulses, compliant, identification with others, "other"-
oriented as opposed to self-oriented, says "we or you" rather than "I,"
personal approach, emotional interactions, susceptible, easygoing,
signified by desire, mediumism, a "touch-feel" orientation, reflective,
self-conscious, self-aware, fluctuating or changing moods - because the
Moon is attuned to moods which change. The Moon and Neptune are the
two most intuitive and psychic forces.
Negative expression: lack of objectivity, easily influenced,
moody, weight gain, keyed to & influenced by other's opinions &
feelings (also a virtue in another light), lives on gossip,
PARADOX: unselfish deference for & responsiveness to other people
vs. emotional dependence and self-indulgence.
Slang Readout: likes to be one of the gang, the common touch,
touchy-feely, folksy, organic, natural,



MERCURY: [Agnosticism, Eclecticism, more Philosophic than religious]
Mental Activity: logic, reason, objective thinking; the ability to
handle symbols, to focus thought, observe, assess, learn, perceive,
concentrate & memorize; thought communication as style or technique of
expression; intellect rather than intelligence, repertoire rather than
originality, words rather than concepts; particular, analytical,
logical, agnostic; adaptability, adroitness, dexterity, and handiness
of both mind & body. Mercury gives information and communication
experts.
Also described as: quick-witted, clever, sensible planning,
inquisitive, physical agility, quick physical movement (especially in
sports which require speed & flexibility), nimble in mind and body,
educability/mental organization, acquisitive (hence, shrewd in business
dealings), comprehending & coping with environment - hence, journeys,
conveyances, travel; youthful intentness and playfulness, Peter Pan
appeal, uses catch phrases or slang, sleight-of-hand (or mind)
performances, "in"-thinking, gaming, sporting, popular, variety-as-the-
spice-of-life, versatile, jack-of-all-trades, glib, chatty, charming,
sometimes irreverent, playful,
Expressed as: mental activity as in learning, reading, writing,
journalism, verbalization, speech, conversation, gesticulation,
grammatical manipulation & precision, social intercourse, calculation,
rationalization, debating, advertising gimmics, persuasion, business
affairs, messages & correspondence, exchange of information, busyness,
study, news, publishing & commercial procedures; anything of a
documentary nature, specification, diagrams, schematics, blueprints,
outlines, details; parliamentary procedures,
Negative expression: often excessive nervousness, smoking drinking
or alcoholism; twitchy, hypersensitive to pain, squirrelly,
superficial, fickle, seemingly without honor, selfish, manipulative,
immature, lacks emotional depth, finicky, cruel because of a strictly
mental bias,
PARADOX: mental/intellect vs. superficiality of thought without
emotional depth or empathy. While best at Creative Play as all Life's
a Game to the Mercurial-minded, such folk who view life primarily
mentally and without empathy can be cruel. The charming playfulness of
a cat toying with a mouse is not enjoyable to the mouse.
The Mercurial energy, as the 'young generation,' is particularly
apt at clever, slang expressions: in the know, snaps to it, trippy,
kicky, swinging, with it, pop, mod, in the swing, handling it, dealing!
awesome,--whatever is the current slang. (This list is old. Teenagers
should be consulted as to what's currently 'in.')



VENUS [Love]
Love. According to Fagan: "love" defined by Christ's words, "Men
will know you are my disciples if you love one another." According to
G. Allen, true religion (as opposed to Jupiterian hierarchies or
Neptunian cultism) - kindness, mercy, affinity, finesse, attraction,
appreciation, affection, acceptance, harmony, refinement, peacefulness,
comparisons, compromise, comfort, peace-loving, cooperation, affinity,
beauty, loveliness, simplicity, similarity, resemblance, congeniality,
graciousness, benevolence, an active sympathy as opposed to the empathy
of the Moon, tender, gentle, non-judgmental, sentimental,
Expressed as: sensuousness, pleasing sensations, charm, grace,
sweetness, politeness, loving, social, easy-going, friendships,
romance, intimacy, surrender, reverie, momentos, fondness, socially
expressed in the ceremony of marriage rather than the consummation,
relaxation, enjoyment tranquility, person-to-person contact, fond
names, pleasure, artistry, entertainment; persons with a strong Venus
are widely popular, everyone's "sweetheart." Venus, the Moon, and
Neptune each give a kind of relatedness to others because of lack of
focus on self.
Negative expression: narcissism, vain, lazy, indulgent, placid,
sentimental, avoids confrontations, compromising, gutless,
indiscriminate, asskissers. A Plutonian would say in criticism of a
Venusian that if you like everyone, you have no discrimination.
PARADOX: indiscriminate vs non-judgmental; self-indulgence &
compliance vs loving sociability.
Slang readout: mellow, the doves of the zodiac, the yes-sayers--
they have a good word for everyone, the smilers, the 'have-a-good-day'
sayers, the sweethearts, the Barbie dolls and nice guys, the glue of
society, the peacemakers,



MARS [Mythriaism, Olympics]
Sheer Energy! Courage, strength, valor, ardor, exertion, defiance,
competition, challenge, muscle, effort, stamina, zeal, aggression,
exertion; physical intelligence: phallus awareness, prowess, generative
power, adrenal glands & adrenalin, virility, precipitate action,
Expressed as: athletics, manual work, mechanical ability, sex as
lust or passion, lecherous, sexuality as opposed to sensuality,
impatient, dare-devilish, boisterous, outspoken, exulting in conflict,
combative, assertive, testy, short-tempered, argumentative, courageous,
headstrong, irritable, brash, rough, openhanded, vigorous, daring,
overhasty, rash, impulsive, immodest, bold, may excel in satire
(usually a literary attack as Twain & Swift as Scorpio Sun natives)
Negative expression: anger, recklessness, uncouth, crude & vulgar,
profane, profanity, untidy, predatory, sadistic, & spartan, cruel,
opportunistic, selfish, bully, defiant, hostile, uses more 4 lettered
words than any other planet, thinks dirty talk is a turn-on.
PARADOX: hero vs. bully; strength & courage vs. aggression &
anger; passion vs. lust;
Slang readout: feisty, hell-kicking, mucho macho Big Jock types,
(note many slang terms such as "heat" or "hot" for passion), puts all
its cards on the table, out front, a go-getter, "NO"-men, the hawks of
the zodiac, hammer & tongs approach, "Slam, bam, thank-you mam"
approach.




JUPITER [The Leap Unto Faith]
[Ecclesiastic Hierarchies, Orthodoxies]
Quality, improvement, good faith, good will, good cheer, piety,
increase, expansion, extension, hope for future, aspiration,
deification, abundance, status, prestige, reputation, (all these
particularly in a social context and/or government as in law or
ministry), orthodoxy, esteem, approval, excellence, the best, the good,
fairness & justice, the leap unto faith, musical & artistic
appreciation, fortune, title, ceremony, honors, prizes, plenty,
prosperity, the grand & the great, gain, help, success, opulence or
progressiveness. Like Leo, Satittarius/Jupiter is fond of pomp and
circumstance. Amulets, emblems, insignia, badges, diplomas, degrees,
uniforms, religious medallions, coats of arms, mascots, trophies,
birthstones, pedigrees, the silver platter, robes of royalty.
Described as: cheerfulness, hopeful expectation, confident
anticipation, optimism, outgoing, exuberant, lavishness, extravagant,
philanthropic, generous, enthusiastic, positive thinking, ritualistic,
aspiring, religious (faith, hope & charity), lucky, humor as jollity,
effusive, enobling, preserving, healing, protecting, high-minded, law-
abiding, respectable, conformist, orthodox, cultural, classical, &
socially distinguished, pronounced sense of right & wrong, celebration
and rejoicing, raises, praises, promotions,
Negative expression: In order to choose the best, one must
discriminate: status-seeking, discrimination, intolerance, judgmental,
exclusiveness, class-conscious, segregation, racial purity, pompous,
ostentatious, pride, hauteur, snobbery in contrast to justice &
aspiration; gambling (chance) in contrast to faith (order), utopian
complexes,
PARADOX: prejudiced, snobbish & judgemental vs. justice
Slang readout: high, lucky, feeling up, top of the world, tops,
upwardly mobile YUPPIES, do-gooders, Bible-totters,



SATURN [Middle Way, Stoicism, Traditionalist, Pragmatism]
Limits, contraction, crystalization, consolidation, framework,
construction, structure, substantiality, solidity, skeleton, pattern,
gravity, concentration, compression, seriousness, discipline, rigidity,
resistance; inertia, resolution, self-sufficiency, maturity,
responsibility, practicality, sternness, exactitude, guardedness,
restraint; Time, Karma, longevity; restriction, brevity, economy,
frugality, faith as perseverance, duty. Saturn loves history and
tradition.
Expressed as: self-denial, labor as value, work ethic oriented,
hard-working, frugal, conservative, self-preservation; law as rules,
taboos, regulations, boundaries, orderliness; science as academics,
formalized, sceptical, logical, controlled sense of loneliness or
nothingness; calm, cautious, persistent, long-suffering, severe,
pessimistic, reserved, monkish; A saving grace, Saturn's dry wit - one
liners in particular (as Ben Franklin's epigrams), often deadpan
attitude;
Negative expression: sense of inferiority, faults, mistakes, &
weakness, disappointment, melancholy, loneliness, discomfiture, regret,
stubbornness, obstinacy, jealousy, covetousness, suspicion, resentment,
depression, repression & anal-retentive, grim, brooding, slave driving,
miserly, greedy; fear, guilt, hate, malice, coldness, deformity,
grotesque, dark, funereal, morbid, penalizing, burdens, worry, lack,
want, deprivation, sacrifice, isolation or retreat, feelings of
restriction, constraint, sadness, moroseness, boredom, stagnation,
An essential PARADOX inherent in this vibration: emptiness vs.
form; a sense of one's limits - one's inferiority vs. maturity;
Slang: down, bummer, tight, straight, stingy, boils it down, being
put upon or put down, gets the short end of the stick, does it by the
book, hidebound, poverty complex, anal-retentive, Scrooged! Icabod
Crane types.

After Saturn which defines limits in a most physical sense, one
encounters the forces called Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, each of which
in their own way take one beyond physical limits.



URANUS: [Democractic, Progressive, Revolutionary, Universalist]
Change, Discovery (self & otherwise). Uniqueness. Individuality,
originality, distinctiveness, unusualness, invention, turnabout of old,
revolution, or conversion, escape from boredom, awakening, the
breakthrough, progress through shock, birth trauma, renewal, new,
modernization, renovation, innovation, improvisation, emancipation,
liberation, unexpected, suddenness, excitement, re-orientation,
experiment, science in the sense of discovery, cyclic motion, movement,
short-cuts, ingenuity, eccentricity, oddity,
Described as: colorful, electric, mentally creative, stimulating,
exciting, urge to be free, to move, to change, or to travel;
wanderlust, restlessness, impersonal, adventuresome, thrilling,
charismatic, unconventional, unexpected, incredible, surprising,
clownish, shocking, progressive, ultra-modern, rapid-thinking,
breakthroughs, in the vanguard, organizational ability of masses,
phenomenal, distinctiveness, futuristic, scintillating, break from
humdrum, onslaught of reality, existential (here and now), a pragmatic
sense of the relativeness of truth, ZEST, god's gift to mankind
complex; known for zany wit and quips, especially puns;
Expressed as: inventions as labor-saving devices, computers,
electricity, electronics,
Negative expression: irresponsible, wasteful, uncaring,
undependable, unpredictable, emergency, shock, deviation, erratic,
eccentric, disturbing, uncertainties, spasmodic, strange, unwillingness
to be pinned to a schedule, wayward, willful, outlandish, rebellious,
upsidedown way of seeing things,
Essential PARADOX: Individuality vs Universality (understands the
commonality of all people. Promotes civil rights while maintaining the
distinctiveness of each individual.) Freedom vs Responsibility.
Totally selfish, uncaring & irresponsible to others while maintaining
his own individual rights & the common good. Everyone's equal, but not
equal to Uranus who is so-o-o individual!
Slang Readout: zany, far out! flash! eureka! bolt out of the blue!
off the wall (Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, David Letterman), weird, the
wild card in the deck.



NEPTUNE [Mystic, Visionary, Nirvanism, Cultism]
(With Neptune, all categories break down & run together)
Creative Imagination. Intuition. Imagery, subtlety, mystery, idealism,
mysticism, visionary, looking beyond appearances, otherworldly,
psychism, humility, clairvoyance, ecstasy, bliss, illusion, delusion,
imitation; oftentimes has a Photographic Memory and can recall the most
extreme complexities, intricacies, and subtleties; schemes, scams,
ignominious, plots, pseudonyms, intrigues, confidences, elusiveness,
vapor, veiled, fancy, daydream, indefinable, fantasy, fascination,
absorption, involvement, drama, theatrical, excitable, pretense,
fiction, Land of the Fairy, exaggeration, humility, resignation,
fervent feelings, nervous tension; the perception that there are no
separate selves but One Self - ability to identify with almost anyone
else, hence no boundaries, & yet compassion & empathy through
imagination; ability to blend with the universe; chameleon
changeability, wide-tuning frequency, acting ability (can become what
they can imagine), excels at disguise & mimicry, merging of identities,
parasite motif, spiritism, wears an effulgent aura & totes a halo;
impressionism & lyricism, & mysticism, visions & visitations, hypnosis,
narcosis, complexes;
Described as: [Common symbols according to G. Allen: sea,
Madonna, silver cord, clouds, sleep] mysterious, transcendental,
merging of identities, visions & visitations, intoxication, the River
Lethe, Shangri-la ideologies, niavity, puzzlement, wistful,
hypersensitivity of supersensitivity, vulnerability, humility,
stagestruck or stagefright, emotional agitation, apprehension, anxiety,
panic & mass hysteria, paroxysms of desire, insecurity & fearfulness,
nebulous, obscure, mysterious, transcendental, cloudy, parasite motif,
Negative expression: mental fog, haze, confusion, vagueness,
compulsion, bondage, gullibility, complexes, escapism - through drugs
or alcohol, or fantasy; lack of self-definition, victimization,
despair, resignation, thralldom, vampirization, inadequacy, frantic
need to be revved up, humiliation, embarrassment, apprehension,
anxiety, makes excuses or lies, cannot tell fantasy from reality or
fact from fiction, etc. self-effacing, bohemian, paranoia, drugs,
withdrawal, defeatism, frustration, melodramatic, foolishness, naivety,
inadequacy & self-consciousness, feels drained, or futile, any extreme
& unreal emotion. This adds up to total impracticality and
unreliablity. These result from having no self-definity, which is also
Neptune's great asset, which allows it great compassion in being able
to totally relinquish self and merge with another.
Essential PARADOX: non-self vs transcendental unity (the ability
to loose self and identify with anyone or anything else); confusion vs
insight, delusion vs vision; Fantasy vs faith; totally impractical
because Neptune can so identify with another that he forgets self to
the exclusion of any discrimination, thus aiding his own victimization.
Neptune is for the inner world.
Slang Readout: floating, spaced out, space case, head in clouds,
chameleons, copy-cats, naval gazing, nirvana complex, the guilties,



PLUTO [Extra-Terrestrial vs Autocracy]
[Paradox, Beyond categories, Beyond one's ken, Beyond Beyond!]

Pluto is like a laser, whatever it aspects, it brings into extreme
focus and intensifies and exaggerates that energy. Keywords have to do
with choice; confrontation with the eternal Now and Thou, Mystery of
Being; genesis, the mystery of conception, the inexplicable,
miraculous, Protean, birth and death, the most intensely personal and
intimate of forces and the most inexplicable, a singling-out motif
(whereas, according to Allen, Neptune stands for mass awareness, and
humanity at large); a defier of odds - Pluto simply does not recognize
impossibility and so accomplishes the impossible; an isolator of one in
a million; makes it's own rules, the will to power, internal force to
overcome, kamikaze thrust or purpose, DETACHMENT, aloneness,
singularity, dogmatic, autocratic, dictatorial, drastic, independent,
austere, forbidding, bizarre, genius, one-on-one focus, ability to
symbolize, significator of paradox & irony, amusement at incongruity,
integration/disintegration, radical self-reconfiguration (if your left
hand offends, cut it off), the revealer or exposer.
Described as: a bad mixer, the ultimate outsider, rebellious,
anti-social, judgmental, critical, confrontational, lone-wolf,
detached, shy, reserved, diffident, remote, inscrutable, iconoclast,
misanthropic, aloof, wishes to avoid the "rest of the fools"; self-
taught, disdain for law, distaste of protocol & ceremony, cynical, all-
or-nothing extremist, fanatical, unbending, autocratic - a rule unto
one's self, arrogant, prideful, uncooperative, no circumlocution, goes
straight to the point, no compromise, (straight ahead and damn the
torpedoes!), nothing hesitant or spurious in decisions, nirvana now!
swift & conclusive decisions (whose reverse side is secrecy, evasion--
an essential paradox); establishes dramatic precedents, drive,
manipulation (personal & political), Machiavellian, Count Dracula
appearance-partings, abrupt, mad, ALIEN,

Further expressed as: Crisis, firsts, miracles (or coincidences),
Fate; freakish, impossible UNcommunicable experience - thus secrecy;
the incredible, awe inspiring, from faith healing to uncanny rescue
beyond all hope, feats of an almost supernatural nature, "dark horse"
winners, coups to coronations, freak accidents, encounters of the 3rd
kind, life's wages, cosmic consciousness, face-to-face with self,
endings and beginnings, absolute judgement (if your right hand offends
you, cut it off!); bottom-line summations, the ugly truth, coercion,
finalities, final judgments as in crossing the River Styx, feeling at
the mercy of forces beyond mortal ken, standing on brink of eternity,
temporary detachment from phenomenal world, & yet perspective and
judgement of that world; separation, dismissal, retirement, departure,
quitting, farewells, loss or death of loved one, losses, silence,
isolation, solitude,
According to G. Allen: completely amoral - found in charts of
saints or murderers, fusion of action & response, choosing & being
chosen (confrontation with God), I-Thou experience (Buber) and ensuing
dialogue & spiritual wrestling match with God. "Why God is this?"
questioning, resurrection theme, transformation, renaissance, Easter
Saga - "that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die";
standing on threshold of time and existence alone, fated.... Thus,
categories of positive vs negative expression are blown apart with the
intensity of this energy. The mythology of the Threshold, Gateway, and
Guardian are even named by Charon, Lethe, & Pluto as the edge of our
known world.
Netative Expression: the mal-contents, extremists, radicals,
disaffected & judgemental, the crazies, the mad the denied, the rebels
with or without a cause, the alienated, the alien. Perceived as
outside of the rules.
ESSENTIAL PARADOX: Pluto would seem to be the prime significator
of Paradox itself at best, and that which is indefinable in general.
It's essence is that it often exbodies extreme opposites at once.
Rules do not apply to that which is Alien. Forthright Decision versus
Secrecy; CONFRONTATION versus DETACHMENT; Revealer versus Evader
(revelation cannot be explained or given); Judgement versus non-
judgment (For instance, a central problem of the Christian ethic: to
not throw pearls before swine requires judgement of neighbors as swine,
while at the same time not judging--except by "righteous" judgment);
Slang readout: calls it like it is (i.e. judges), put up or shut
up! bottom line! Straight ahead & damn the torpedoes; puts all eggs
in one basket, Kamikaze drive, whole hog-or-none attitude, ONE WAY!
MY WAY! extremist, trail by fire, getting at the one kernel of truth
from out a granary, right on! gives the shaft! cuts loose! off in no
man's land! a Phoenix trip!
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

Zodiacal and Extra-Zodiacal
FIXED STARS IN THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC
- With Colors -

Compiled by Kay Cavender



Cyril Fagan's Lists in OMEGA EPHEMERIS
Cyril Fagan's SYMBOLISM OF THE STAR CONSTELLATIONS
Vivian Robsons' FIXED STARS & CONSTELLATIONS IN ASTROLOGY
Neil F. Michelson's AMERICAN SIDEREAL EPHEMERIS
Richard Hinckley Allen's STAR NAMES THEIR LORE AND MEANING
SKYGLOBE (Apparent) Magnitudes Epoch 2000

[1st Magnitude Stars in caps; brightest = lowest number]

For delineating stars in astrology, color--the scientific basis
of categorizing stars--is also the primary key to their psychological
impact. Because color is implicit in our everyday visual perception and
experience of the world, the general meaning of color is universal.
That is, color is involved in the very nature of our being, though not
overtly shown, expressed, or realized.
The below Star List includes <1> the colors of stars given by R. H.
Allen, <2> the spectral type according to the Harvard Classification,
<3> the apparent magnitude (or brightness), <4> the Greek alphabet star
designation within its constellation, and <5> the ecliptic longitude &
latitude position in the Sidereal or Star Constellation Zodiac. This
list is a short version, duplicated in the file STARNAMES with
mythological names and titles.
Color is linked to emotion in our language and thought. We respond
to colors psychologically--many people have felt blue, or been in the
pink, turned green, blacked out, and seen red. Although there are
psychological guidelines for color meaning in general, we intuitively
know that a change in the shade of a color also changes its meaning.
Fresh, invigorating spring green is not the rich, harmonizing, and
comforting green of summer. The green of nature is not the green of
envy. The vital, invigorating red of blood is not the red of anger.
The inspirational blue of the sky is not the blue of depression.
Because many intuitively understand and agree on color meaning in
general, then individual association, experience, and study make color
interpretation even richer.
Color affects us profoundly on several levels. Studies on light
and color indicate we respond to colors not only psychologically, but
physiologically as well--our eyes respond differently to different
colors as to different light conditions. Although many intuitively know
that we respond on an emotional level to color and that color can help
us feel better, researchers have pursued the effect of color on healing
in clinical settings. Books on color are available from different
viewpoints and disciplines. However, it is a premise of both scientists
and astrologers, however differently or similarly defined, that light is
a force which makes life possible. In origin, color is a vibratory form
of the chemical and electromagnetic potency of stars. Light and color
affect our very life processes which manifest in our psychology. Light
comes to us first from our own star, the Sun, and then from other stars.
It is this astrologer's strong conviction that to get a feeling for
a star's color, one must locate and look at the star, outside at night.
Because the colors of stars are perceived in the light spectrum as
lighted color rather than as pigments, one's sense of their colors is
first felt deeper than any conscious meaning, which can then be
identified by a study of color. Despite reports in astrological
literature of evil stars, our certain experience of stars is of their
beauty. Since all stars do not have solar systems which support life,
it may be that the strobing, variable energy of some are too intense to
support life as we know it. But rather than lugubrious imaginings of
energy inimical to life, let the stars' easily seen lighted beauty and
pure color be our first inspiration. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in
our stars that we err, but in ourselves." No one has said that more
succinctly than Shakespeare. For millennia the stars have been lighted
beacons evoking our human response to their beauty, drawing us out of
the dark night of ourselves to connect with the universe. This is a
wonder if not a truth. This approach certainly includes other
perspectives, and specifically the scientific one.
The section MORE APPENDICES at the end has a smattering of select
ideas on the related vibratory frequencies of Color, Sound, & Chemical
Elements. For stars whose essence is light, it is essential to
distinguish between color relationships in the light spectrum with
primaries of RED, GREEN and VIOLET, and those more familiar color
relationships for mixing pigments with primaries of Red, Yellow and
Blue. As light spectrum primaries, Red and Violet represent the two
extremes of the light spectrum, and Green represents the middle of the
light spectrum.
Scientifically, color is the very basis for classifying and
understanding stars in terms of their physical properties. When white
light is passed through a prism, it is spread into a rainbow of colors
called the spectrum of light with color waves of different lengths.
In a spectroscope, different forms of matter give different kinds of
light, and each form of matter has a spectrum as individual as a
fingerprint. Studies of the behavior of atoms and light show that each
type of atom when heated will give off a characteristic glow consisting
of a blend of specific colors. These colors (or wave-lengths) of
emitted light are uniquely different for each element. In a similar
way, astronomers learn about the chemical make-up of stars and galaxies,
the light of which consists of many color wave-lengths blended together.
By using a prism to spread out the spectrum to study the colors present,
they can tell which elements make up the objects from which the light
came. A star's color is also related to its age, brilliancy and size.
In the Harvard Classification of the astronomical SPECTRAL TYPE or
class of stars, alphabet letters "O B A F G K M R N S" are used to
represent the main 10 distinct classes identified from their spectrum
and based on the characteristic lines and bands of chemical elements.
To aid one's memory of the spectral types, the mnemonic "Oh, Be A Fine
Girl Kiss Me Right Now, Sweetheart" can be used. The difference among
the the classes is one of temperature, which decreases from the hottest-
-the O stars with photospheres at 100,000 degrees F., to the coolest--
the N stars with photospheres at 5,000 degrees F. These are broad
categories, many stars fall in between, and each class is subdivided
into ten subsections with a numerical system or a system by letters of
the alphabet, such as O1, B5, Ma, etc. Additional classes include type
W for Wolf-Rayet stars at the blue end of the spectrum. Classes R and S
have low-temperature, very red stars. Our Sun is classed G2 (an
intermediate star of yellow color) with a photosphere temperature of
10,800 degrees F. Some authorities differ in the sub-classification of
stars.

SPECTRAL
TYPE PHOTOSPHERE TEMP. COLOR
O 100,000 deg. F. Hottest blue stars
B 45,000 " Hot blue stars
A 20,000 " White stars
F 13,000 " White to yellowish stars
G 11,000 " Yellow stars (Giant & dwarf division)
K 9,000 " Pale orange-red
M 6,000 " Orange or dull red
N 5,000 " Coolest red

Examples of the above spectral types are as follows: O - Orion's
Sword, B - Spica, Rigel, Regulus; A - Altair, Sirius Wega; F - Canopus,
Procyon, Polaris; G - Sun & Capella; K - Aldebaran, Arcturus, Pollux;
M - Betelgeuse, Antares, Mira; N - none for the naked eye.
When stars are very far away they are fainter and there is less
sensation of color. Other than distance as an obvious factor,
ultimately a star's color depends on its temperature (as do factors such
as chemistry, mass, and age). The temperature controls brightness, and
brightness is also a factor in allowing a clear color distinction. For
example, an A star is 100 times brighter than a G star, and a G star is
100 times brighter than an M star. Additionally, when visually singled
out, a star's color is subjective since it is experienced individually.
R. H. Allen's description of star colors differs in some instances from
other astronomers' color assessments.
A star's magnitude (brightness) will vary through the centuries,
but if a star is variable, its listed magnitude will vary considerably
in a shorter period. APPARENT MAGNITUDES are given in the list below.
The brightest stars have the lowest listed magnitude: Sirius (-1.5
magnitude) is the brightest star in the heavens. A star's magnitude is
2.5 times brighter than the preceding, higher number.
Astronomically rather than the visual color of the star, a numerical
measure called 'color equivalent' is used. The 'color index' is the
most common color equivalent, the difference between a star's
photographic and visual (photovisual) magnitudes. On photographic
plates, blue-white stars appear brighter than red stars, whereas in
visual magnitudes (viewed with the eye), the opposite is true.
To understand the considerable complexities of stars' interior
compositions including many other factors such as--chemistry, mass,
size, density, dimension, age, distance, motions in space, rotation,
radiation, development, evolution, etc., one should of course study star
classification. There is not only tremendous variety between stars, but
also a hierarchy of stars. Twin stars are a common occurrence. At
least one star in two belongs to a binary system, and binaries are of
several types. Many stars have more than two components and are triple
or multiple stars, and so on. Additionally there are complex systems of
galaxies which also have a hierarchy.
For ease in identification, the below list includes the most famous
ancient stars in order in the Sidereal Zodiac. Another great help is
shareware SKYGLOBE, an on-line planetarium showing the celestial sphere
anytime, anywhere.

***********************************************************************

[Jim Eshelman]

(continued)

"Ideas are like stars. You cannot succeed in touching
them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the
desert of waters, you choose them for your guide and
by following them, reach your destiny." Carl Schurtz


The GREEK ALPHABET was used to identify stars within a constellation.
The brightest was called alpha, the next brightest--beta, etc: Alpha,
Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu,
Nu, Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, Phi, Chi, Psi, Omega.

[The famous PLEIADES* Cluster of about 3000 stars includes: Fl.17
Electra 4TAU41 4n11; Fl.16 Celaeno 4TAU42 4n21; Fl.19 Taygeta 4TAU50
4n31; Fl.20 Maia 4TAU57 4n23; Fl.23 Merope 4TAU58 3n57; Asterope
(Sterope 1&2--Fl.21 & 22) 5TAU00 4n34; and Alcyone 5TAU15 4n03.]


NAME CLASS/MAG CONSTELLATION ECL-LONG ECL-LAT
**** ********* ************* ******** *******

--(near Cassiopeia's Foot at B3 3.4 epsilon CASS 00TAU02 47n32
the foundation of her Throne; near Milky Way's equator)
Algol (binary/variable, white B8 2.9 beta PERseus 01TAU26 22n26
with faint orange companion; 1st eclipsing binary star
discovered; With pi [A2 4.6], rho [MS 3.7], & omega [4.8],
beta was a separate constellation--the Medusa's Head)
--unnamed (Misam?) G8 4.0 kappa PERseus 02TAU57 26n04
--unnamed (Miram?, double, K4 3.9 eta PERseus 03TAU58 37n28
yellow-white & smalt blue; Perseid meteors of
Aug. 12, radiate N.E. of eta)
Beid (clear white) F1 4.1 omicr1 ERIdanus 04TAU42 27s27

Alcyone* (quadruple, bluish- B7 3.0 eta TAU/Pleiade 05TAU15 4n03
white; brightest of the Pleiades in Taurus)
Theemin (1 of 7) KO 3.9 upsilon2 ERI 05TAU19 51s49
Errai (yellow; pole star) K1 3.4 gamma CEPHeus 05TAU22 64n40
Keid (triple/orange & sky-blue) KO 4.5 omicron2 ERI 05TAU27 28s25
Atik (double) B1 3.8 omicron PERseus 06TAU55 12n11
[NOTE: Skyglobe incorrectly has zeta for Atik]
MIRFAK(elbow) /Algenib(side); F5 1.9 alpha PERseus 07TAU20 30n07
(creamy yellow supergiant)

Menkib O7 4.0 xi PERseus 10TAU14 14n56
Sceptrum K4 4.0 53 Eridanus 10TAU32 36s00
Hyadum I/Prima Hyadum (yellow) G9 3.9 gamma TAUrus 11TAU04 5s44
HYADES: an open cluster of 200 stars, see alpha
theta1 theta2 gamma delta & epsilon.
NOTE: Skyglobe uses standard "Hya" = for Hydra
{Water Snake}, not the Hyades in Taurus.
Hyadum II G8 3.9 delta1,2,3 TAU 12TAU08 3s58
--in Hyades (double; yellow) FO 3.6 theta2 TAUrus 13TAU13 5s45
Ain (or Northern Eye) G8 3.6 epsilon TAUrus 13TAU44 2s34

ALDEBARAN (variable, binary; KM 0.9 alpha TAUrus 15TAU03 5s28
pale rose giant, with 11.2 mag. orange dwarf companion)
--(on Lion's Skin or Shield) F8 3.3 pi3 ORIon 17TAU11 15s33

Cursa (topaz yellow) A3 2.9 beta ERIdanus 20TAU33 27s51
--(near Orion's R. Foot) B2 4.3 lambda ERI 20TAU ? 31s ?
--(on Auriga's heel) K3 2.9 iota AURiga 21TAU54 10n27
RIGEL(double, bluish & yellow- B8 1.0 beta ORIon 22TAU06 31s08
white; 7th apparent brightest & 1st most luminous)
Haedus (eclipsing binary; KB 3.9 zeta AURiga 23TAU53 18n12
variable, hot blue B star & orange giant)
Haedus II B3 3.3 eta AURiga 24TAU43 18n16
Al Maaz (eclipsing binary, A8 3-4 epsilonB AUR 24TAU ? 23n ?
supergiant A8 with invisible infared companion;
near Milky Way Center)
Nihal (double to multiple, G2 3.0 beta LEPus 24TAU56 43s54
deep yellow & blue)
BELLATRIX (pale yellow /var.) B2 1.6 gamma ORIon 26TAU13 16s49
Arneb (double/pale yellow, FO 2.7 alpha LEPus 26TAU38 41s03
gray; near Milky Way Equator; the constellation
Lepus was the Egyptian Boat of Osiris)
CAPELLA (spectroscopic binary; GG 0.1 alpha AURiga 27TAU07 22n52
yellowish-white giant)
Phact B8 2.8 alpha COLumba 27TAU26 57s23
Mintaka~(triple /brilliant O9 2.5 delta ORIon 27TAU37 23s34
white & pale violet; near Celestial Equator)
EL NATH (dble./brilliant white B7 1.7 beta TAUrus 27TAU50 5n23
giant & pale gray; Bull's N. Horn; also gamma AURiga)
--(Bright One of the Sword; O9 2.9 iota ORIon 28TAU16 29s11
triple & nebulous /white, pale blue & grape red)
--Trapezium (quadruple, pale N 4.6 theta2 ORIon 28TAU22 28s41
white; in Sword Scabbard or Dagger, near center of M42
Great Nebula--60'x66' of arc, & near M43 Orion Nebula;
Note: Saiph or `Ensis' is for eta ORIon--a triple, &
others in the Sword of Orion)
ALNILAM~ (bright white; BO 1.7 epsilon ORIon 28TAU44 24s31
Equatorial)
Meissa(dble./pale white,orange) O8 3.7 lambda ORIon 28TAU58 13s22
Crab Nebula/Tycho's Star nebula M1 TAUrus 29TAU21 1s17
(remnant of 1054 AD supernova, strong source of radio
waves & x-rays, contains a pulsar; near zeta TAU)
ALNITAK~(triple/topaz yellow, BO 1.8 zeta ORIon 29TAU57 25s18
yellow, light purple & gray; Equatorial)

[~3 BELT STARS IN ORION: point south & east to Sirius
and north & west past Aldebaran to the Pleiades]
Al Hecka (Bull's South Horn) B2 3.0 zeta TAUrus 00GEM03 2s12
Saiph (on right leg) BO 2.2 kappa ORIon 01GEM39 33s05
Wazn K1 3.2 beta COLumba 01GEM41 59s10
POLARIS (binary/ topaz yellow F8 2.0 alpha URSA MIN 03GEM50 66n06
supergiant & pale white variable; the Celestial North
Pole Star; its elevation above the horizon is equal to
the latitude of the observer; sigma OCTANS [5.8] is
nearest Celestial South Pole.
BETELGEUSE (bright orange, M2 0.1 alpha ORIon 04GEM01 16s02
erratically variable supergiant, 400x diameter of our Sun)
Menkalinan (binary, yellow) A2 1.9 beta AURiga 05GEM10 21n30

NOTE: SUMMER SOLSTICE (epoch 2000, R.A. 6h) is 5GEM16,
followed by NGC 2158 @ R.A. 6h 07m, & M35 (cluster of 500 -
600 stars) @ R.A. 6h 08m, both within about 20minutes N.
latitude from Ecliptic. Both also conjunct Solar Antapex.]

Yildun (greenish) AO 4.4 delta URSA MIN 06GEM28 69n59

[ANTAPEX OF SUN'S WAY, The Sun's Quit] 07GEM24 53s26

Tejat Prior/Propus (binary, M3 3.7 eta GEMini 08GEM42 0s53
variable; Uranus discovered near eta (nearer Gemini #1) on
3-13-1781 & was thought a star on 9-25-1756 near phi AQU)
Tejat Posterior/Dirah M3 3.2 mu GEMini 10GEM34 0s49
(double, crocus yellow & blue)
Murzim (white giant) B1 2.0 beta CANIS MAJ 12GEM27 41s16
Furid (light orange) B5 3.1 zeta CANIS MAJ 12GEM39 53s22
ALHENA (brilliant white) A1 1.9 gamma GEMini 14GEM22 6s45

Mebsuta (double /brilliant G8 3.2 epsilon GEMini 15GEM12 2n04
white & cerulean blue)
Al Zirr F5 3.4 xi GEMini 16GEM29 12n54
SIRIUS (binary /brilliant A1 -1.5 alpha CANIS MAJ 19GEM21 39s37
white & yellow; 1st brightest star; companion star "Pup"
is lst white dwarf discovered; EGYTPIAN "X" formed by
Procyon & Betelgeuse, with Sirius at the center of the X,
and Naos & Phact)

CANOPUS (cream-white FO -0.5 alpha CARina 20GEM14 75s50
supergiant; 2nd brightest)
Mekbuda (var.dble/ pale topaz) GO 3.9 zeta GEMini 20GEM15 2s03
Wasat (binary/ pale white & A8 3.5 delta GEMini 23GEM47 0s11
purple; 2-18-1930 Pluto photographed near delta
& 3-13-1930 Pluto's discovery announced)
Propus KO 3.9 iota GEMini 24GEM12 5n45
Mirza or Isis B8 4.1 gamma CANIS MAJ 24GEM52 37s59

CASTOR (triplet /bright green- AA 1.6 alpha GEMini 25GEM30 10n05
white; actually a Septuplet--each of 2 stars is a whirling
twin, with another twin in orbit around the 4 at the center)
ADHARA (double/ blue-white B1 1.5 epsil CANIS MAJ 26GEM02 51s22
giant & orange)
Gomeisa (white) B8 3.1 beta CANIS MIN 27GEM33 13s29
Muscida (double) G1 3.5 omicr URSA MAJ 28GEM16 40n14
POLLUX (yellow-orange giant) KO 1.1 beta GEMini 28GEM29 6n41
WEZEN (yellowish supergiant) G3 1.9 delta CANIS MAJ 28GEM40 48s28

PROCYON (binary/ yellow-white F5 0.4 alpha CANIS MIN 01CAN03 16s02
& yellow; equidistant from & forms TRIANGLE with
Betelgeuse & Sirius; forms right-angled Triangle with
Pollux & Betelgeuse)
Aludra (pale red) B5 2.4 eta CANIS MAJor 04CAN38 50s36
Tegmine (quadruple/ yellow, 5.6 zeta CANcer 06CAN30 2s18
orange, yellowish-changing)
Talitha (binary/ topaz yellow A5 3.1 iota URSA MAJor 08CAN04 29n34
& purple; kappa is about 2 degrees south)
Al Tarf K4 3.8 beta CANcer 09CAN31 10s18

Asmidiske (name incorrect; G6 3.5 xi PUPPIS/ARGUS 11CAN18 44s56
No.* above Stern in Aplustre)
Praesepe/Beehive Nebula C - M44 /NGC 2632 12CAN29 1n34
(90' of arc; about 150 stars)
Asellus Bor. (straw color) AO 4.7 gamma CANcer 12CAN48 3n12
Asellus Aust. (straw) KO 4.2 delta CANcer 13CAN59 0n05
Aslesha (triple; F8 3.5 epsilon HYDra 17CAN36 12s ?
Hydra's Head = delta [AO 4.2], epsion, rho [AO 4.4],
zeta [KO 3.3], eta & sigma [nose];
Curve in neck or Knot = tau1,2 & iota [KO 4.2] & A;
Ribs from kappa to beta HYD with beta Crateris)
Kochab (reddish-orange K4 2.2 beta URSA MINor 18CAN34 72n58
sub-giant; pole star)
Acubens (dble./white & red) FO 4.3 alpha CANcer 18CAN54 5s05

DUBHE (binary/ yellow & blue- KO 1.9 alpha URSA MAJ 20CAN27 49n41
white; original 7 = alpha beta gamma delta epsilon eta zeta)
--*(Lion's Nose; double/ KO 4.6 kappa LEO 21CAN ? 10n ?
yellow & blue)
Alterf* (red) K5 4.5 lambda LEO 23CAN07 7n54
Naos O5 2.3 zeta PUP/ARGUS 23CAN49 58s20
Merak/Mirak (greenish white) A1 2.4 beta URSA MAJ 24CAN42 45n08
Tania borealis A2 3.5 lambda URSA MAJ 24CAN49 29n52

Algenubi* (yellow) GOp 3.1 epsilon LEO 25CAN58 9n43
Tania australis MO 3.2 mu URSA MAJOR 26CAN30 28n59
Rasalas* (orange) K3 4.1 mu LEO 26CAN42 12n21
Pherkad A2 3.1 gamma URSA MIN 26CAN52 75n14
Subra F3 3.8 omicron LEO 29CAN30 3s45

[* The SICKLE OF LEO (Coptic title--the Forehead): kappa
(Al Minliar al Asad--Nose) not included by R.H. Allen or
Robson; lambda Alterf; epsilon Al Genubi; mu Rasalas; zeta
Adhafera; gamma Algieba; eta Al Jabhah; alpha Regulus.]

Alphard (orange giant) K3 2.0 alpha HYDra 02LEO33 22s23
--(SPECTRAL GEM/ Suhail of Oap 1.9 gamma2 VELa 02LEO37 64s28
the Oath; triple/white, greenish-white & purple; the
only conspicuous Wolf-Reyat type of a continuous
spectrum crossed with bright lines)
Adhafera/Alseraph* (multiple, FO 3.6 zeta LEO 02LEO50 11n52
with 3 companion stars)
--(unnamed) 5.2 nu LEO 02-03LEO ? 0n ?
Al Jabhah* AO 3.6 eta LEO 03LEO10 4n52
Algieba* (binary, golden- KO 2.3 gamma LEO 04LEO51 8n49
orange giant & yellow-green companion)
REGULUS* (triple/ bluish white B7 1.4 alpha LEO 05LEO06 0n28
& orange companion which itself has a companion)
Phecda (topaz yellow) AO 2.5 gamma URSA MAJ 05LEO43 47n09
Praecipua (3 companions - K2 3.9 omicron LEO MIN 06LEO09 24n55
pale grey, reddish, violet)
Megrez (pale yellow) A3 3.4 delta URSA MAJ 06LEO24 51n38
El Kophrah (red) K1 3.8 chi URSA MAJOR 08LEO56 41n32

--(unnamed) BOp 3.9 rho LEO 11LEO ? 0n ?
Alula borealis (double /orange K3 3.7 nu URSA MAJOR 11LEO55 26n09
& cerulean blue)
Alula australis (binary) GO 3.9 xi URSA MAJOR 12LEO37 24n44
Thuban (pale yellow; pole star) AO 3.5 alpha DRAco 12LEO43 66n21
ALIOTH (binary, white) AO 1.8 epsilon URSA MA 14LEO11 54n19
Al Suhail (RHA = unnamed) KA 2.2 lambda VELA/ARG 16LEO27 55s51
Zosma (triple/ pale yellow, A2 2.6 delta LEO 16LEO35 14n20
blue & yellow)
Chorton/Chertan A4 3.4 theta LEO 18LEO41 9n40
--(unnamed) FO 4.7 chi LEO 19LEO ? 1n ?

Mirak/Mizar (dble./brilliant A2 2.2 zeta URSA MAJor 20LEO57 56n23
white & pale emerald; a double-double whose 2nd component
is also a spectroscopic binary; visual binary with Alcor;
1st discovered as visual binary and as spectroscopic binary)
Alcor (silvery white) A1 4.0 80 URSA MAJor 21LEO08 56n32
Chara GO 4.3 beta CANES VEN 22LEO58 40n32
--(unnamed) AO 4.1 sigma LEO 24LEO05? 1n28?

Denebola (blue) A4 2.2 beta LEO 26LEO53 12n16
AVOIR KB 1.7 epsilon CARina 28LEO25 72s41
Alkes (orange) K1 4.2 alpha CRAter 28LEO57 22s44
--(Fl.12, double, near gamma 4.8 12 COMA BEREni 29LEO15 25n28
in Coma Cluster of 10,000 galaxies which marks the Tuft in
Lion's Tail; Fl.15--gamma [orange or amber, KO 4.6] perhaps
named Tuft; early Egyptians called the Coma Cluster `Many
Stars'; the Virgin's Distaff, Thread & Woof; Rose Wreath)
Cor Caroli (visual binary, AO 2.9 alpha CANES VEN 29LEO50 40n07
both yellow-white; on Southern Hound's colar)

[DIAMOND OF VIRGO formed of 2 triangles: an equilateral with
Denebola, Arcturus, & Spica, united at its base with a triangle
between Denebola, Arcturus & Cor Caroli (alpha Canes Venatici)]

Copula (M51 Whirlpool Nebula) 8.1 CANES VENatici 00VIR24 50n55
Labrum KO 3.8 delta CRAter 01VIR57 17s34
ALKAID/Benatnasch (blue white) B3 1.9 eta URSA MAJor 02VIR11 54n23
Zavijava (pale yellow; F8 3.8 beta VIRgo 02VIR25 0n42
Equatorial)
Markeb B3 2.6 kappa VEL/ARGO 04VIR10 63s43

GALACTIC APEX, M87, a giant elliptical galaxy, 06VIR19? 14n49?
closely marks center of Virgo Supercluster of 2500
galaxies; M87 = R.A. 12h 31m, Dec. 12n23, epoch 2000.

NORTH GALACTIC POLE of our Milky Way Galaxy- 06VIR38'01" 29n48'48"
data from Garth Allen 8/1959 & Fagan's Primer; located
mid-way between gamma & beta Coma Berenices near Fl. 31;
South G. P. once in Cetus, now in about 3-4 degrees
N.W of alpha in modern Sculptor.

Nodus I (1st Knot of 4) B5 3.1 zeta DRAco 08VIR39 84n45
Zaniah AO 4.0 eta VIRgo 09VIR47 2n04
Al Dafirah/ Fl.15 (orange) GO 4.3 beta COMA BERE 10VIR10 32n27
Aspidiske/Turais/Scutulum FO 2.3 iota CARina/ARG 10VIR36 67s06
(pale yellow; Carina [Keel] is a division of ARGO NAVIS)
Diadem F4 4.5 alpha COMA BERE 14VIR13 22n58

[FIELD OF THE NEBULAE: over 300 nebulae lie in a rude square
of Leo's Denebola and Virgo's epsilon, beta and gamma]

Vindemiatrix--the Beautiful or GG 3.0 epsilon VIRgo 15VIR12 16n12
Good Boy; (bright yellow; anciently of 1st magnitude)
Porrima/Caphir (bin., yellow- FF 2.9 gamma VIRgo 15VIR24 2n47
white with white dwarf companion; Equatorial)
Gienah B8 2.8 gamma CORvus 16VIR00 14s39
Auva (golden yellow) M3 3.7 delta VIRgo 16VIR44 08n36
Minkar K3 3.2 epsilon CORVUS 16VIR56 19s40
Alchiba (orange) F2 4.2 alpha CORvus 17VIR31 21s44
Algorab (double/ pale yellow AO 3.1 delta CORvus 18VIR43 12s12
& red-purple)

Merga (hardly visible) F4 5.8 Fl.38 BOOtes 20VIR43 57n52
Kraz G4 2.8 beta CORvus 22VIR38 18s02
Seginus A7 3.0 gamma BOOtes 22VIR56 49n32

Muphrid (pale yellow) GO 2.8 eta BOOtes 24VIR33 28n05
--(perhaps Heze or Greek Hebe; A2 3.4 zeta VIRgo 27VIR09 09n16
near Celestial Equator)
Foramen (reddish; eruptive P 1-7.4 eta CARina 27VIR25 58s55
variable at the heart of Key Nebula NGC 3372; part of
ARGO NAVIS; Lockyer's Oannes or Ea's Star; from
1835-45 eta outshone every star but Sirius)
SPICA (binary/ brilliant B2 1.0 alpha VIRgo 29VIR06 2s03
flushed white)
ARCTURUS (golden yellow giant) K2 0.0 alpha BOOtes 29VIR30 30n44
Nekkar (golden yellow) G5 3.6 beta BOOTES 29VIR31 54n08

Izar (binary/ yellow & bluish) KO 2.7 epsilon BOOTES 03LIB22 40n37
MIAPLACIDUS AO 1.8 beta CARina 07LIB15 72s14
Princeps (dble, pale yellow & G4 3.5 delta BOOtes 08LIB24 48n59
blue)
Alkalurops (ternary/ flushed A7 4.5 mu1 BOOtes 08LIB27 53n25
white, the other two greenish white)
Syrma F5 4.2 iota VIRgo 09LIB03 7n13

--(perhaps Ceginus) G5 5.4 phi BOOtes 10LIB22 57n12
GACRUX (var./clear orange M4 1.6 gamma CRUx 12LIB00 47s50
giant; CRUx or Southern CROSS once part of the Centaur)
Khambalia A2 4.6 lambda VIRgo 12LIB12 0n29
Nusakan A8 3.7 beta CORONA BOR 14LIB23 46n03

MIMOSA (variable, yellowish B1 1.3 beta CRUx 16LIB55 48s38
white sub-giant)
ACRUX (triple/ white B1 0.9 alpha CRUx 17LIB08 52s52
supergiant; near Milky Way Equator)
Alphecca/Gemma (eclipsing AO 2.3 alpha CORonaBOR 17LIB33 44n19
binary, blue-white)
Menkent (double, variable/ G9 2.3 theta CENtaurus 17LIB34 22s04
red & bluish)

Kiffa Aust./Zubenelgenubi/ A3 2.9 alpha1&2 LIBra 20LIB21 0n20
South Scale Tray (double /pale yellow & gray)
--(variable/ white) A1 5.4 delta LIBra 20LIB33 08n41
Zubenhakrabi K5 5.3 nu LIBra 23LIB22 1n11
Kiffa Bor./North Scale Tray/ B8 2.7 beta LIBra 24LIB38 8n31
Zubeneschamali (pale emerald; once brighter than Antares)

Unukalhai (pale yellow; in K2 2.8 alpha SERpens 27LIB20 25n31
SERpens Caput; near Celestial Equator)
--(Aratos' Wild Beast) B2 2.9 alpha Lupus 28LIB40 30s02
AGENA/Hadar (binary/ blue- B3 0.6 beta CENtaurus 29LIB04 44s08
white giant & yellow; near Milky Way Equator;
alpha & beta are Pointers to Southern Crux or
Cross which was once part of CENtaurus)

Marfik (double/ light yellow G4 5.3 kappa HERcules 00SCO59 37n12
& pale garnet)
--unnamed, perhaps Zubenelgubi KO 4.0 gamma LIBra 01SCO24 4n23
RIGIL KENTAURUS/Bungula GK 0.0 alpha CENtaurus 04SCO46 42s36
(triple/ a visual binary--white & yellow with companion
called "Proxima"; near Milky Way Equator; closest star
at 4.3 light years away; "
Kornephoros (pale yellow) G8 2.8 beta HERcules 06SCO22 42n42
Cujam (double) AZ 4.5 omega HERcules 06SCO51 35n10
Yed Prior (deep yellow) M1 3.0 delta OPHiuchus 07SCO34 17n15
Dschubba/Isidus BO 2.5 delta SCOrpio 07SCO50 1s59
Acrab/(Graffius (triple, pale B1 2.9 beta1 SCOrpio 08SCO27 1n00
white, bluish, & lilac; omega1 [B2 4.1] & omega2 [GO 4.6]
follow in less than 1/2d of longitude "on" the Ecliptic)
Yed Posterior (red) G8 3.3 epsil OPHiuchus 08SCO47 16n26
Jabbah (quadruple) B2 4.3 nu SCOrpio 09SCO55 1n37
Marfik (binary /yellowish- A1 3.8 lambda OPH 10SCO52 23n33
white & smalt blue)
Han O9 2.7 zeta OPHiuchus 14SCO29 11n23

ANTARES (binary/ fiery red MB 1.2 alpha SCOrpio 15SCO01 4s34
supergiant & emerald green) Note: Al Niyat, the Praecordia
or the "Outworks of the Heart" = sigma [dbl./ white & blue,
B1 3.1] & tau [BO 2.9], about 13SCO 5s & 17SCO 7s; after
sigma is M4 Globular Cluster, about 1.5d W. of Antares)
Rastaban (yellow) G2 3.0 beta DRAco 17SCO14 75n16
--(near left knee) BO 2.7 zeta OPHiuchus 17SCO ? 10n ?

Sarin (dble./ green, purple) A3 3.2 delta HERcules 20SCO02 47n41
Ras Algethi (bin./var./orange- M5 3.5 alpha HERcules 21SCO23 38n22
red supergiant & yellow giant companion appears green)
Graffius (xi is also called K5 3.8 zeta2 SCOrpio 22SCO30 19s38
Graffius; 3rd Joint of Tail near Milky Way Equator;
Tail = epsilon mu zeta eta theta iota kappa)
Sabik (pale yellow) A2 2.6 eta OPHiuchus 23SCO14 7n12

Masym (deep yellow) K4 4.5 lambda HER 25SCO10 26n06
ATRIA K5 1.8 alpha TRI AUST 26SCO10 46s09
Rasalhague (sapphire) A5 2.1 alpha OPHiuchus 27SCO42 35n50
[NGC 6369, between #44 & #51 OPH, just after theta OPH
is conjunct the Ecliptic & marks ancient lunar station.]
Lesath B3 2.8 upsilon SCOrpio 29SCO16 14s01
SHAULA (spectroscopic binary; B2 1.6 lambda SCOrpio 29SCO51 13s47
blue-white)
Grumium/Genam (yellow) F8 3.9 xi DRAco 00SAG01 80n17
--(Flame on the Altar w/ beta) B3p 3.0 alpha ARA 00SAG12 26s36
Cebalrai (yellow) K1 2.9 beta OPHiuchus 00SAG36 27n56
Sargas (double/red & greenish; FO 2.0 theta SCOrpio 00SAG52 19s38
5th Joint in Tail)
Aculeus (Galactic Cluster 26') C 5.3 M6 Open /SCO 01SAG01 8s50

GALACTIC CENTER SAGITTARIUS 02SAG06'21" 5s36'27"
The Milky Way Galaxy Equator forms a 60d 33m angle with
the Ecliptic (see Fagan, 5/1959 "Solunars"); since this
is a center, there is no opposite point.

Eltanin (Orange) K5 2.4 gamma DRAco 02SAG54 74n55
Acumen (Galactic Cluster 50') C 3.2 M7 Open SCO 04SAG01 11s22
Sinistra KO 3.5 nu OPHiuchus 05SAG10 13n39

Galactic Equator/Ecliptic Crossings SAGITTARIUS 05SAG16 0n00
(and oppositely in 05GEM16 0n00)

[NOTE: for epoch 2000, WINTER SOLSTICE (18 R.A.) is 05SAG16,
followed within two degrees by: M20 Trifid @ R.A.
18h 03m; M8 Lagoon @ R.A. 18h 05m; & M21 Open @
R.A. 18h 06m, all within 3d N. of Ecliptic]

Spiculum (likely an average N 6.0 SAGittarius 06SAG20 0n53
of M20, M8 & M21; M8 Lagoon Nebula 90'x40' of arc;
M20 Trifid Nebula 29'x27'; M21 Galactic Cluster 12')
Al Nasl (yellow; teapot's KO 3.1 gamma SAG 06SAG31 6s49
spout, and/or arrow, points to Galactic Center)

APEX OF THE SUN'S WAY, or Solar Apex 07SAG24'07" 53n26'01"
apprx 18 hr. R.A., 30n Declination; near nu HERcules
[FO 4.5], R.A. 17h 58m, Dec. 30n11 of epoch 1971;
Solar Antapex or the Sun's Quit is 7GEM24 53s26)

Polis (triple/ mu1 = 8.5, B8 4.0 mu1&2 SAG 08SAG28 2n21
9.5, & 10 magnitude; mu2 = 5.8 magnitude)
Kaus Media (double/ orange- K2 2.8 delta SAG 09SAG51 6s28
yellow & bluish)
KAUS AUSTRALIS (double/ orange B9 1.9 epsilon SAG 10SAG21 11s03
& bluish)
Kaus Borealis (yellow; M28 K1 2.9 lambda SAG 11SAG35 2s08
Globular Cluster above lambda within 2d S. of Ecliptic)
Facies (Globular Cluster 17') C 5.9 M22 SAG 13SAG35 0s43
Nunki/Pelagus B3 2.0 sigma SAG 17SAG39 3s27
Ascella (binary) A4 2.7 zeta SAG 18SAG54 7s11
Manubrium G8 3.9 omicron SAG 20SAG14 0n52
WEGA (pale sapphire; 4th A1 0.0 alpha LYRa 20SAG35 61n44
brightest; pole star about BC 12,500 when VIR-PIS and
GEM-SAG carried the colures of the seasons)

[Epsilon LYRA--a double double--one binary revolves around the
other: epsilon1--yellow & ruddy, and epsilon2--both white, A5 4.5]

Alya (binary, variable/ pale A5 4.5 theta SERpens 21SAG01 26n52
yellow & gold yellow; in SERpens Cauda)
Arkab1 prior B8 4.3 beta SAG 21SAG02 22s09
Arkab2 posterior B8 4.5 beta SAG 21SAG06 22s29
Albaldah F3 3.0 pi SAGittarius 21SAG30 1n27
Rukbat B9 4.1 alpha SAG 21SAG53 18s44
Sheliak (binary, var./ very BB 3.4 beta LYRa 24SAG09 55n59
white; M57 Ring Nebula is 1/3 from beta to gamma LYRA)
Deneb (binary, green) B9 3.0 zeta AQuila 25SAG04 36n11
Sulaphat (binary,bright yellow) B9 3.3 gamma LYRa 27SAG11 55n01
--(in Antinous; Equatorial) A5 3.4 delta AQuila 28SAG54 24n49
Peacock B3 2.1 alpha PAVO 29SAG05 36s16

Terebellum (1of4 in SAG's tail) G5 4.8 omega SAG 01CAP05 5s25
--(in Antinous; yellow, var.) GOp 3-4 eta AQuila 05CAP42 21n32
Tarazed (pale orange) K2 2.8 gamma AQuila 06CAP12 31n14
Sham (dble., W. in Arrowshaft) F8 4.4 alpha SAGGita 06CAP20 38n47
Albireo (binary, topaz yellow K1 3.2 beta1 CYGnus 06CAP31 48n58
giant & sapphire blue companion)
ALTAIR (dbl., yellow-white) A7 0.8 alpha AQuila 07CAP02 29n18
Alshain (pale orange) G8 3.9 beta AQuila 07CAP41 26n39
[NOTE: Skyglobe Error--iota SAG at about
28SAG & 20d south is misnamed Alshain]
Giedi1/Algedi (double/ yellow) G5 4.6 alpha1 CAP 09CAP02 6n59
Giedi2/Algedi (triple/ pale G5 3.8 alpha2 CAP 09CAP07 6n55
yellow, ash & lilac)
Dabih (each double/ orange- FB 3.3 beta1&2 CAP 09CAP18 4n35
yellow & sky blue)
Al Shat AO 4.8 nu CAPricorn 09CAP42 6n34
Oculus (dble./yellow, bluish) B8 5.2 pi CAPricorn 09CAP58 0n54
Bos (dble./ yellow, purple) F1 5.0 rho CAPricorn 10CAP25 1n12
Albali A1 3.8 epsilon AQU 16CAP59 8n04
Armus A4 4.9 eta CAPricorn 18CAP01 2s59
Dorsum AO 4.2 theta CAP 19CAP05 0s36

AL NA'IR (on body of Crane; B5 1.8 alpha GRUS 21CAP10 32s54
CRANE was once PISCES AUSTRALIS along with alpha, beta
[M3 2.2], delta [M4 4.3], theta [F5 4.3], iota [KO 4.1],
& lambda [K2 4.6] GRUS; alpha GRUS was the Bright One
of the Fishes Tail; beta on Crane's left wing was the
Rear One At End of Fishes Tail; gamma on Crane's eye was
The Tail of the Fish)
Rotanev (triple/ greenish, F3 3.7 beta DELphinus 21CAP36 31n55
dusky, purplish; a & b titles are `Nicolaus Venator' reversed)
Sualocin (pale yellow) B8 3.9 alpha DEL 22CAP39 33n02

Castra B5 4.7 epsilon CAP 25CAP27 4s58
Nashira F2 3.8 gamma CAPricorn 27CAP03 2s33
Kitalpha FA 4.1 alpha EQUuleus 28CAP23 20n07
Sadalsuud (pale yellow) GO 3.0 beta AQUarius 28CAP39 8n37
Deneb Algedi (with gamma = A5 3.0 delta CAPricorn 28CAP48 2s36
Two Bending Stars in flexure of tail; lambda & mu = extreme
Tail End; NEPtune discovered 5d East of delta on 9-23-1846)

Sadr (near Milky Way Equator) F8 2.3 gamma CYGnus 00AQU06 57n07
Gienah (yellow) KO 2.6 epsilon GYGnus 03AQU01 49n25
Enif(triple/yellow,violet,blue) K2 2.5 epsilon PEGasus 07AQU08 22n07
Ancha G6 4.3 theta AQUarius 08AQU32 2n42
Sadalmelik (pale yellow; G1 3.2 alpha AQU 09AQU01 11n04
Equatorial)
FOMALHAUT (reddish) A2 1.2 alpha PIS.AUST. 09AQU07 21s08

DENEB ADIGE (brilliant white A2 1.3 alpha CYGnus 10AQU36 59n54
supergiant; a POLE star; near Milky Way Equator)
Sadachbia* (greenish, on inner AO 4.0 *gamma AQUarius 11AQU59 8n14
edge, westernmost in Y of URN; Equatorial)
Biham A2 3.7 theta PEGasus 12AQU05 16n20
Skat/Scheat (part of `the A2 3.5 delta AQUarius 14AQU08 8s11
Stream' leading to Fomalhaut in the Southern Fish; near
the Delta Aquarids Meteors of 27-29 July)
Seat* (in Y of the URN; Seat B1p 4.6 *pi AQUarius 14AQU ? 8n ?
= pitha or jar of the god; Equatorial; see Jar-bearer Nabu)
--(*in center of Y of the URN, F2 4.4 *zeta2 AQUarius 14AQU09 8n47
binary /very white & white; Equatorial;
the URN was once a separate asterism)
Situla/Urna (individually so K1 5.3 kappa AQUarius 14AQU41 4n06
named; not part of the Y of Urn, but at southern edge)
--(*in Y of URN, easternmost; B8 4.1 *eta AQU 14AQU ? n ?
Equatorial)
The Water, Outpouring (red; MO 3.8 lambda AQU 16AQU50 1s ?
1st of `the STREAM' from the URN--once a separate
constellation of lambda, phi, chi, psi1,2,3, omega1,2,
& others; or 1st of 2 Streams, one leading to Eridanus,
and one to Fomalhaut--Mouth of Southern Fish)
ACHERNAR (bluish-white) B9 0.5 alpha ERIdanus 20AQU34 59s23
Ankaa G5 2.2 alpha PHOenix 20AQU46 40s38
Homam (light yellow) BA 3.6 zeta PEGasus 21AQU25 17n40
--(part of the Stream, MO 4.4 phi AQUarius 22AQU ? 1s ?
south of Homam; near Ecliptic)
--(Western Fish's Mouth; B5p 4.6 beta PISces 22AQU ? 9n ?
CIRCLE OF PISCES in Western Fish: gamma [KO 3.8],
kappa [4.9], theta [G5 4.4], lambda [A5 4.6],
iota [F8 4.3]; omega {below} marks tail near SVP)
Markab~ (white) B9 2.6 alpha PEGasus 28AQU45 19n24
Sadal Bari (for lambda & mu) G6 3.7 mu PEGasus 29AQU39 29n23

[~The GREAT SQUARE OF PEGASUS, a naked eye stellar landmark:
alpha PEGasus Markab; beta PEGasus Scheat; gamma PEGasus Algenib;
and delta PEGasus which is also alpha ANDromeda Alpheratz.]

Matar (double) G2 3.1 eta PEGasus 00PIS59 35n06
Azelfafage (near M.W. Equator) B3 4.8 pi1 CYGnus 03PIS33 58n52
Scheat~(var., red giant) M2 2.6 beta PEGasus 04PIS37 31n09

SYNETIC VERNAL POINT Epoch 1/1/2000, at the same 05PIS16 00n00
time--fall equinox 5VIR16, winter solstice 5SAG16, & summer
solstice 5GEM16, which are now the CARDINAL constellations.

--(Tail of Western Fish) F5 4.0 omega PISces 05PIS32 6n32
Kerb A6 4.6 tau PEGasus 06PIS19 25n34
Deneb Kaitos/Difda (yellow- K0 2.0 beta CETus 07PIS51 20s46
orange giant)
Algenib~ (dble.,/bluish-white) B2 2.9 gamma PEGasus 14PIS25 12n36
Garnet Star/Erakis (triple, M2 4-5 mu CEPheus 14PIS58 64n11
deep garnet to orange supergiant; irregularly variable)
Alderamin (white; a POLE star) A7 2.6 alpha CEPheus 18PIS03 68n55
Alpheratz~ (binary/ bluish B8 2.1 alpha ANDromeda 19PIS34 25n41
white giant & purplish, same as........delta PEGasus)
Nodus II/Altais (Deep yellow; KO 3.2 delta DRAco 22PIS26 82n53
2nd Knot of Dragon)

Revati (CORD; dble/yellow & orge) 5.6 zeta PISces 25PIS08 0s13
Baten Kaitos (topaz yellow) KO 3.9 zeta CETus 27PIS13 20s20
Acamar (double) A2 3.4 theta ERIDanus 28PIS32 53s45
Al Kurhah (binary/ both blue) FG 4.6 xi CEPheus 29PIS29 65n45

Al Pherg (CORD or Vessel of G3 3.7 eta PISces 02ARI05 5n23
the Fish; double)
Vertex (the Great Andromeda N 4.8 M31 ANDromeda 02ARI59 33n24
Nebula, 160'x40' of arc, near nu ANDromeda)
Kaitain/AlRescha (CORD or A2 3.9 alpha PISces 04ARI38 9s04
Knot; binary/ pale green & blue)
Mirach (CORD; dbl./ red giant) MO 2.4 beta ANDromeda 05ARI40 25n56
Mira/Wonderful Star (binary M6 3.0 omicron CETus 06ARI47 15s58
& variable/ flushed yellow to deep garnet supergiant
with white dwarf companion)
Angetenar (yellow) KO 4.8 tau2 ERIdanus 07ARI54 35s31
Mesartim (dble/ white & gray) AO 4.8 gamma ARIes 08ARI27 7n09
Sharatan (pearly white) A5 2.7 beta ARIes 09ARI14 8n29

Caph (creamy white) F2 2.4 beta CASsiopeia 10ARI20 51n14
Alfirk (double/ white & blue) B2 3.3 beta CEPHeus 10ARI49 71n09
Apin/Caput Trianguli (yellow) F2 3.6 alpha TRIangulu 12ARI07 16n48
Hamal (yellow-orange giant) K2 2.0 alpha ARIes 12ARI55 9n58
Schedar (multiple, maybe var./ KO 2.5 alpha CAS 13ARI03 46n37
orange giant, yellowish & bluish companions)
Adhil (s.e. of phi, in the G9 5.0 xi ANDromeda 13ARI08 33n49
`Train of the Garment' towards gamma Almach--near the
radiant point of the Andromedids II--the Bielid meteors
of Nov., which leave `trains' of reddish-yellow sparks;
Syrma--iota VIRGO in 09LIB03 is also located in the
`Train of the Garment')
Azha (pale yellow) K2 4.0 eta ERIdanus 14ARI01 24s32
Kaffal Jidhmah (double/ pale AF 3.6 gamma CETus 14ARI42 11s59
yellow & blue; near Celestial Equator)

Alchird (binary) F9 3.6 eta CASsiopeia 15ARI31 47n00
Zibal A3 4.9 zeta ERIdanus 19ARI06 25s55
Cih (binary/ irreg.var./white) BO var. gamma CAS 19ARI12 48n48
Almach (triple, variable/ K2 2.3 gamma ANDdrome 19ARI29 27n48
orange giant, emerald, blue)
Menkar (bright orange; M2 2.8 alpha CETus 19ARI35 12s35
Equatorial)

Ruchbah/Rukbah A5 2.8 delta CAS 23ARI11 46n26
Botein K2 4.5 delta ARIes 26ARI07 1n49
Rana Secunda/Difda KO 3.7 delta ERIdanus 26ARI08 28s40
Zaurak MO 3.2 gamma ERIdanus 29ARI08 33s12
Capulus (NGC869 Galactic Cluster; 4.4 33 vi PERseus 29ARI27 40n22
chi and h mark the double cluster NGC 869 & 884--the
Sword Hand of Perseus, or Arab--the Wrist of, i.e.,
next to, the Pleiades; iota, g, phi, & upsilon mark
the Outstretched Sword)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

(continued)

The Song Of The Stars
We are the stars which sing,
We sing with our light;
We are the birds of fire,
We fly over the sky.
Our light is a voice;
We make a road for spirits,
For the spirits to pass over.
... from an Algonquin poem


**********************************************************************

METEORIC SHOWERS (from Cyril Fagan's 3/1956 "Solunars"):

Andromedids Best Visibility AUG 1 15ARI57 30n11
Perseids AUG 12 7TAU24 37n51
Orionids OCT 19 4GEM04 8s25
Geminids DEC 12 25GEM41 10n07
Leonids NOV 17 2LEO17 9n51
Quadrantids JAN 3 26VIR25 65n11
Lyrids APR 21 7SAG32 56n28
Herculids APR 21 11SAG29 48n23

************************************************************************
************************************************************************


MISCELLANEOUS:

This starlist includes CORRECTIONS of name errors in sidereal sources,
most due to confusion from Arabic titles. (Robson's tropical longitudes
for January 1, 1920 are herein corrected to the Sidereal Zodiac with
S.V.P. of 6 degrees 22' for that epoch.)
*Robson does not distinguish the names and positions of Al TARF Beta
Cancer (9CAN31 1s18) and ALTERF Lambda Leo (23CAN08 7n54).
*Fagan mispelled Lambda Leo's title which, according to R.H. Allen's
Star Names--Their Lore and Meaning, should be ALTERF.
*Stars ALHECKA (Zeta Taurus 0GEM02 2s12) and AL HAKAH (Lambda Orion
MEISSA 28TAU57) have similar name confusion and therefore location
confusion. AL HAKAH is also the name for the #3 Arabic Manzil and both
star and manzil mean "a white spot."
*Kappa Aquarius is SITULA, whereas Fagan incorrectly listed Zeta
Aquarius.
*Both Michelson's American Sidereal Ephemeris and Omega's Sidereal
Ephemerides, as well as Stahl's Ephemerides, incorrectly copied the
above errors.
*Omega incorrectly lists the longitude of SCHEAT beta Pegasus; it
should be 4PIS37 31n09.
*The computer planetarium Skyglobe, DOS Version 3.6, has name errors:
ALSHAIN is the name given to Beta Aquila, whereas Skyglobe incorrectly
has it for Iota Sagittarius which is east of Alpha RUKBAT (21SAG53
18s44) and Beta 1&2 ARKAB & URKAB (21SAG02 22s09).
*ATIK is the name of Omicron Perseus, whereas Skyglobe incorrectly
shows Zeta Perseus.
*MIRAK is zeta Ursa Major 20LEO57 57n23 whereas Skyglobe has Mizar.
*********************************


The following are the apparently brightest stars: Sirius, Canopus,
Alpha Centauri, Arcturus, Wega, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Achemar,
Betelgeuse, Beta Centauri.

The brightest radio star is CASSIOPEIA A, a cloud of gas; the second
brightest radio star is CYGNUS A, two colluding galaxies; the third
brightest radio star is the CRAB NEBULA near zeta Tauri, at the tip of
the lower horn of Taurus. Other noteworthy radio stars coincide with
MESSIER 87, a galaxy near the center of the Virgo Supercluster of
galaxies, and with MESSIER 31, the great spiral of the Andromeda Galaxy.
Hundreds of others have not been identified. A faint radio glow follows
the Milky Way, but shines in the center of the galaxy in Sagittarius.
The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the two Magellanic Clouds are visible to
the naked eye.

It was announced on TV news early in 1999 that there are an
estimated 125 billion galaxies in the universe. On April 15, 1999 it
was announced that upsilon Andromeda has 2 or 3 planets.

**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************


A P P E N D I C E S:

* STAR DELINEATION
* ZODIACAL & EXTRA-ZODIACAL STARS
* AGES & THE 25,920 YEAR PRECESSION CYCLE, THE GREAT YEAR
* THE ORDER OF THE DRAGON--THE ECLIPTIC PLANE & POLE
* DRACO, the DRAGON'S STARS, FROM HEAD TO TAIL


STAR DELINEATION
The astrological practice, ascribed to Ptolemy in the 2nd century
AD, of defining stars by reference to the planets in our solar system
does not take into consideration the difference between stars and
planets. Time to update! Stars (and our Sun is a star) are immense
globes of incandescent gases, radiating light and heat. Some stars (not
a majority) have their own solar systems of planets, dark bodies
revolving around them at great distances, which planets shine only by
reflected light. The color of a star generated by its heat and light is
not analogous with and the reflected light of a planet. Although it
might seem apt to astrologers who are used to thinking in terms of
planetary definitions, the comparison of planets unique to our solar
system to describe the meaning of another star is not valid, either by
meaning or color. In brief, the basic concept of Ptolemy's delineation
of stars is obviously spurious. Furthermore, there is reason to doubt
that Ptolemy wrote the astrological work ascribed to him. Even one
hundred years ago, R.H. Allen's Star Names (p218) says that Ptolemy (2nd
century AD) did not make original observations and likely copied his
star catalogue from that of Hipparchos (2nd century BC), whose catalogue
is now lost.
A star is distinct depending on many factors such as temperature,
mass, age, etc., and could be of an entirely different class than our
Sun, and may not even have planets. Even "if" the star were in a class
comparable to ours, and even "if" it were to have planets, which for us
now is very hard to determine scientifically, it may not be similar
enough to have the same number of planets which would give a very
different harmonic resonance. Given the near impossible odds of finding
such a star with the same number of planets as ours, the planets'
harmonics and relationships within their solar system still do not
define the star. It is quite opposite. The planets are a function of
the heat, size, age, etc., of the star and the accidents of the cosmos.
While apples and oranges are examples of items `not' comparable, both
are at least fruit; stars and planets are not at all in any way
comparable.
See APPENDIX on Color, Sound, & Elements at the end of this file.
**********************************


ZODIACAL AND EXTRA-ZODIACAL STARS
A particular NOTE follows on ZODIACAL STARS (near the ecliptic
plane) and planetary `conjunctions' and 'oppositions': these are the
two significant aspects to consider, in both longitude and latitude.
The reason is because only these two aspects involve alignments between
3 celestial bodies. With conjunctions--the star, light-or-planet, and
Earth are aligned, and similarly with oppositions--the star, Earth,
and light-or-planet are aligned.
Generally most of the planets' latitudes are between that of the Sun
and Moon. The Sun is always 0 degrees latitude because the ecliptic
plane is that between the Earth and Sun; and the Moon's latitude is 5
degrees 8' 43" either north or south ecliptic latitude. However, it has
traditionally been Mercury which defined the width of the ecliptic plane
as its ecliptic latitude may reach about 7 degrees 0' 13" north or
south, thereby giving a zodiacal belt of 14 degrees. And so Mercury's
latitude gives the limit of the planetary conjunctions with zodiacal
stars--about SEVEN DEGREES NORTH and/or SOUTH ECLIPTIC LATITUDE. Pluto
is the exception (extreme on many levels of definition) as its north or
south latitude will vary up to 17 degrees 8' 35", and so stars that
Pluto may conjunct must be looked at separately. A yellow pen will pop
out the zodiacal stars (within 7 degrees latitude) on the starlist.

A rule-of-thumb ORB between planets and/or lights (the Sun & Moon)
is about 2 to 2.5 degrees. For instance, Garth Allen stated as a matter
of experience that if an event were to be indicated by an aspect, it
usually happened in about 2 degrees and less. Likewise, about 2 to 2.5
degrees ORB (in both ecliptic longitude and ecliptic latitude) from the
sun, moon or planet's conjunction or opposition with a star is a
reasonable consideration. The specific radius of a 2-1/2 degree orb
(that is, on both or all sides of the star's position) was cited by
Cyril Fagan, as measured when the Sun passed over the Crab Nebula--a
very strong radio source--whose intensity diminished accordingly as the
Sun conjuncted it more exactly.
However, that orb still bears qualification: the 2.5 degree orb may
well be the largest functional orb as limited to conjunctions between
our Sun (a star) and other stars. Conjunctions between a 'planet' and
other stars is better considered with much a smaller orb. For accuracy
in timing events, astrologers must work with less than 15 minutes (1/4
degree). Planets within this solar system are in a constantly moving
dynamic relationship with each other, but have a very different
relationship to the fixed stars. In my opinion, any aspect to fixed
stars other than a conjunction (and secondarily the opposition) is not
valid because a star acts, by analogy, like a spotlight. The star
illuminates, "colors," and gives extra power to that with which it is
directly aligned. A planet squaring a star, for example, does not align
with that star's light. Nor does any other aspect.
Consider that the width or diameter of the sphere of both Sun and
Moon is 1/2 degree, and then it can be seen that 2 degrees orb (or four
moons) is liberal. For example, if the Moon and a star had the same
exact ecliptic longitude, but the Moon was 1 degree north latitude and
the star was 7 degrees south latitude, the Moon could not conjunct that
star because it would be 8 degrees away. Eight degrees is 16 full moons
strung together! This is similar to the terrestrial example of San
Francisco and Seattle which are both about 122 degrees longitude;
however, because of their differing latitudes, they are not in the same
place. This is a common-sense application of measure.

A particular NOTE on EXTRA-ZODIACAL STARS in reference to their
ANGULARITY (while remembering that planetary conjunctions are impossible
with Extra-Zodiacal stars). When stars have latitude several degrees
off the ecliptic, they do not rise, set or culminate on the MUNDANE
ANGLES at the same time as their ecliptic longitude degree. The
positions of Extra-zodiacal stars must be individually calculated in
regard to the mundane angles. [The 4 `mundane angles'--2 on the Horizon
and and 2 on the Meridian--are created by the crossing of the ecliptic
plane with the eastern horizon for the Ascendant and with the western
horizon for the Descendant; and by the crossing of the ecliptic plane
with the Meridian circle in the south for the Midheaven (Medium Coeli,
or upper degree of culmination), and by the crossing of the ecliptic
plane with the Meridian circle in the north below the horizon for the
I.C., the lower culmination.]
In actuality, this also applies to some Zodiacal stars since a star
of 6 to 7 degrees latitude (north or south) is out of a strict orb of
the mundane angle. The further stars are from the ecliptic plane, the
more disparity in their ecliptic longitudes and the less likely they are
to occur bodily "ON" the mundane angles, that is, "on" -- as conjunct,
but not any other aspect "to" the mundane angles. This is true in both
Tropical and Sidereal measurement of the zodiac! Yet and still, as a
rule of thumb, because the mundane angles change so rapidly--about 1
degree every 4 minutes, astrologers often allow about 5 degrees orb on
the mundane angles to allow for common inaccuracies in recording birth
time. But this orb does not apply in the event that the time is known.
Some stars in the southern hemisphere will not even be seen in the
northern skies above the horizon. A star with extreme southern
declination of, for example, 60 degrees could vary even more than 60
degrees between its ecliptic position and its mundane rising position in
some latitudes. Shareware planetarium SKYGLOBE allows one to view both
hemispheres from a variety of latitudes; this program which graphically
shows the celestial positions is worth 10,000 definitions. By combining
SKYGLOBE with a star list of the longitude and latitude positions in the
zodiacal constellations, one can see that extreme extra-zodiacal stars
may rise when an entirely different constellation is on an angle.

At first I thought to include in this star list only the brightest
zodiacal stars of 1st and 2nd magnitudes which have been seen from
ancient times. But then the bright Extra-zodiacal stars called me
irresistably. Even though like the proverbial crow, I like to feather
my nest with all the shiniest objects, the smaller stars of ancient
repute also had intriguing luster. Identifying the stars above has led
me to a more comprehensive view of how the Egyptians anciently used and
understood the stars as a link with the cosmos. In such listing, I
found myself closer to the proverbial Phoenix' nest rather than the
crow's, and discovered the Goddess Maat of Justice, Order, and Truth who
weighs one's heart with her Ostrich Plume and reveals the meaning behind
her measure. (See forthcoming duplicate starlist called STARNAMES with
names and titles instead of colors.) Although limited as a list must
be, this STAR COLORS LIST is offered as an incentive and aid for others
to study with more ease, especially with the shareware planetarium
SKYGLOBE, which is much recommended for help in locating the stars.
**************************************


AGES AND THE 25,920 YEAR PRECESSION CYCLE
Since this is THE AGE OF PISCES as astronomically indicated by the
occurrence of the spring equinox in the constellation Pisces, this star
list could well begin with Pisces (the Fagan/Allen Synetic Vernal Point
is 05 PISCES 15' 49.1" for epoch 2000). However, in ancient cultures,
TAURUS was universally acclaimed as the beginning of and/or the cosmic
leader of the zodiacal constellations; likewise this star list in the
framework of the Sidereal (star constellation) Zodiac begins with
TAURUS.

PRECESSION CYCLE: Astronomical texts (and books such as Rand
McNalley's Concise Atlas of the Universe) give standard definitions of
the counterclockwise motion of the Precession cycle--generally reckoned
as 25,920 years, with 72 years to move 1 degree backward along the
ecliptic, and 2160 years to move backward through one of the 12
zodiacal constellations of 30 degrees. According to closer, modern
calculations, precession's backward rate annually is 50.274" of arc,
somewhat less than 1/60th of a degree; giving 71.6 years to move
backward one degree, 2148 years to move backward through a
constellation, and 25,776 years for a whole cycle. However, the rate
is not constant over millennia, nor is the circle perfect, being
subject to permutation due to the earth's axial wobble.
The precession "circle" is about 47 degrees in diameter; it shows
the shift in position of the North Celestial Pole around the pole of
the ecliptic located in Draco. (47 degrees is twice 23.44 degrees
which is the axial tilt of the earth's pole to the ecliptic plane).
The North Celestial Pole (of the Equatorial System) is now near Polaris
in Ursa Minor (Lesser Bear or Little Dipper). Later, the pole will
enter the constellation of Cepheus, then to near gamma Cepheus about
4500 AD, and near alpha Cepheus about 7500 AD; continuing through
Dephinus and into Cygnus about the year 10,000 AD, and near to delta
Cygnus about 11,300 AD. About 13,500 AD, a point near the bright star
Wega (alpha Lyra) will be near the north pole, as it was about BC
12,600, over 14,000 years ago.
Some bright, circumpolar stars such as Wega would have a continued
function on a colure, as Wega did about BC 9500, and similarly, other
pole stars which are closely circumpolar may mark a colure, and hence a
season. The constellation Hercules carried the pole stars for several
millennia after Wega. Then, Iota Draco marked the pole about BC 4500.
In Egyptian times, about BC 2700, the pole was near alpha Draco or
Thuban. These can be easily traced with SKYGLOBE by moving forward
(press the `U' key) or backward (`shift+U') one millennia at a time.
Both Robson's THE FIXED STARS & CONSTELLATIONS IN ASTROLOGY
(p184-5) and R.H. Allen's STAR NAMES (p458) give some of the chief
stars of the northern hemisphere which successively mark the North
Celestial Pole's position in the precession cycle (below). The South
Celestial Pole describes an analogous precession circle through the
stars of the southern celestial sphere. Astronomy texts often list the
same.

alpha URSA MINOR (Lesser Bear), our Polaris
gamma, pi, zeta, nu & alpha CEPHEUS (The King, Mate of Cassiopeia)
alpha & delta CYGNUS (Swan)
alpha LYRA (Lyre); [SKYGLOBE shows 13 Lyra as the pole star,
and alpha Wega as the brightest star nearby]
iota and tau HERCULES (Kneeling One)
theta, iota & alpha DRACO (Dragon)
beta URSA MINOR (Lesser Bear or Little Dipper)
kappa DRACO (Dragon)
and then back to alpha URSA MINOR, our Polaris

While the north and south poles inscribe circles in the north and south
Celestial Sphere, the spring equinox (the intersection of the Celestial
Equator with the Ecliptic) precesses (or moves backwards) through the
constellations. Cyril Fagan's Astrological Origins gives these dates
for the last three ages in terms of the original zodiac of star
constellations: Age of Taurus B.C 4152-BC 1955; Age of Aries BC 1955 -
221 AD; Age of Pisces 221 AD -2376 AD.
* * *

For a detailed explanation of the beginning place or "First Time"
(about BC 10,450) in the 25,920 year Precessional Cycle, refer to
Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval's best seller, THE MESSAGE OF THE
SPHINX [see also Hancock's Fingerprints of the Gods and Heaven's
Mirror]. The constellation Orion (the Egyptian Osiris) has three Belt
Stars whose altitude at their highest and lowest southern culminations
were seen and measured at a specific city in Egypt, and some believe
their positions were calculated for the whole precessional cycle.
(This process can also be measured in declination and demonstrated on
SKYGLOBE.) According to Bauval's discovery, the position of these
three stars is mirrored on the ground by the 3 pyramids, including the
Great Pyramid, with the Sphinx mirroring Leo rising, the constellation
which then carried the spring equinox. Hancock and Beauval's book
indicates that Alnilam in Orion's Belt, which corresponds to the Great
Pyramid, specifically was a marker of the whole Precession Cycle for
the ancient Egyptians; and Alnilam was at its lowest point about BC
10,500. Alnilam marked the southern meridian and solstice position
about BC 10,500, and would have culminated South 'with Taurus' when Leo
rose in the east and carried the spring equinox sun.
Likewise the Horns of Taurus (beta and zeta which are near the
Milky Way equator) located north of or above Orion, zodically marked
the meridian and solstice position in BC 10,500. It was here
mythologically that Osiris began his cosmic journey across the Milky
Way--the celestial Nile. Since the flooding of the Nile was the life
of Egypt and occurred at the solstice, Orion/Osiris, and Taurus as
zodiacal marker, were primary and prototypic markers. Thus, the
ancient reputation of Taurus as the zodiacal leader has a foundation in
an astronomical process, the 25,920 year cycle! That's the (very) long
view. For the shorter historic view, the scholars de Santillana and
von Dechend speak eloquently in Hamlet's Mill in the chapter "The
Galaxy": "Once the Precession had been discovered, the Milky Way took
on a new and decisive significance. For it was not only the most
spectacular band of heaven, it was also a reference point from which
the Precession could be imagined to have taken its start. This would
have been when the vernal equinoctial sun left its position in Gemini
in the Milky Way." The bookcover describes their thesis: "Drawing on
scientific data, historical and literary sources, the authors argue
that our myths are the remains of a preliterate astronomy, an exacting
science whose power and accuracy were suppressed and then forgotten by
an emergent Greco-Roman world view."
Hancock popularizes the idea that the precessional cycle is the
original context from which each constellation takes its meaning. His
descriptions of precession are masterful. Also the popularity of
Hancock's work revitalizes interest in previous scholars' work. Two
other scholars of the 20th century, whose works are readily available,
have previously concluded that anciently the whole precession cycle was
understood and calculated--see Giorgio de Santillana & Hertha Von
Dechend's HAMLET'S MILL, and especially the specialist in the history
of measurement and quantitative science--L.C. Stecchini's "The
Relation of Ancient Measures To The Great Pyramid" in P. Thompkins'
SECRETS OF THE GREAT PYRAMID.
As the elegant scholar R.H. Allen detailed in STAR NAMES-THEIR LORE
AND MEANING (published 1899 and still a classic), before precession
brought the spring equinox to the zodiacal constellation Taurus about
BC 4152, Taurus was universally acclaimed to be the leader of the
celestial host. Allen's STAR LORE, (p19) says, "Many have maintained
that Egypt was the first to give shapes and names to the star-groups;
Dupuis, perhaps inspired by Macrobius of our 5h century, tracing the
present solar zodiac to that country, and placing its date 13,000 years
anterior to our era when the flow of the Nile with its consequent
harvests, and the seasons, coincided with the positions of the separate
figures and the characters assigned to them. In this he has been
followed by others even to our day."
Although Hancock does not give specific information on the degree
location of primary marking stars in the ancient and original Sidereal
Zodiac, his research has profound implications for enlarging the
understanding of the Sidereal Zodiac, particularly in that he finds in
Egypt the prototype of astronomic measure and wisdom. Hancock deserves
acclaim for presenting the concept and drawings of the prototypic
beginning: the precessional cycle beginning in 10,500 BC with the
solsticial colure entering the end of zodiacal Taurus and culminating
South with Alnilam in Orion also culminating, while Leo--the carrier of
the spring equinox-rises east at the spring equinox. This ultimate
beginning features the Horns of Taurus (beta and zeta) nearly holding
the equator of the Milky Way is seen to run up directly South into the
heavens. The Milky Way is the celestial and sacred river of all rivers.
In the story of the Egyptian Osiris/Orion who mythologically embodies
the Precession Cycle, Taurus marked that prototypic astronomical event
in the zodiac/ecliptic plane in the First Time.
******************************************


THE ORDER OF THE DRAGON: THE ECLIPTIC PLANE & POLE
THE NORTH POLE OF ECLIPTIC PLANE is fixed in DRACO The Dragon
halfway between zeta NODUS I and delta NODUS II, and within 7' of the
nebula N.G.C. 6543. The pole of the ecliptic plane is the pole from
which the Sidereal Zodiac is calculated and a "must know" position for
siderealists. The pole of the ecliptic plane is also the axis of the
PRECESSIONAL CYCLE of 25,920 years, the immutable pole in the center of
the turning wheel of ages--the circle of pole stars. Likewise, the
ecliptic plane, measured from the earth's orbit which forms the
backbone of the zodiac, does not vary significantly over millennia in
reference to the fixed stars (although it too ultimately varies). The
Dragon is astronomically the Guardian of the Axis of Heaven, as
mythologically it is the Guardian of the Garden of Hesperides with its
"tree" of golden apples. The Dragon was "Custos Hesperidum, the
Watcher over the golden fruit; this fruit and the tree bearing it being
themselves stellar emblems..." (Allen's Star Names, p204).
Presently, epoch 2000, the equinoctial and solstitial colures
(reckoned from the Earth's rotational pole in the Equatorial System)
cross near Polaris, the North Star, the celestial marker of the Earth's
pole. In any age the colures will cross at whatever star marks the
north pole. The COLURES are two great circles at right angles to each
other on the celestial sphere running through the two equinoxes and the
two solstices and each through the north and south pole. Because the
poles change with precession, and thus also so do the equinoxes and
solstices, the colures must also change (at the rate of one degree
every 71.6 years). Additionally at this time but for a few centuries
only, the solstitial colure runs between Draco's stars--the FIRST and
SECOND NODES or KNOTS, near the central axis of all the celestial
sphere, the North Pole of the Ecliptic Plane. That would mark this as
a pivotal time.

THE SOUTH POLE OF THE ECLIPTIC PLANE is in DORADO (known as the
Goldfish, Flying Fish, Swordfish) near the head. In R.H. Allen's STAR
NAMES, page 202, according to Caesius, Dorado gave its name to the
south pole of the ecliptic as 'Polis Doradinalis.'

30 DORADUS (LOOP NEBULA): The smaller Magellanic Cloud (Nubecula
Minor, diameter 216'x216' of arc*) is in the constellation Toucan, and
the large Magellanic Cloud (Nubecula Major, diameter 432'x432' or 7
degrees of arc*) is mostly in Dorado; both are seen with the unaided
eye. Harlow Shapley's GALAXIES written nearly 40 years ago has a
startling description of the nebula which still conveys wonder:

"The most conspicuous of the gaseous nebulae of the Magellanic
Clouds, and in fact one of the two or three most spectacular
objects of its kind known anywhere in the sidereal world, is the
LOOP NEBULA in the Large Cloud, which bears the constellation
designation 30 DORADUS....The distance to the large Magellanic
Cloud is approximately 160,000 light-years (nearly a quintillion
miles), and the linear diameter of the widely extended Loop Nebula
is therefore astonishingly great. Let us compare it with the large
nebula in Orion--a show object in our own Galaxy, about 1500 light-
years distant. Both are visible to the naked eye....But the Orion
Nebula is, in actual dimensions and in output of radiation, a pygmy
compared with 30 DORADUS. If the Loop Nebula were placed in the
position of the Orion Nebula, it would fill the whole constellation
of Orion, and the radiation from it and its involved supergiant
stars would be strong enough to cast easily visible shadows on the
earth. There is nothing like it in our own galactic system, as far
as we can discover; but far away in some other galaxies we have
found comparable supergiant gaseous nebulae."

30 Doradus could claim to be the nucleus of the system. In the
center of 30 Doradus is a cluster of more than 100 supergiant stars,
approximately 200 light-years in diameter, and about 400 times as
bright as the great globular cluster in Hercules.
A light-year, the distance traveled by light in one year, is equal
to 5,880,000,000,000 miles, according to Rand McNalley's CONCISE ATLAS
OF THE UNIVERSE.

To restate the above: The COLURES are great circles on the
celestial sphere which run through the equinoxes and solstices, and are
reckoned from the pole of the Earth's rotation in the Equatorial
System. The SOLSTITIAL COLURE now occurs very close to the Ecliptic
Pole in Draco: it is parallel near to Draco's gamma Eltanin and xi
Grumium in the Dragon's Head and continues parallel near also to phi
and chi in the loop. To locate the Ecliptic Pole another way, a line
drawn between Draco's stars called the Nodes or Knots would bisect the
solstitial colure near the Ecliptic Pole. The shareware planetarium
SKYGLOBE is recommended to view this. There's a certain kind of high
in that.
Delta Draco ('NODUS SECUNDUS' or Altais) marks the second of 4
knots in the Dragon. Zeta Draco or NODUS I marks the radiant point of
the meteor streams of January 19th & March 28th. There are several
meteoric showers that radiate from Draco, one remarkable one occurring
about June 28th. With the meteoric showers emanating from Draco, it is
easy to see why the great serpent, a universal symbol and likely
another representation of Draco, might be thought 'plumed.' Thus the
Plumed Serpent is a fitting symbol for those who anciently understood
the astronomical secrets of time and precession, as Draco, cosmically
plumed by meteoric showers, holds in its Knotted Coils the still point
of our solar system, the pole of the ecliptic plane. This pole was
sometimes the mythological Tree of Life. At the end of the age of
Taurus, in order to define the Age of Aries, the voyage of the Argonaut
seeking the Golden Fleece handing on the World Tree, became the key
Greek mythology for that age.
Mythological and metaphysical thinkers have pointed out the "Dragon
or Serpent" energy is not only represented by the Moon's crossing above
and below the ecliptic plane (the Dragon's Head and Tail), but also by
the Moon circling about the Earth while the Earth circles the Sun, thus
forming a spiral within a spiral, as ultimately the Sun rushes through
space and spirals around the center of our Galaxy. For those dedicated
to Spiral Energy, there may be significance in the supposition that
along with an interest in mythological meaning of dragons in just the
last decade, the Solstitial Colure crossing near the pole of the
Sidereal Zodiac also brings with it a quickening awareness of the
cosmos as part of our immediate environment. This latter realization
might be thought due to the re-discovery of the original star
constellation zodiac of the Egyptians and Babylonians, the Sidereal
Zodiac, by Cyril Fagan as popularized in his 17 year essay series
called "Solunars" published in American Astrology Magazine.

Draco itself is an ancient and large constellation, but was
anciently even larger. From STAR NAMES, page 206: "Draco extends over
twelve hours of right ascension, and contains 130 naked-eye components
according to Argelander; 220 according to Heis; but both of these
authorities extend the tail of the figure, far beyond its star lambda,
to a 4th magnitude under the jaws of Camelopardalis,--much farther than
is frequently seen on the maps." Other maps have shown it connected to
Ursa Major (Big Dipper).
From STAR NAMES, page 205: ..."Draco's stars...were much observed
in early Egypt, although differently figured that as with us. Some of
them were a part of the HIPPOPOTAMUS, or of its variant the CROCODILE,
and thus shown on the planisphere of Denderah and the walls of the
Ramesseum at Thebes. As such, Delitzsch says that it was Hes-mut,
perhaps meaning the Raging Mother. An object resembling a ploughshare
held in the creature's paws has fancifully been said to have given name
to the adjacent Plough.
"The hieroglyph for this Hippopotamus was used for the heavens in
general, while the constellation is supposed to have been a symbol of
ISIS, Hathor, Athor, or Athyr, the Egyptian Venus; and Lockyer asserts
that the myth of Horus which deals with the Hor-she-shu, an almost
prehistoric people even in Egyptian records, makes undoubted reference
to stars here;"
****************************************************


DRACO, THE DRAGON'S STARS, FROM HEAD TO TAIL:
ECLIP. ECLIP.
NAME CLASS/MAGNITUDE LONG. LAT.
CONSTELLATION

Eltanin (Dragon's Head; orange; K5 2.4 gamma DRAco 02SAG54 74n55
in Right eye; connected with discovery of laws of
aberration of light in 1729; as Egyptian Isis or
Taurt Isis, it once marked the head of the Egyptian
Hippopotamus)
Rastaben (Yellow; Dragon's G2 3.0 beta DRAco 17SCO14 75n16
Head; in Dragon's Eye; the Draconids, meteors of Oct 9
which are circumpolar, radiate midway between beta and nu,
providing Draco's fiery gaze or perhaps "plumes", & occur
only when their parent comet 21P/Giacobini Zinner returns
to perihelion. Because Draco is circumpolar, it used to
be thought that meteors occurring nearby scattered poison
over the whole world. Draco is coiled and KNOTTED around
the Ecliptic Pole.)
Arrakis (triple, brilliant white; F6 5.1 mu DRAco 00SCO01 76n13
on nose or tongue; Dancer = common circumpolar title)
Kuma (double, both white A8 5.0 nu1 DRAco 15SCO36 78n08
on Dragon's Mouth)
Grumium/Genam (Yellow; F8 3.9 xi DRAco 00SAG01 80n17
on under-jaw or darted tongue; thought to be the radiant
point of Draconid Meteors of late May, providing Draco's
fiery breath or perhaps "plumes" for this Sky Serpent;
the 1st Knot of 17 century maps--as McNalley's Atlas of
the Universe p138--looks as if occurring between xi and
omicron, either could represent it.)
--(double, orange-emerald) 5th omicron DRAco - -

NODUS II/ Altais (2nd Knot as KO 3.2 delta DRAco 22PIS26 82n53
RHA lists it. Deep Yellow. About halfway between delta
& zeta, within 7' of NGC 6543 at R.A. 17h58' Dec. 66n37',
is the NORTH ECLIPTIC POLE, the heart of the Egyptian
constellation Hypopotamus in the Denderah Zodiac, and
the center of the Precessional Cycle of 25,920 years.
The South Ecliptic Pole is between epsilon and nu Dorado.
Dorado is called the "Gold"fish.)

--(near Nodus II) A2 4.6 pi DRAco - -
--(near sigma & epsilon) KO 4.7 rho DRAco - -
Alsafi (n.e. from delta) 4.8 sigma DRAco - -
Tyl KO 3.9 epsil DRAco 07ARI58 79n29
--(close to upsilon) KO 4.6 tau DRAco - -
--(unnamed) 4.9 upsilon DRAco - -
--(close to phi) F8 3.6 chi DRAco - -
--(double) AOp 4.1 phi DRAco - -
Dziban2 (dble, white & yellow) 5.5 psi2 DRACO - -
Dziban1 F5 4.8 psi1 DRAco 19GEM04 84n11
--(unnamed) 4.9 omega DRAco - -

NODUS I (1st Knot of four B5 3.1 zeta DRAco 08VIR39 84n45
convolutions in the Dragon, as RHA lists it. (On 17th
century maps in Rand McNalley's Atlas of the Universe,
it is near the 3rd Knot, a more reasonaable sequence to
the modern eye, with the 1st Knot closer to the Head.)
About halfway between delta & zeta, within 7' of NGC 6543
at R.A. 17h58' Dec. 66n37', is the NORTH ECLIPTIC POLE,
the heart of the Egyptian constellation Hypopotamus in the
Denderah Zodiac, and the center of the Precessional Cycle
of 25,920 years.)

--(double, deep yellow & bluish; G5 2.9 *eta DRAco (see NOTE below)
epoch 2000--RA 16h 23m, DECl 61n30)
--(pole star) F8 4.1 theta DRAco - -
Edasich (pole star; this K2 3.4 iota DRAco 10VIR13 71n05
appears near the 4th Knot on 17th century maps;
Quadrantids, meteors of Jan. 1-5, radiate about 10d
south of iota, midway to Nekkar Bootes; these meteors
fancifully provide extensive "plumes" or even wings).

Thuban (pale yellow; name for AO 3.5 alpha DRAco 12LEO43 66n21
whole constellation--Dragon; Life or Judge of Heaven--
POLE star title, near pole in BC 2750; anciently of
2nd mag.)
--(unnamed) B5p 3.8 kappa DRAco - -
Giausar (Orange; in Dragon's MO 4.1 lambda DRAco 15CAN36 57n14
Tail; Persian--the Poison Place)
S1551 --listed by Skyglobe at 4.5 S1551 DRAco - -
the Tail End of Draco--likely this is the end shown on
older maps, but now is under the jaw of the modern
Camelopardalis formed in 1614. Another version in a 17th
century map in Rand McNalley's The Atlas of the Universe
shows the Tail End extending to the back of Ursa Minor,
our Little Dipper.
[Near the end of Draco's Tail on old maps: Skyglobe's
S2102, magnitude 5.3, near the Horn of the Camel; and S7522,
magnitude 5.0, near the Head of the Camel.]
**************************

NOTE on *ETA DRACO: From Archaeoastronomy in Pre-Columbian
America (Editor A.F. Aveni), M. P. Hatch's "An Astronomical Calendar
in a Portion of the Madrid Codex": (p286)"...the serpent positions
correlate exactly with the path of the constellation Draco as it would
have appeared in the evening sky at regular intervals as the year
progressed."
(p289) "Seeing that this text correlated so perfectly with the
path of Draco, it seemed improbable, even perhaps unbelievable, that
this constellation, composed of faint and inconspicuous stars, could
have had any sigificance for the Maya. However a check with P.V.
Neugebauer's Star Tables (1912) supplied the answer: the star ETA
DRACONIS had an absolutely unique characteristic in that for 2400 years
it alone among all the stars of the sky had a virtually unchanging
right ascension, a trait due to its particular relationship to the pole
of the ecliptic. During the millennia between 1800 BC and AD 500, a
time certainly encompassing the development of the Maya calendar, the
annual date of its meridian transit varied throughout by less than one
day.... Compare this with 75 days for Alpha Ursae Majoris, a star with
about the same declination. Such a trait would have made it an
excellent calendar star, for it would have provided an accurate measure
of the sidereal year for a long period of time, serving as a yardstick
for comparison not only between the solar and sidereal year, but also
for the precessional lag apparent in other stars. I have argued
elsewhere (Hatch 1971) that there is some evidence that early
Mesoamericans were observing midnight meridian transits for calendrical
purposes. Such a practice would have been consistent with the
conceptual framework of an obsession with the four cardinal directions
possessed by native Mesoamericans of that time."

***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************
***********************************************************************



M O R E A P P E N D I C E S:

Included herein -- a smattering of ideas on the related vibratory
frequencies of COLOR, SOUND and CHEMICAL ELEMENTS, with reference also
to Bode's Law and planetary orbits, and especially to Dinshah
Ghadiali's work on the LIGHT SPECTRUM COLORS whose primaries are Red,
Green & Violet. These excerpts suggest key ideas to pursue, just
sparkling teasers from the referenced books. As Mark Burstein says in
"Color and Music" in THE RAINBOW BOOK:

"Through the wonders of modern physics and chemistry we are ever
more conscious of the musical laws on which the very foundations of the
physical universe are based. The "smallest orbs," the atoms, we are
discovering, can best be described as a tuned system which has the
'harmonic rasonance and integrity of a plucked string.' It is these
musical properties which emit visible light, the foundation of the
science of spectroscopy, whereby we can deduce the chemical composition
of distant STARS by their light.
"In chemistry, the law of octaves, in which most chemical elements
tend to repeat essential characteristics at every eighth element (like
the musical scale), serves as much of the basis for the periodic table
of the elements, and therefore for modern chemistry."
* * * * * *


A BRIEF OUTLINE OF COLOR PSYCHOLOGY:
In this culture, the light spectrum is conceived of as having seven
bands: the warm colors are red, orange, & yellow; green is the
balancing color; and the cool colors are blue, indigo & violet. Color
has important visual, psychological and physiological effects.
Extraverted people may prefer the warm colors, and introverted the
cool. Red for the active, orange for the friendly, yellow for the
high-minded, blue-green for the fastidious.
RED - stimulates, excites, and gives a sense of power, a will to
win, (respiration rate and heartbeat speed up). Outgoing activity--
vital and impulsive. Red gets your attention, puts you on alert!
ORANGE - a combination of yellow and red, it has both physical
energy and mental qualities. The color of ideas and mental concepts,
it enlivens the emotions and creates a general sense of well-being and
cheerfulness.

YELLOW - a light and cheerful color, optimal environment for
thinking and for studying. A motor stimulant. Good psychologically
for despondent and melancholy conditions. It suggests joy, gaiety and
merriment, and hope & activity. The color of intellect and perception.
GREEN - the midway color of the spectrum is often associated with
nature, health and balance. It is emotionally soothing & can bring
harmony to an overworked nervous system. The color of energy, youth,
growth, fertility, hope and new life. Astringent. Self preserving.
BLUE - calming & relaxing, allowing balance and self regulation.
Cooling, soothing. The color of truth, devotion, loyalty, sincerity,
and sweetness.
INDIGO - Quieting. Promotes passivity, tranquility, unification,
contentment (peace plus gratification). United & secure with depth &
fullness. This color preference can indicate a tendency to be sensitve
& easily hurt.
VIOLET - a mixture of red & blue, it represents 'identification,'
perhaps mystic union, at least sensitive intimacy between subject and
object, or enchantment (with a somewhat unreal or wish-fullfillment
quality). Can be intimate, erotic, blending, or can be intuitive with
sensitive understanding.
*********************************************************************



NEW LIGHT ON THERAPEUTIC ENERGIES, Compiled and summarized by
Mark L. Gallert, M.D., M.SC., James Clarke & Co. Ltd., London 1966.

Gallert's essay "Chromo-Therapy" (Energies of Selected Frequencies
of Visible Light) is an excellent summation of Dinshah P. Ghadiali's
work in his SPECTRO-CHROME METRY ENCYCLOPAEDIA in three volumes.
Chromo-Therapy is a system of healing involving a philosophy, a
science, and a technique for application--healing by beams of colored
light directed toward the body.

[Colonel Dinshah P. Ghadiali was born in Bombay, India, November
28, 1873. He was conversant in 8 oriental and 8 occidental
languages, with degrees in medicine and electrical engineering. He
first came to America in 1896 and met Thomas Edison and Nicholas
Testla. His credits include: M.S-C. (Honorary), M.D., M.E., D.C.,
Ph.D., LL.D., N.D., D.Opt., D.F.S., D.H.T., D.M.T., D.S.T., etc.
Ex-Commander, New York Police Reserve Air Service; Fellow and Ex-
vice-President, Allied Medical Associations of America; Member,
American Association of Orificial Surgeons; Member, American
Association for Medico-Physical Research; Member and Ex-Vice-
President, National Association of Drugless Practitioners;
Academician and Life Member, Maryland Academy of Sciences; Life-
Member, American Anti-vivisection Society; Member Anti-Vaccination
League of London; President, Scientific Order of SpectroChrome
Metrists; President, Spectro-Chrome Institute.]

In a synopsis of Ghadiali's hypotheses of Chromo-Therapy, Gallert
says, "Colors represent chemical potencies in higher octaves of
vibration." Gallert describes Ghadiali's relation between colors and
chemicals, and the advantages of applying color vibration of chemicals
rather than the drugs themselves. According to Ghadiali, basically for
each organ and system of the body there is a particular color that
stimulates and another color that inhibits the action of that organ or
system. Following are excerpts from Gallert's presentation of
Ghadiali's rare books which introduce some of his concepts:


CHAPTER 1: Colors represent chemical potencies in vibratory form.
In the 7-band spectrum of light are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, & violet. To these 7 colors, Ghadiala adds 5 more in this
order to make TWELVE: RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, LEMON, GREEN, TURQUOISE,
BLUE, INDIGO, VIOLET, PURPLE, MAGENTA, & SCARLET.

"Light is a vibratory radiation--visible light represents the
oscillatory band corresponding to the 49th octave of vibration. Each
succeeding higher octave has twice the vibratory rate per second as its
predecessor--thus starting with two vibrations per second as the first
vibratory octave, we go up the scale, 4, 8, 16, 32 vibrations per
second until we come to the 49th doubling which gives the figure of
562,936,846,221,312 vibrations per second and comes very near the
center of the visible light band. It is the vibration of a certain
shade of GREEN.
"The difference between the different colors of visible light lie in
their vibration rate; RED, the color with the lowest vibratory rate,
having as oscillation of 436 trillion times per second, while VIOLET,
the color with the highest vibratory rate, has an oscillation of 731
trillion times per second.
"We have seen that each element (and it is from elements that all
compounds and chemical are made) has its own characteristic place in
the spectrum of light. The spectrum is the sequence of colors, often
spread out over a wide area by instruments for closer visual
observation. The difference between one point on the visible spectrum
and another point on the spectrum, is solely a difference in the
vibratory rate or frequence of vibrations per second. The difference
between different colors is likewise solely a matter of vibratory rate.
The different elements produce different colors when disintegrated,
which is another way of saying that each element, mental or chemical
has its own vibratory rate and the color produced is represenative of
that vibratory rate. All visible colors have a vibratory rate in the
range of 436 to 731 trillion oscillations per second. All elements
likewise have spectral lines within that range."


VOLUME I of Ghadiali's Encyclopedia, p 386, gives the oscillation
frequency of attuned color waves (trillion) per second.

Red 436,803,079,680,000
Orange 473,695,231,680,000 (red & yellow)
Yellow 510,587,383,680,000
Lemon 547,479,535,680,000 (yellow & green)
Green 584,371,687,680,000
Turquoise 621,263,839,680,000 (green & blue)
Blue 658,155,991,680,000
Indigo 695,048,143,680,000 (blue & violet
Violet 731,940,295,680,000

Purple 621,263,839,680,000 reverse of Turquoise (violet & yellow)
Magenta 584,371,687,680,000 reverse of Green (red & violet)
Scarlet 547,479,535,680,000 reverse of Lemon (red & blue)


GREEN
-0-
. | .
Lemon o . | . o Turquoise
. | .
YELLOW -O . . . . . . . . .|. . . . . . . . . O- BLUE
. . | . .
. . | . .
Orange o . | . o Indigo
. . | . .
. . | . .
RED -0 . . . . . . . . .|. . . . . . . . . 0- VIOLET
. | .
Scarlet o . | . o Purple
. | .
-0-
MAGENTA

[Jim Eshelman]

In Appendix I to "Chromo-Therapy," Gallart gives Ghadiali's
Correlation between Colors and Elements. Following is only a few of
the 'predominant' elements for each color. I.E., this list is not
complete.

RED - cadmium, `hydrogen';
ORANGE - aluminum, `calcium', `copper', selenium, silicon;
YELLOW -`carbon', magnesium, `sodium', tin;
LEMON - `gold', `iodine', `iron', phosphorus, `silver', `sulphur';
GREEN - `chlorine', `nitrogen';
TURQUOISE - `fluorine', `mercury', `nickel', `zinc';
BLUE - `oxygen';
INDIGO-`bismuth', lead;
VIOLET - `cobalt';
SCARLET - `manganese';
MAGENTA - `potassium';
PURPLE - `bromine'.


CHAPTER 2: The Basic Colors of Metabolism
"It is well known to biologists, doctors, etc. that the human pro-
cess of metabolism is a balance between the two processes of Anabolism
and Catabolism. To define these terms, anabolism is the building
process by which energy is produced, tissues created and maintained,
damage to cells from accident or disease is repaired, etc., while
catabolism is the opposite process which is necessary to keep growth
from running wild, and to eliminate waste products from the body.
"In degenerative diseases, anabolism is weak and catabolism has the
upper hand, which means that tissue repair is inadequate and organs
therefore degenerate.
"In toxic disease, catabolism is deficient, with the result that
toxic or waste substances pile up in the body and poison the entire
system.
"In cancer and other tumorous conditions, anabolism is excessive and
catabolism low, so that the growth principle gets out of hand.
"Good health can be maintained only if a proper balance is kept
between the two processes of anabolism and catabolism, which together
represent metabolism.
"Ghadiali terms the two opposite processes as construction and
destruction. In the human body, it is found that red is the color of
construction and activates the liver. Similarly, violet is the color
of destruction and activates the spleen."

"The central or balancing color of the spectrum of visible light is
GREEN. In the solar spectrum there are three colors on each side of
green. Is it not interesting that green is the color which activates
or encourages the activity of the pituitary gland...which has long been
known to be the controlling or master gland which regulates the action
of all other glands in the body, and through those other glands, the
action of every part of the body. It is particularly appropriate,
then, that green, the central color of the visible spectrum, is the ray
which fosters blance in the body between the opposing actions of the
liver and the spleen, between anabolism and catabolism, and that this
is accomplished through the medium of the pituitary gland.
"From the foregoing it will be understood that RED, GREEN and VIOLET
are the primary colors in chromo-therapy. Contrary to popular belief,
they are also the primary colors of visible light! Red, Yellow and
Blue are the primary colors when working with pigments, but light rays
follow different laws from those that apply to the mixing of pigments."


CHAPTER 3: Additional Properties of the Primary Colors
"RED - stimulates the sensory nerves; of benefit in the deficient
action of any of the 5 senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste & touch).
"GREEN - carries the chemical potency of chlorine, a disinfectant &
germicide, & is the germicidal and purifying color. The color
equivalent of nitrogen, the largest component of proteins, which build
muscles and other cell tissues in the body. Balancing in physical and
emotional processes. Calming when used on the head.
"VIOLET - splenic stimulat, a motor nerve depressant & a lymphatic
depressant, therefore calming in emotional excesses, irritability, and
in excessive hunger."


CHAPTER 4: Use of Colors for Injection, Extraction & Balancing of
Vibratory Energies (with reference to the cool and warm sides of the
spectrum)
"Affinity in chemistry refers to attraction. In chromo-therapy,
affinity waves have opposite attributes or qualites, hence they seek
one another to combine or neutralize. Just as hydrogen and oxygen have
an attraction for one another and rush towards combination (on the
application of a spark) to produce water, 'so do the attuned color
waves absorb affinity waves wherever they be found in the body, and
convert them into netrality.'
"The AFFINITY PAIRS, that is, the waves having the opposite
attributes are: red and blue; orange and indigo; yellow and violet;
lemon and turquoise; scarlet and purple."

However, both GREEN AND MAGENTA are balancing and have the same
numerical vibratory rate, but have the opposite direction of rotation,
and have different effects. From Chapter 16: "How can two colors be
different and at the same time have the same vibratory rate: The
answer is that the vibatory rate is not the only factor of color, just
as the numbers of atoms are not the only factors in the construction of
molecules. Kerosene and attar of roses both have the same chemical
formula--C4 B4. Coal and diamonds have the same formula of consituent
atoms, but what a difference! In matter, the difference lies in the
way in which the atoms are assembled together. The atoms assembled in
different sequences produce different results. The same atoms
assembled in different sequences produce different results. With
light, the difference lies in the direction of rotation with respect to
the plane of polarized light. Magenta has the opposite direction of
rotation from green."


Appendix II: Red, Green & Violet--the Primary colors of Light
"l. The visible spectrum at the high frequency end, starts not at
Blue but with Violet. Green is the middle color in the visible
sequence of Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red.
"2. If green light was the product of yellow and blue and therefore a
secondary color, then green could not continue to exist when yellow and
blue have disappeared. Turn a prism so that all seven colors are seen,
then gradually revolve the prism--yellow and blue disappear and only
red, green and violet are left. Any further rotation eliminates all
color until the full spectrum again re-appears.
"3. If yellow light was a primary color, it could not be a product
of other colors. But red and green lights projected from two lanterns
on a screen, merge into yellow.
"4. Similarly, violet and green slides produce blue when the beams
merge on a screen, showing that blue cannot be a primary color.
"5. In a darkened room, look through a prism at an electric bulb
with a rheostat in the circuit. Start with no current--as rheostat is
turned, red appears first; with more light, green becomes visible; with
still more light, violet makes it appearance, and with additional
light, all seven colors show."


CHAPTER 5: The Secondary Colors (YELLOW, BLUE, MAGENTA)
The three secondary colors are each half-way between a pair of
primary colors, as halfway between the vibratory rate of red and green
is YELLOW; halfway between green & violet is BLUE; halfway between red
& violet is MAGENTA.

MAGENTA has the same vibratory rate as green. See CHAPTER 16: The
Secret of Magenta. It energizes the adrenal glands, the heart action,
and the sex mechanism. Gallert quotes Ghadiali who states, "Green,
through the head, forms the North pole of the human body; the magenta,
through the genitals and allied sex mechanism, forms the South pole of
the human body....This refers...to the fact that the endocrines, or
internal secretion products from glandular structure, operate in unison
and as one mechanism, and not separately as many would believe. Thus,
the functions of both green and magenta go hand in hand--same as the
poles of the magnet which can never be isolated being dual in
manifestation."


CHAPTER 6: Properties of YELLOW.
"...activates the moter nerves and is therefore the energy generator
for muscles....is of aid in energizing the alimentary tract and in
improving digestions when latter is sluggish....It also stimulates the
flow of bile and has an anthelmintic action (antagonistic to parasites
or worms)."


CHAPTER 7: Properties of BLUE
"Blue is one of the most useful of the colour rays, due to its
action previously described in combating inflammation and fever, and in
the aid for healing burns caused by an excess of heat energy. Blue
also helps to relieve pain, allay itching, and, through carrying the
potency or vibratory correspondence of oxygen, it acts as a builder of
vitality. It has a calming and soothing influence, and while not as
sedative in effect as indigo, it still can have a marked effect in
aiding some individuals to overcome insomnia."


CHAPTER 8: The Tertiary Colors (ORANGE, LEMON, TURQUOISE, INDIGO,
SCARLET, & PURPLE)
******************************************************************



THE RAINBOW BOOK, edited by R. Lanier Graham. A collection of
essays and illustrations devoted to rainbows in particular & spectral
sequences in general. Vintage Books, New York 1979.

The following excerpts are all from essays in THE RAINBOW BOOK and
are presented for their own interest, but also for comparison to
Dinshah Ghadiali's work referenced above. Particularly of note are
some of the listed vibratory similarities between COLOR AND SOUND.
Also included is a reference to Bode's Law's on the orbital relations
of the planets. "His formula is remarkably similar to the formula for
the frequency of successive octaves of the musical tone, G."


Chapter 4: The Music of the Spheres
"Harmony and Harmonics" by Evans G. Valens

page 113:
"A string cannot vibrate except in integral parts: as one whole, as
two halves, as three thirds, etc. Thus we have further confirmation of
Pythagoras' assertion that musical intervals are based upon ratios
among simple whole numbers...."
"What Pythagoras had to say about the relation between pitch and
the length of a string applies not only to music but to all forms of
wave motion, including light and radio waves.
"Visible light occupies approximately one octave in the long
keyboard of the electromagnetc spectrum, the range fo wavelengths
between 760 millimicrons (red) and 385 millimicrons (violet).
Physicist Hermann von Helmholtz amused himself by comparing the colors
of this octave directly with notes of the diatonic scale:

G ultraviolet
F, F# violet
E indigo blue
D# cyanogen blue
D greenish blue
C# green
C yellow
A# orange-red
G#, A red
G infrared

"Pythagoras would have been pleased--smugly pleased, perhaps--to
know that his basic musical ratios reflect a common periodic pattern in
nature. But he certainly would have been saddened to know that his
musical scale, as modified by Archytas, is not after all precisely the
scale to which our pianos are tuned today.
"The scale of Pythagoras and Archytas worked beautifully, but only
in the key in which a particular instrument was tuned. Do-re-mi played
in the key signature of G (G-A-B) did not sound quite the same
intervals as did do-re-mi in the key of C (C-D-E).
"So today we have an "equally tempered" scale in which the ratio
between each pair of semitones (B to C, or C to C#, for example) is
identical. This is the scale invented by Andreas Werckmeister in 1691,
an octave of twelve semitones. The frequency of each semi-tone is the
twelfth root of two times as great as that of the one below--the same
ration as that of the distances between any two successive pairs of
frets on a guitar."
********************************************


from THE RAINBOW BOOK
"COLOR AND MUSIC" The Search for the Spectral Song
Section I by Mark Burstein (Rael)

pages 114, 115:
"The visible spectrum occupies nearly an octave of the
electromagnetic spectrum and like all electromagnetic phenomena such
as electricity, radio, and television, requires no material medium
for transmission. The vibrations move at the speed of light. As the
'pitch' (frequency) of the vibration increases in the band from 430 to
760 trillion cycles per second, we observe a change of hue from red to
violet. Below and beyond these, frequencies are invisible to us."

"As in the electromagnetic spectrum, where infrared and ultraviolet
energies frame the visible just beyond our direct perception, so in
sound sub- and ultra- sonics are useful in science. In the octaves
just below the lowest note on a piano are vibrations harmonizing with
the alpha, beta, and theta wave cycles of brain activity.
"There are other striking similarities, As waves, both are capable
of reflection, diffration, refraction, and interference. The purely
physical phenomena of intensity, frequency and wave form are related to
the psychological ones of loudness, pitch and timber in music;
intensity, hue and shade in color.....
"Interestingly enough, these concepts are almost directly opposite
in color and music. Adjacent and opposite colors on the circle of hues
blend well, where in music adjacent and opposite (the Tritone) notes
are the most dissonant. Of course, these terms in both cases indicate
combinations that are pleasant or unpleasant within our culture, and,
as such, have changed much in the course of history.
"The fact that the visible spectrum occupies the same range as the
musical interval of the (minor) seventh suggests that we compare the
musical octave (that is the scale of notes) with the visible one (the
spectrum). That there are seven (diatonic) notes and seven colors is
suggestive, although it seems to have been based on a preconceived
analogy in the mind of Sir Isaac Newton. Through other cultures and
periods of history, humanity has had three, five and six colored
rainbows, and five, six and twelve note scales. The number seven has
always had extraordinary numerological significance to the Western
world, from the Egyptian-Pythagorean mysteries, through the alchemists
and astrologers, to astronomy and nuclear physics (atomic shells) in
today's world. Newton, it seems evident from his diaries and OPTICKS,
was anxious to fit his newly-discovered spectrum into the seven-toned
musical modes then (as now) in vogue."

"It should always be remembered, however, that in both cases there
are infinite gradations, infinite intervals, for artists and musicians
to choose those more pleasing and useful in their work."

page 116:
"Through the wonders of modern physics and chemistry we are ever
more conscious of the musical laws on which the very foundations of the
physical universe are based. The "smallest orbs," the atoms, we are
discovering, can best be described as a tuned system which has the
'harmonic rasonance and integrity of a plucked string.' It is these
musical properties which emit visible light, the foundation of the
science of spectroscopy, whereby we can deduce the chemical composition
of distant stars by their light.
"In chemistry, the law of octaves, in which most chemical elements
tend to repeat essential characteristics at every eighth element (like
the musical scale), serves as much of the basis for the periodic table
of the elements, and therefore for modern chemistry."

page 121:
"Attempts to relate color and music in too literal a manner have
generally met with failure, and it is only by drawing attention to the
common inner properties of motion, rhythm, harmony, atmosphere, and
feeling that we bing to touch on areas of the soul in which their
harmony is based not on superficial resemblance, but rather in truth
upon an underlying unity."

page 125, FOOTNOTE 3:
1. "There appears to be no single one-to-one relationship between
color and music.
2. "The response seems almost always to be a pattern response to
the total stimulus, rather than a summation of response to parts."

"The chart [below, on Frequency Relationships] compares the
frequencies of light with an octave of music just above middle C.
The frequencies of light waves have been taken down forty octaves by
successive division by 2. It is saying that an exact octave harmonic
of G, for example, would vibrate in the range of red light. However,
this is at best an analogy for in reality a string produces NO such
harmonic and its energy, even if it did, would not be electromagnetic."

{In order to compare the color values, 'metaphorically' then, in
Dinshah Ghadiali's SPECTRO-CHROME-METRY (Chromo-Therapy) work more
easily, Ghadiali's colors from preceding section have been added to
the below chart.}


FREQUENCY RELATIONSHIPS (in cps, cycles per second)
{GHADIALI} FREQUENCY
{trillion/cps} DOWN 40 FREQUENCY
FREQUENCY COLOR OCTAVES (Chromatic) NOTE
(x 10 to 12th power)
430 very dark red 391.3 392 G
{436.8 RED} 440 dark red 400.4
450 dark red 409.5
460 darkish red 418.6 415 G#
{473.7 ORANGE} 470 Red 427.7
480 red-orange 436.8 440 A
490 orangish-red 445.9
500 redish-orange 455.0
{510.6 YELLOW} 510 light orange 464.1 466 A#
520 Yellow 473.2
530 greenish yellow 482.3
540 yellow green 491.4 494 B
{547.5* LEMON} 550 yellow green 500.5
{562.9 Center} 560 light Green 509.6
570 Green 518.7
{584.4* GREEN} 580 Green 527.8 523 C
590 Green 536.9
600 bluish green 546.0
610 blue green 555.1 553 C#
{621.3*TURQUOISE} 620 Sky Blue 564.1
630 bluish indigo 573.2
640 Indigo 582.3
650 Indigo 591.4 587 D
{658.1 BLUE} 660 Indigo 600.5
670 indigo violet 609.6
680 indigo violet 618.7 622 D#
690 light violet 627.8
{695.0 INDIGO} 700 Violet 636.9
710 Violet 646.0
720 dark violet 655.1 659 E
{731.9 VIOLET} 730 dark violet 664.2
740 dark violet 673.3
750 very dark violet 682.4
698 F

{*Reversed: }
{621.3 PURPLE }
{584.4 MAGENTA}
{547.5 SCARLET}

*******************


page 127:
From Harvard Dictionary of Music: ..."A different interpretation of
cosmic harmony was given by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), who found that
the aphelions and perihelions of the six planets (moving around the Sun
in elliptical orbits) are in the same ratios as the basic musical
intervals: 4/5 (major third) for Saturn; 5/6 (minor third) for
Jupiter; 2/3 (fifth) for Mars; 15/16 (half-tone) for the earth; 24/25
(diesis) for Venus; 5/12 (octave plus minor third) for Mercury.
***************************************

[Jim Eshelman]

[BASICS] Composite Talents: Summarizing Angles & Aspects &
Constellations, Kay Cavender. Condensed information on what's
essential for judging a chart and how to sum it up. What are the
general principles in any chart? Does our astrological orientation
equal our astronomical orientation? And finally, what are our basic
philosophic values which shape our interpretation of life and charts?
Our convictions as to how the universe is shaped can help or prevent us
from benefiting from any method for searching for realities.
* * * *


BASICS: COMPOSITE TALENTS:
SUMMARIZING ANGLES & ASPECTS & CONSTELLATIONS
Kay Cavender

A good, basic framework for understanding a nativity in the Star
Constellation Zodiac (as distinct from the "signs") is as follows:
A> Aspects to the lights (Sun & Moon); B> Angular planets/lights &
their aspects. C> Constellations of lights & ASC. Within that frame-
work, I began looking for indicators of intellect [a 'how-fancy-is-
your-Mercury?' question] and noticed the multiple ways Mercury is
emphasized in those who specialize in mental activity. That search
broadened to other talents. Currently the concept of different
learning styles is filtering through to public awareness. Just one
book, educator T. Armstrong's IN THEIR OWN WAY defines at least 7
learning styles, a valuable way of understanding other talents than
mentation, and a rich research field for comparison to astrological
talents.
When a person has an outstanding quality (talent, or characteristic)
it is astrologically indicated MORE THAN ONCE by planetary and/or
constellation archetypes. Again, this is within the basic STAR
CONSTELLATION framework, and with 15 DEGREE (ecliptic plane) ASPECTS to
the lights, and with planets/lights "ON" (not to) the mundane angles.
The angles (ASC=East, MC=South, DSC=West, & IC=North) are 'derived'
from the Earth's daily 24 hour rotation in relation to the Sun, as
Sunrise, Noon, Sunset, & Midnight.
Let me also note that each archetype has in its virtue the seed of
its vice, both the expressions of its principle; and likewise in the
vice the seed of its virtue. For instance, Michelangelo, (Sun in
starfield PISCES for creative imagination) saw in a block of stone the
form of David and hewed it out. And yet, PIS/NEP folk are often
accused of seeing things that aren't there. An actor by virtue of NEP
conveys a truth thru illusion, and yet NEP is accused of unreal
feelings. The paradox is the key here. If a talent is strong, it will
be more of an asset and more of a liability, both simultaneously.
Within each planetary expression, there is that vice-virtue continuum.
For instance, for MERCURY, a youthful playfulness can also used as
games-manship; quick intellect can be virtuoso trickery. VENUS' loving
sociability can be spineless compromising. The MOON'S empathy &
emotional support - emotional dependence. MARS' bravery - brutality.
JUPITER'S positive outlook - selective snobbery. SATURN'S conservatism
- blockage. URANUS' individuality & creativity - eccentricity &
nuttiness. NEPTUNE'S sensitivity - spacecase foolishness. PLUTO'S
laser focus - fundamentist radicalism. "Virtue itself turns vice,
being misapplied; And vice sometime's by action dignified" -
(Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.)


These following little lists for tallying composites are additional
to the traditional concept of the similarity between the planets'
dignities (i.e., rulerships) and the constellations. The rulership-
constellation connection is consistent ONLY in the original star
constellation zodiac and is the basis for the lists. In other words,
the correspondences between planet & "sign" do not work in the tropical
signs because of the signs' displacement or precession from the
original constellations. Hence the Sidereal Zodiac provides a
consistent symbolism that allows for immediate and obvious
interpretation.
Follows is TALLY LIST for drawing it all together. Do not think
however that 3 or 4 points of emphasis for one talent is more important
than 2 points. It depends on what is tallied. I submit these for
noting special emphasis of a talent, not as a "rating" because of the
number of points. This LIST is valuable in focusing on a chart's
strongest qualities, and for comparison of similarities between charts.
Mainly, these little lists and notes give keys for synthesis, and are
significant not only for what is included, but also for what is
excluded.


COMPOSITE TALENTS LIST:
TALLYING UP ANGLES, ASPECTS & CONSTELLATIONS

SUN MOON PLANETS
Sun ASC (esp in *LEO) Moon ASC(esp in *CAN) Pluto ASC(esp in*ARI)
Sun Angular Moon Angular Pluto Angular
Moon-Sun Aspect Pluto with Light/s
Sun LEO Moon CAN ARI Sun
LEO ASC CAN ASC ARI ASC
Sun conj T.P./C.Q.D.** Moon conj T.P./C.Q.D** ***
*the constellation of its dignity
**Turning Points / Cross-Quarter Days (see SEASONS)
***Moon Constellation omitted deliberately!

SUN CONSTELLATION: (Example: Scorpio)
Sun' strongest aspect is to its constn ruler (SCO Sun to Mars)
Sun's constn ruler angular (Mars Angular)
Moon's strongest aspect to Sun's constn ruler (Moon to Mars)
ASC in same constn (very potent if Sun ASC) (SCO Sun & ASC)
Moon in same constn (SCO Sun & Moon)

MOON CONSTELLATION: (Example: Pisces)
Moon's strongest aspect is to its constn ruler (PIS Moon to Nep)
Moon's constn ruler angular (Nep Angular)
Sun's strongest aspect to Moon's constn ruler (Sun to Nep)
ASC in same constn (PIS Moon & ASC)
Sun in same constn (PIS Moon & Sun)

ASC CONSTELLATION: (Ex: Aquarius)
Ruler Angular (especially ascending) (Uranus Angular)
Sun in same constn (AQU Sun & ASC)
Moon in same constn (AQU Moon & ASC)
Asc ruler aspects Sun (Sun to Uranus)
Asc ruler aspects Moon (Moon to Uranus)

* * *


ANGULAR PLANET/S:
Aspecting planets modify angular planets, and aspecting lights
modify & intensify angular planet/s.
ANGULAR LIGHT/S: Likewise, if the light is angular, its strongest
aspected planet is also significant. If light is ascending as
constellation ruler, then it is very significant.

SPECIAL NOTE ON LIGHTS: When the lights aspect each other strongly,
they are more intensified and will aspect the same planets (note
that the MOON is the energy MOST featured in Sun-Moon aspects).
Also lights are more potent "ON" the Angles (ASC-DSC, MC-IC,
generated by the 24 hour day).


See file [4SPHERES] for discussion of 3 astronomical systems (Ecliptic,
Equatorial & Horizon) used in astrology. Therein see HORIZON System
for discussion of Rapt Parallels.
HONORABLE MENTION #1: "Rapt Parallels," or bodies in Parallel Altitude
have the effect of a strong conjunction; especially if one or both
Lights are involved. Also Elevation, the distance up from the
Horizon (ASC-DES), has been considered important & bears watching.

HONORABLE MENTION #2: The idea of the Ruler of the Ascendant as key to
a nativity has ancient roots. I have found "aspects" to the Ruler
of Ascendant sometimes helpful as a point of emphasis.

HONORABLE MENTION #3: The "Crossings" of lights and/or planets in the
latitude (Declination) of birth, as indicated in ASTRO CARTO GRAPHY
maps, I find are a part of natal potential, a kind of secondary
angularity, according to location on Earth.

CUSPS: Think of CUSPS as CENTERS, not boundaries. The angles of the
DAY represent the centers of Watches/Houses. South/Noon/MC &
North/Midnight/IC are peak times of a day cycle, not beginnings.
Although East/Dawn/ASC & West/Dusk/DSC on the horizon do seem mark
points of simultaneous balance & change, they are still the midpoints
of their respective part of the day. Similarly the aspects of the
Synodic MOON PHASE, such as conjunction(new), opposition(full) &
square(quarters), etc., are the "midpoints" or centers of a phase, not
the beginning or ending. A full Moon is maximum light and the dark/new
Moon is maximum dark; both are peak times of a cycle; a full moon does
not "begin" its fullness at its peak. Similar to the horizon angles,
the quarter Moons are pivotal points of balance & change. Again, the
SEASONAL points, the Solstices (MIDsummer's Day & MIDwinter's Day) and
the Equinoxes (points of "equal" days & nights) are the MIDPOINTS of
the seasons not the beginnings and can be thought of as a kind of cusp.
Much confusion in understanding cycles will clear up if the above is
taken into consideration. Or, think of the DAY, MONTH and YEAR as
cycles, whose significant seasonal markers are "midway" in each
quarter. Look to the Cross-Quarter Days as the beginnings of each
season as they were anciently regarded. See below SEASONS.

ANGLES: Earth's daily 24 hour rotation creates the angles/directions:
sunrise/East=ASC; noon/South=MC; sunset/West=DSC; & midnight/North=IC.
1> If a light is angular, its strongest planet is also significant. As
noted, either light ASC as constellation ruler is significant, but also
note that each light is distinct from the other. 2> Conversely, if a
planet is angular & strongly aspects either (or both lights), that
light becomes also significant. ANGULARITY is in most cases more
potent than ecliptic aspects. It would seem that Einstein's insistence
on everything being relative to the observer is borne out by viewing
our relation to the universe from the focus of the earth's horizon
where we are. Anciently "horoscope" meant the degree of zodiac rising
on eastern horizon.

The angles of day (see astronomical Horizon System and Equatorial
System in file [4SHPERES]) are distinct from ecliptic longitude aspects
of Sun & Moon (see Ecliptic System). This is an absolutely crucial
point in distinguishing angles and aspects. Astrologically, one must
have reference to at least three astronomical systems: Ecliptic
(longitude & latitude); Equatorial (Declination & RAMC); and Horizon
(Altitude & Azimuth). I do NOT find that "aspects to" the angles are
significant. A planet must be bodily present (conjunct) ON the horizon
and/or culminating south or north to be potent. For instance, if the
Sun is sextile the horizon (ASC or DSC) from under the horizon in the
north, there will still be NO light. (Note: conjunct or rather
'parallel' Declinations in the Equatorial System, especially to Sun &
Moon, are significant in the latitude in which they occur.)

Note: Different rules apply to each of the Earth's Angles/Directions--
MC-IC vs. ASC-DSC: consider stars CULMINATING (MC-IC) south and north
with the lights and planets in reference to "only" longitude [see
Horizon & Equatorial Systems]. Such vertical "alignment" of any stars,
planets, or lights in RAMC on the Meridian circle has honorable mention
from ancient times. In reference to the HORIZON, rising/ascending
and/or setting/descending stars parallel with the lights or planets
would seem to be very significant. (See Horizon System)

ASPECTS: Generally on any map, two coordinates (E-W rotation, and N-S
midway to pole) are needed to locate an object in space. However, 15
DEGREE ARC ASPECTS in ecliptic longitude (without latitude) are
generally significant because of the immense (solar system) plane
involved. (Obviously, ecliptic latitude indicates the exactness of an
ecliptic longitude aspect, and there are significant exceptions. See
file [4SPHERES] for reference to the astronomical systems.) One of the
most basic keys to judging which quality is strongest in a chart
lies in understanding aspects in relation to orbs. What are the
strongest and weakest aspects? What is effective orb? Given that,
is a conjunction(the strongest aspect) of a light&planet of 3 degrees
orb weaker that an exact semi-square(the weakest aspect) of and 0
degrees orb? What is the cutting point?
The strongest aspects are the conjunction, opposition and square.
These strongest aspects diminish in intensity in 15 degree arcs down to
45 degrees (halfway between conjunction and waxing square; and halfway
between waning square and conjunction), and down to 135 degrees
(halfway between waxing square and opposition; and halfway opposition
and waning square).
The other half of the problem is to understand effective orb in
relation to 15 degree aspects. With a maximum orb of about 3 degrees,
a system called the Quindecimus (meaning "15") Orb-Aspect System for
measuring optimum intensity of combined ORB and ASPECT is a very good
rule-of-thumb method. See [ORB-ASPECT] file. The QUINDECIMUS ORB-
ASPECT System takes into consideration that effective orb is actually
closer to 2-1/2 degrees but allows 3 degrees orb as a drag-net. (This
system is for measuring aspects in ecliptic longitude, not angles.
Often more degrees are allowed for orb on the angles to allow for
inaccurate recording of birth times as the angles change degrees
approximately every 4 minutes.)

MOON PHASE (MOON-EARTH-SUN ASPECTS) The monthly synodic/lunation cycle
of 29 1/2 days (please note: it's 29.5 days, not 27 or 28 days) is
emphasized when the lights closely aspect each other (especially in
terms of close 15 degree arcs). The strongest MOON phases are new
(conjunction), full (opposition), and quarters (square). Hence, when
the lights closely aspect each other, a special intensity of MOON is
indicated, and the lights are likely to aspect the same planets. Note
also when potent Moon-Sun aspects conjunct the Seasonal points, there
is more intensity.

SEASONS (EARTH-SUN CYCLE) Consider the seasons include 8 Hinges of the
Year: the TURNING POINTS of the 2 equinoxes & 2 solstices to be sure,
but also the 4 Cross-Quarter Days. When either light (in natals or
cycle charts) is conjunct any Turning Point, the quality of that light
is significantly "highlighted." The Turning Points are a kind of
"SEASONAL ANGULARITY" derived from the Earth's orbit around the Sun
yearly (365 1/4 days); these are located by the SVP (Synetic Vernal
Point), currently* 5 deg PISCES 19' for the spring equinox, with same
degree in Gemini, Virgo, & Sagittarius for respectively the summer
solstice, fall equinox, and winter solstice. (*currently = date of
notes.)
To get the Cross-Quarter Days, one can add 45 degrees to Equinoxes
& Solstices: currently, that gives 20 deg 19' of Aries-Libra and
Cancer-Capricorn. [Perhaps because of precession, the Cross-Quarter
Days are recorded as celebrated 40 days after the solstices and
equinoxes and would thus be 15 deg 19' in above constellations. See
Barry Fell's AMERICA B.C. for most interesting findings on ancient
celebrations.] Please note that these are special points of emphasis
during the "year" (an Earth-Sun revolution), and constitute the unique
astrological significance of the seasons.
Even though the spring equinox is erroneously considered the
beginning of the signs, the signs have NOTHING to do with the
constellations from which they took their names. The seasons,
which are pinned to the equinoxes & solstices, take place within the
framework of the constellations, and the seasons precess backwards
through the constellations. Ancient observances such as Beltane(once
May Eve), Lammas(once August Eve), Samhain(once November's Eve), &
Candlemas(once February Eve) were the Cross-Quarter Days. [In Barbara
Walker's Women's Rituals, the chapter on "Seasonal Rituals - The Eight
Hinges of the Year" gives the very best description of seasonal
meanings "for the northern hemisphere" that I have seen.]

In summary, all life on Earth exists within and because of 3 main
INTERLOCKING CYCLES: the day, the month, and the year. These are
represented respectively by the angles; the Moon-Sun phase
relationship; and the Earth's yearly orbit around the Sun with the 4
seasons' Turning Points (Equinoxes & Solstices) and the 4 Cross-Quarter
Days. Garth Allen's work with the APEX of the Sun's Way (Capricorn
Ingress) may well represent that point of connection between our Solar
System and the Galaxy. The above lists are derived from these three
cycles which occur within our solar system, which in turn exists within
the neighborhood of other stars and constellations, the framework for
understanding our relationship to the universe and ourselves.




STARS/CLUSTERS: See file on [ORB-ASPECT] for comment on orb on stars
close to ecliptic/zodiac. Ecliptic stars in conjunction (or
opposition) intensify the power of lights and planets, but within a
2-1/2 degree orb, in both ecliptic longitude and ecliptic latitude
(north and/or south of the ecliptic).
* * * *



Note: According to historian and language expert Rupert Gleadow
[Foreword 10th Aug 1959, Astrology Moray Series, No.2, "Wars In the
Sidereal," by Brigadier R.C. Firebrace], originally & anciently, the
occurrence of the equinoxes & solstices in whatever constellations
constituted the constellations' cardinality!!! Gleadow says, "It is
more than doubtful whether we should speak of 'cardinal
constellations.' The cardinal signs were originally so called in the
Latin translation of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, but only because they were
measured from the four turning-points of the zodiac, the solstices and
equinoxes. The cardinal constellations, if there are any, SHOULD
THEREFORE NOW BE GEMINI, VIRGO, SAGITTARIUS AND PISCES, and should
remain so until the equinox enters Aquarius." To summarize, since the
spring equinox now occurs about 5 degrees 19 minutes of PISCES, that
means that now the CARDINAL constellations are 5 degrees 19 minutes
VIR-PIS, GEM-SAG -- thus eroding the basis of Fagan's "hub, spokes &
rim" interpretation, which are but a rewarmed version of fixed,
cardinal & mutable designations respectively.
* * * * * * *


* * * *


A final and MOST BASIC philosophic point, one cannot emphasize
enough that no archetype is good or bad in itself. Venus can do you in
with arsenic in your best chocolates sweetly, and you are just as dead
as if Mars&Saturn chops you up into little pieces with a hatchet. Any
horoscope is comprised of the elements of time and space. One cannot
tell if that horoscope is for a barn raising, or any other event, an
animal's birth or a human's. GIVEN THAT IT IS FOR A HUMAN, NEITHER CAN
ONE TELL IF THAT PERSON IS MALE OR FEMALE, GENIUS OR IDIOT, SAINT OR
SINNER. The intent is in the person; the horoscope shows only those
talents that a person will use for accomplishing his or her purposes.
But given that you know it is for a man or woman in a particular
century, in a particular culture, there are universal (general)
qualities which can be known. And in this study of universals as
expressed through character is the great joy of expanding one's
understanding beyond the everyday personal limits. For instance, the
tendency of URANUS to be evident in engineering charts would not be as
common for women (if in the U.S.) because of cultural restraints on
womens' occupations. Nor for most folk in other cultures. One has to
go to character to see the quality of mind that is inventive & unique.
Perhaps in the existing hunter-gatherer cultures, a medicine-person
with Uranus strongly emphasized may discover new herbs or new ways of
using herbs. Though understanding more of one's and/or another's
character is greatly interesting and rewarding, the accompanying
concept of the universality of such qualities gifts one with the sense
of the continuity and universality of consciousness itself.
As a corollary to the above premise/s, let me address the bugaboo of
"prediction," which for many people and astrologers defines whether an
astrologer or astrology is valid. All too many astrologers fall into
the ego-trap of pinning their ability as an astrologer on trying to
"predict" events for folk. I simply find that many astrologers are
psychic and, however impeded or aided by symbol systems, can often
sense situations for other folk. When they are "wrong," does that
disprove them as an astrologer? Yes, if that's the limits of what they
think astrology is. But this view does not allow for choice and our
ability to change events in our lives which we do daily, particularly
if we heed forewarnings of any kind. So one best virtue of a dire
prediction may be in the impetus to change the predicted outcome, thus
seemingly invalidating the prediction. An astrologer who claims great
percentages in accurate predictions is a laughable liar who discredits
the study of astrology; he's not dealing with astrological archetypes
to begin with. A psychic reader, perhaps another matter.
In accord with my understanding of the general nature of the
archetypes and my preferred focus to understand the inner nature of a
person and/or event, it seems stupid to try to name the event as if
that were already written. Events to a large extent depend on an
individual's choice and/or reactions which can and does cause, change,
prevent and/or affirm events. Such expectation pressures an astrologer
to be all-knowing and totally disregards commonplace observation of
people's ability to change their lives.
So following my philosophy, should this section be bare? What can
be known about future events? If a Mars Transit occurs (to one's
lights and/or natal or locational angles), is this a terrible
indication of aggressive energy resulting in anger or accidents? For
an athlete, it might be devoutly hoped and prayed for, and at the
Olympics may result in crowning glory. It is in an individual's use of
Mars energy which indicates whether he be trophy winner or trophy, hero
or bully. Whereas a Venus Transit, thought to be "benefic," may only
result in a nice time at the Olympics. Generally one can find if there
will be, figuratively speaking, cloudy, or stormy energy, or sunshine
to come. Given that, one can plan a picnic or sandbag one's psyche.
But to say a literal picnic is forthcoming is to misinterpret; better
to say that "the genial Venusian feeling which finds expression in
picnics (or other parties and social connections) may be forthcoming."
What can be (miraculously revealed) calculated in time and space is
the kind of energy available to an individual at a particular time and
space. To know this is to enter into a positive and conscious personal
witness and living of archetypal energy. But this understanding,
wonderful as it is, requires that an astrologer direct a "client" in
the study of energies rather than telling him or her what will happen
or what he should do. Not many pay for a tutor, they want a reading.
Re-education is necessary in all facets of life. This is an unpopular
view, of course, but a necessary one if astrology is to be understood
at all. We should cultivate at least the minimum respect which does
not demand that the Mystery of the universe conform to our understand-
ing of it. This is Celestial, Stardust Stuff that we are all made of--
afterall.
* * * * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[4SPHERES] Notes for Astrologers on the 4 Systems in Spherical
Astronomy (Horizon, Equatorial, Ecliptic, Galactic), by Kay Cavender.
One should be generally aware there are several astronomical systems
superimposed in a chart, and that it is important for interpretation to
understand and distinguish between the coordinates of three
astronomical systems used in astrology.
Before reading the notes, one can skip down to more (astrologer-
friendly) astronomical definitions from Jeff Mayo's THE ASTROLOGER'S
ASTRONOMICAL HANDBOOK included below - as the notes depend on
definitions.
See also Editor's Note appending Fagan's "Cosmic Division?" essay of
8/56 from [APEX] file, plus Garth Allen's "Planes, Not Points!" of
11/58, plus Fagan's "Origin of the Horoscope Form" of 12/61.
* * *



Astrology Notes Regarding
THE FOUR SYSTEMS IN SPHERICAL ASTRONOMY
Kay Cavender

A simplification: To put up an astrological chart: when you find
the longitude (zodiacal) placements of planets and lights (and their
aspects)--that's the Ecliptic System. When you calculate the angles
(ASC-DSC and MC-IC), and the planetary positions in relation to the
angles, that involves a combination of the Equatorial and Horizon
Systems in relation to the Ecliptic.
The Ecliptic (longitudinal) degrees of a planet alone will not
necessarily indicate if it is really "ON" the horizon (ASC-DSC) or "ON"
the meridian (MC-IC) - BECAUSE the Ecliptic longitude positions also
have latitude, and BECAUSE the Earth (and its Equatorial plane) is
tipped 23.5 degrees to the Ecliptic plane, and BECAUSE we live on
different latitudes (Horizon System). These three systems (Ecliptic,
Equatorial, Horizon) have to be coordinated.


ECLIPTIC SYSTEM (Ecliptic=Celestial Longitude & Latitude): Generally
on any map, one needs two coordinates--longituge & latitude--to locate
an object terrestrially or in space. On the "plane" of the ecliptic,
aspects recorded in Ecliptic Longitude only (without ecliptic latitude)
are generally significant because of the immensity of distance involved
(Earth's orbit/rotation around Sun). Such longitude aspects are not in
direct relation to a specific place on Earth (which would involve the
Horizon System), but only reference the whole Earth as a center from
which aspects are calculated. Of course, there are exceptions: for
instance, this is NOT the case with an ecliptic conjunction of
Sun&Pluto, when up to 17 degrees of distance in latitude can exist in
between, clearly destroying the concept of "conjunct." (see eclipse/
occultation) Obviously, Ecliptic Latitude indicates the exactness of
an Ecliptic Longitude aspect, particularly with conjunctions. However,
Ecliptic Latitude aspects by themselves, without reference to
longitude, are NOT important, i.e., they do not show in one's physical
structure or psychology, as do Ecliptic Longitude aspects with the Sun.

Note: Do consider Ecliptic Latitude in reference to star aspects to
the lights (Sun & Moon) & planets: stars near the ecliptic plane, when
closely conjunct especially the Lights of our solar system, are thought
to INTENSIFY their qualities. Latitudes WITHIN 2 1/2 DEGREES ORB N & S
LAT, (& same E & W LONG) are significant for the Sun. These orbs
derived from astronomical measurement of blockage of radio stars'
frequencies as our Sun passed in front of same; hence conjunctions most
particularly & also oppositions (IF within 2-1/2 degress orb N or S
latitude) are the functional aspect/s. Because the Moon has about 5
degrees N & S latitude off the ecliptic (the plane between Earth &
Sun), one should consider the Moon's extra latitude in relation also to
higher stars. For stars, I use only those aspects which are in direct
"alignment" i.e., conjunction (& secondarily I sometimes also admit
'oppositions'), in terms of the Ecliptic System. Stars behind planets
strongly aspecting the lights may be considered if both are within 2-
1/2 degrees orb N & S latitude and E & W longitude.
Note: Different rules apply to the Earth's ANGLES/DIRECTIONS
because these are in a different measurement system [see Horizon &
Equatorial Systems]: consider stars CULMINATING (MC-IC) with the
lights and planets in reference to specifically "only" longitude at
MC/South-IC/North but in terms of R.A.M.C. Such vertical "alignment"
of any above (stars, planets, lights) in RAMC on the Meridian circle
has honorable mention from ancient times. Likewise, bodies in
horizontal alignment (parallel altitude) in reference to the horizon,
along with rising and/or setting stars are significant. (See below
Horizon System)

PARANATELLONTA: "to rise alongside of." (12/54 "Solunars," Cyril
Fagan) "For example, Sirius will rise at different times at different
mundane latitudes because of excessive ecliptic latitude. If 2 planets
have the same ecliptic longitudes (as in ephemerides), these are
conjunct in "eclipto." If 2 planets are the same Meridian longitude,
these are conjunct in Right Ascension, i.e. in "mundo." And when 2
planets rise together or set together, i.e., have the same oblique
ascension or descension, these are also conjunct in "mundo." In the
case of oblique conjunction, the planets may have widely differing
ecliptic longitudes."

What PARANATELLONTA Means: (9/58 "Solunars," Cyril Fagan)
"If two or more planets or fixed stars bodily rise or set
simultaneously, or come to the Midheaven or Nadir together, or if one
crosses any of the angular cusps while another is also crossing an
angle, then each is said to be the parantellonta of the other. These
paranatellontas constitute the most powerful configurations in
prognostic astronomy, and even a beginner should be able to see why
this should be so. Paranatellonta is a Greek word signifying "acting
simultaneously," but it is such a long and difficult-to-pronounce word,
let us hereafter abbreviate it to PARAN, say "per-ran" for
convenience."
* * *

EQUATORIAL SYSTEM (RAMC & Declination): Declination is the projection
of Earth's terrestrial "latitude" onto the celestial sphere using
Earth's equator as 0 degrees. If a planet, light (and/or star) is in
the same Declination (latitude) as natal or residence, then such is on
zenith(overhead) at that latitude (and hence on nadir in opposite
latitude) when culminating and is then a significant mundane aspect all
by itself - BECAUSE the earth turns under that Declination/latitude and
all bodies over that latitude affect that latitude. Bear in mind,
however, the limits of the 23 1/2 degree tip of the ecliptic plane "as
viewed/conceived" in reference to declination.

Note: Applying this to location: for those with favorable planets
at 20-21 deg N Declination, which is Honolulu's latitude, declination
is a BIG DEAL even with nothing angular, or without any "crossings" as
indicated in AstroCartoGraphy maps. One's planets as measured in
declination/latitude may partially explain why many love (or do not
love) Hawaii & Mexico as vacation spots. Because of the tilt of the
Earth's pole of 23.5 degrees in relation to the belt of the zodiac, the
planets fall within certain limited N & S latitudes. ACG Mapping
introductory literature on natals does not specifically mention this
(probably because most folk in U.S. live above those latitudes) -
although ACG does show the Declination of planets in reference to Earth
with a "0" on the lines (and J. Lewis does make mention of the latter
in reference to President's maps & policy).

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Even though the oscillating Earth's-pole-&-
equator is tipped about 23-1/2 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic,
the Equatorial longitude & latitude projections onto the "sphere" of
the heavens are shown as upright in most astronomical maps, and the
ecliptic is shown as tipped to equator even though the ecliptic plane
is constant. Thus the measurement, itself a remnant of the pre-
Copernican worldview, encapsulates that worldview of the Earth as
central/upright although astronomers now know the difference. Thus the
Equatorial projection makes it easier to assume that the fixed stars
move in reference to the equator which is assumed to be constant
because it is the basic, upright, longitudinal/latitudinal framework
through which the sky is viewed. This is an longstanding example of
projecting an image on the universe and expecting the universe to
conform to our view of it.

Note: Garth Allen & others say RAMC (see Equatorial System) is the
astronomers' delusion because it is measured from the precessing spring
equinox & has no relation to anything for true space age astronomy;
although of course an exaggeration, such statement has enough snap to
get one to differentiate between measurements. For space travel it is
not a meaningful measurement as it does not exist as a referential
position in space (ie., the seasons of the earth refer only to the
Earth). RAMC is the measure of Earth's 24 hour day (longitudinal
rotation) along the Earth's equator projected skyward, and RAMC does
not coincide with the Ecliptic Constellations except at the equator's &
ecliptic's crossing (the equinoxes). The equinoxes occur at the points
when the Sun rises due East & sets due West; in other words, in
spherical geometry the equinoxes mark the crossing of the Earth's
projected equator with the ecliptic (ecliptic = "apparent" path of the
Sun, which is actually the path of the Earth yearly around the Sun).
However, the Right Ascension of the lights and/or planets, when
compared to the RAMC of the culminating angles & when calculated with
Horizon coordinates, does indicate when a celestial body is angular on
MC or IC. Most critical to measure is Pluto, which because of its
extreme ecliptic latitude (up to 17 degrees) is generally not anywhere
near its ecliptic longitude. Measuring Pluto especially in terms of
spherical astronomy is complex mathematically because it involves these
overlapping astronomical systems of measurement.
* * *

HORIZON SYSTEM (Azimuth & Altitude): Because planets have Declination
(see Equatorial System) and Altitude, they are not necessarily bodily
or literally (i.e., "mundanely") on the Horizontal angles (ASC-DSC)
even though their ecliptic longitude is. Altitude (up or down from
horizon) is key to rising & setting planets. What's on the horizon is
0 degrees Altitude, therefore actually "mundanely" angular rather than
just ecliptically the same degree on the horizon (ASC-DSC). ASC =
ecliptic degree crossing the eastern horizon.
[***ALL DIRECTIONS ARE DERIVED FROM NORTH-SOUTH, found by dropping a
line straight down to horizon from North (pole) Star. The point here
is that directions come from Earth's rotation in relation to the
universe.]
Another significant corollary point: the distinction between what is
measured in the Ecliptic and Horizon Systems shows the absurdity and
impossibility of having aspects "to" the angles (aspects are measured
planet-to-planet on the Ecliptic). Planets must be BODILY "on" the
angles (their 'MUNDANE' position) to have a relationship to the angles.
Note: "Rapt Parallels" are measured in elevation from the horizon.
They are parallels created through the diurnal motion of the earth on
its axis which is called "Rapt" motion. These are called RAPT PARALLELS
to distinguish them from altitudes usually measured in Declination, the
distance north or south from the Celestial Equator. Planets which are
significantly up or down from the horizon in Rapt Parallel "Altitude"
of within about a degree have the effect of a very strong conjunction.
If either of the Lights are in Rapt Parallel with a planet, this is to
be considered along with aspects.
Also, bodies having the highest ELEVATION (altitude up from the
horizon), even though not near the MC, have been considered important
from ancient times and are worth watching, particularly if they should
aspect the lights.
* * *

GALACTIC SYSTEM: This system is not a factor in astrological charts.
It is the Plane of the Milky Way with Galactic Longitude & Latitude.
See Shapley. The CENTER (& thickest mass of stars) of our Milky Way
Galaxy is currently thought about 2SAG06 ecliptic longitude, 5S35'
ecliptic latitude. (See Neil Michelson, American Sidereal Ephemeris)
The spout in Sagittarius' "teapot" points to Galactic Center, about 5
degrees west of spout. About December 18 marks the day when the
"apparent" path of Sun in our solar system crosses closest to Galactic
Center (i.e., where the ecliptic plane intersects the thickest area of
its home Milky Way Galaxy).
* * * * *

Regarding the APEX OF THE SUN'S WAY (the direction in the heavens in
which Sun is traveling in the universe): using the solar Apex
coordinates based on research by Professors A. N. Vyssotsky and Peter
van de Kamp considered a discovery in the late 60's, Garth Allen
creatively attempted to envision and research the connection between
our solar system and the rest of the universe. At that time, Allen was
considering particularly with reference to the Capricorn Ingresses, and
although the historic divisions of the zodiac are not related
specifically to the solar APEX, his work with the Capricorn Ingress
within the sidereal constellations still stands. Allen's attempt to
find a astronomical ("sidereal") framework for the meaning of the 30
degree divisions of constellations needs yet and ever to be pursued.

Cyril Fagan had rediscovered the in ancient Egyptian astrology the
historical roots of the constellations. As a sidereal astrologer and
astronomer, Garth Allen attempted to find in the APEX of the Sun's Way
an astronomical explanation for the zodiacal divisions within the
physics of the universe itself. Allen considered that the first step
in observational astronomy is to establish the north pole and the
resultant north-south Meridian division of the celestial sphere. By
analogy, Allen found that the APEX (the direction the Sun is traveling
in the universe) gave a kind of pole/pointer, from which a meridian can
be drawn down to the ecliptic, as it can. His information then on the
Apex position, while now unsubstantiated, indicated a division at 0
degrees Capricorn and Cancer. The file [APEX] includes most of Allen's
published thinking on the solar Apex. Below is a detailed explanation
of his astronomical reasoning.

It is the Earth's angles, i.e., the ecliptic plane's crossing of the
horizon and North-South Meridian, which provides the focus, scope, and
framework for what impinges on our consciousness here. The angles are
defined as the foreground of consciousness, a kind of relativistic
notion that everything is relative to the observer, or the experiencer.
Thus, astrologically our personal and immediate perspective in the
universe is FROM THE DAILY ANGLES of the Earth in relation to our Sun;
our earthly life, our seasons, are dependent on the orientation of the
Earth and its pole.

Earth is our position of perception to which the heavens are
relative. We are here the perceivers. But also astronomically, the
direction in the heavens--the solar APEX--in which the Sun is traveling
is also the direction its planets are traveling. The solar APEX then
is a major factor of our relationship to the rest of the heavens. The
solar APEX, which divides the ecliptic plane through the heavens
analogously to the way the Earth's tilt and pole divides our day and
year, offered a plausible explanation for an astronomical basis for
connecting the constellations to the galaxy.

Cyril Fagan's Astrological Origins referred to the research of
Professors A. N. Vyssotsky and Peter van de Kamp investigations of the
solar Apex with its position as follows: R.A. 19h 00m 00s plus or
minus a miximum error of 6m, and Declination N. 36 degrees 00' plus or
minus a maximum error of 1 degree 30'. 1950.0 = mean obliquity of the
ecliptic 23d 26'45". Reducing these to their ecliptical coordinates
gives the Mean sidereal longitude as 29 degrees Sagittarius 32' - "less
than half a degree from the sidereal Tropic of Capricorn....In this
respect it should be noticed that the Sun's ingress into the
constellation Capricorn, termed by Garth Allen the Capsolar, and the
Moon's ingress therein, the Caplunar, constitute the most important
ingresses during the year."

To understand Allen's reasoning with regard to the above
information, consider this analogy: the pole of the Earth's spin, the
North-South Pole, points to the North Star Polaris, from which point a
line can be drawn vertically straight down to the horizon. Now see
that vertical wrapping all the way around the earth. This vertical
from the north pole star provides the first direction, the Prime
Meridian Circle (and/or plane) in astronomy, or the primary direction
North-South. This is the first step and most basic orientation for us
on Earth in establishing our orientation in space.
As an analogy, just so the APEX or the direction the Sun (and its
solar system) is seen to travel in the heavens can be conceived as a
kind of dynamic "pole" of the solar system. Similar to the line from
north pole star to Earth's horizon, when a line is drawn from the solar
Apex down to the ecliptic plane (between Sun & Earth), it appeared that
the Apex fell near 0 degrees of the star constellation Capricorn and to
the opposite degree, 0 degrees Cancer. This is a very compelling
astronomical analogy, and at that time, no astronomer had determined
precisely the equatorial coordinates of the solar Apex. Unfortunately
however, the information on the solar Apex positions from the research
of Professors A. N. Vyssotsky and Peter van de Kamp has not been
substantiated, and thus the above positions are not substantiated.

[On a different project, Garth Allen's early statistical studies
reported in his Profession And Birth Data validate such 30 degree
divisions of the star constellations into 12 sections, as opposed to
any other divisions. See below appended essay by Fagan on Allen's
statistical studies from file APEX].

Further as based on Allen's thinking: It is helpful to visualize
the Earth as divided into 12 orange sections (cut longitudinally) or
"lunes" as these sections would have an appearance similar to a
crescent lunar phase. And further, to visualize the Earth's projection
of longitude and latitude onto the apparent sphere of the heavens-in-
lunes. The orange core would be the pole of the Earth's axis about
which it turns, and would point now to Polaris, the North Pole Star,
the still place in the sky about which all stars turn. [This is the
way astronomers measure the sky--with the equatorial system and its
north pole overlaying the ecliptic plane, and it is true for a few
centuries. However, this fails to note that with precession the
celestial pole and equinoxes (as based on the Earth's north pole and
equatorial plane) change about 1 degree every 72 years (or 71.6 years)
in reference to the fixed stars. Also as to defining the
constellations, this fails to note that the ecliptic plane has its pole
oriented to the constellation Draco (halfway between the stars called
the First and Second Knots or Nodes). That is, because of astronomical
perspective, the poles of the constellations are not clearly relegated
to the constellation Draco, and are implied to be the poles of the
earth's wobbling equatorial plane.]
The astronomical "lunes" reflect an attempt to understand the
constellations in a larger context than being limited to a narrow band
near the ecliptic plane. Each 30 degree zodiacal "lune" section was
historically named for a star constellation near the ecliptic; i.e.,
the whole lune section of the heavens from north to south pole is named
for the 'zodiacal' constellation, or the constellation nearest the
ecliptic.
NOTE: Again, herein is a point of confusion: using the earth's pole
rather than the ecliptic or zodiacal pole to define the constellations.
That is, it is not merely the plane of the ecliptic that is being
divided, but the entire celestial sphere in terms of the Earth's
rotational relationship to the heavens. For Allen, "Radial movement in
space defines the zodiac." The Earth's radial movement is with respect
to and around its axis or pole. Again, this astronomical view, which
is correct only for a few centuries, is oriented in terms of the
equatorial system and its north pole which are subject to precession;
this astronomical view is without reference to the ecliptic or zodiacal
plane system and its north pole in Draco.
The primary historical and astronomical issue is how those lunes
were divided in the first place--where are the beginnings and ends of
the historical constellations? Graham Hancock's research (MESSAGE OF
THE SPHINX and FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS) says that the ultimate measure
even overriding the zodiac was the whole precessional cycle of 25,920
years. Within this cycle, the Belt Stars in the constellation Orion
were one measure, and when at their lowest southern culmination,
indicated a kind of end/beginning of the cycle on the spring equinox of
10,450 B.C. At that time Leo of which the Sphinx was a prototype rose
due East where the Sphinx faced, and Taurus, which was located just
above Orion, culminated sourth. Orion was the Egyptian Osiris.
Mythologically and astronomically in terms of the zodiac (or the Path
of Ra), it was in Taurus that Osiris, the God-and-King, "began" his
celestial journey across the Heavenly Nile or the Milky Way, the
journey not only of the year, but of millennia.

* * * * *



Excerpts from:
Jeff Mayo's THE ASTROLOGER'S ASTRONOMICAL HANDBOOK,
(c) 1965 by author, L.N. Fowler & Co. Ltd., London

NOTE: The diagrams which illustrate the (astrologer-friendly)
astronomical definitions cannot be given in ascii format.


FORWARD

It is not enough for the would-be astrologer to learn that the
planets and signs are symbols, needing only to be interpreted in terms
of character traits or possible events as indicated in text-books and
handed down by tradition. Old and accepted theories need periodical
checking, revising, in light of fresh knowledge and deeper
understanding. And, above all, the student needs to be conversant with
the astronomical framework upon which the whole structure of his
astrological interpretation is based.
This volume is offered as an informative reference book and as a
guide towards a clearer understanding of the derivation and elements of
the basic factors which make up the astrological chart. Certain of the
contents may not seem to have a direct bearing on astrology, and yet
all that is within these pages should help to convey to the reader some
measure of wider understanding of the complex interplay of forces which
create and re-create the cosmic patterns, within which our own planet
is an exciting and essential feature.


THE GEOCENTRIC FRAMEWORK
1. THE BASIC FRAMEWORK

This book, like any other book, must have an apt starting-point, and
what better than to begin with the Earth we live on.
From our standpoint of Earth we look out at the rest of the
universe. The Sun and Moon, the planets, and even the faraway
constellations, 'appear' to revolve about us. Except, in a sense, for
the Moon this is not really what is happening. The Sun, and not the
Earth, is of course the common centre of gravity for all the planets in
the Solar System.
However, it is perfectly correct for the astrologer to symbolize the
Earth as a kind of axis round which the rest of the cosmic bodies
revolve, because the astrologer is concerned with the 'angular
relationship' of the Sun, Moon, and planets 'as seen from the Earth.'
Hence, the small circle in the centre of the astrological chart
symbolizes the Earth as the central point of reference.
The positions of the planets given in the ephemerides from which the
astrologer can calculate the planetary pattern as seen from the Earth
for any given moment, are the 'geocentric' measurements (Greek: ge,
Earth). If the Sun were the central point of reference the
measurements of the planets thereto would be termed 'heliocentric'
(Greek: helios, Sun).
To enable the astronomers to calculate the motions and angular
positions of the planets and other celestial bodies relative to the
Earth they need a basic framework and points of reference. This is our
next step, to understand the "geocentric framework" employed by the
astronomers, with particular emphasis on those circles and their points
of intersections used by astrologers.

The Celestial Sphere
When we look out at the stars it is easy to imagine they are points
of light speckling the inside of a spherical dome--the visible top half
of a whole sphere, the lower half being beneath the level of our feet--
and that we are at its centre. Thus, we speak of the 'Celestial
Sphere', and if you refer to Fig. 2 you will see a number of circles
contained within an outer circle. This latter we call 'the Meridian.'
Any circle, the plane (or level) of which passes through the centre
of the Earth, is a 'great' circle. Referring to Fig. 2 with the tiny
symbol of the Earth and its north-south axis at the centre of the
diagram, you should note that every circle shown is a great circle.
You may understand this more clearly if you think of any one circle not
as a hoop (which it might here resemble) but as a flat disc. We have
to distinguish between a 'great' circle and a 'small' circle. A small
circle is any circle the plane of which does not pass through the
centre of the Earth.
For example, the 'equator' is a great circle. Its plane intersects
the Earth's centre and is, therefore, equidistant from its north and
south poles. The equator corresponds to latitude 0 degrees. All other
parallels of latitude, which with the meridians of longitude are the
co-ordinates for measuring the position of any place on Earth, are
small circles.
The three GREAT circles of HORIZON, EQUATOR, and ECLIPTIC are the
main circles of reference for locating a planet's position relative to
any place on Earth. It is essential that the astrologer understand
their interrelationship and role in the geocentric framework.


2. THE HORIZON SYSTEM
The Horizon, Zenith, Nadir
The 'horizon' is the great circle shown in Fig. 3 which you can
trace by the four cardinal points from N to E to S to W and back to N.
This great circle is called the 'rational or true' horizon. Its poles,
the extremities of its axis which is perpendicular to its plane, are
the zenith (directly overhead for the observer) and the 'nadir'
(directly beneath the observer). A line drawn between zenith and nadir
would be in the direction in which gravity acts--as with a plumb-line.
When the great circle of the rational horizon is produced to meet
the heavens (i.e. extended beyond the sphere of the Earth) it is called
the 'celestial or sensible' horizon. The rational horizon is not to be
confused with the circular line formed by the apparent meeting of the
earth and the sky, which is a small circle, is called the 'visible or
apparent' horizon, and is parallel to the rational horizon.
The horizon for any specified place on Earth remains constant, just
as the zenith at right-angles to the horizon will be that imaginary
point constantly overhead the observer. But as the Earth continuously
rotates on its axis a different degree area of the ecliptic will rise
above the eastern horizon roughly every 4 minutes, and an average of
every 2 hours a new zodiacal sign will be on the Ascendant.
Thus, the intersection of the eastern horizon and the ecliptic
determines the sign and degree on the cusp of the 1st house (Ascendant)
of the birth-chart....

The Meridian, Prime Vertical
One of the systems of celestial co-ordinates used in astronomy for
determining the position of a star or planet is the 'Horizon System'
....[with] coordinates of 'altitude and azimuth'....However, if you
refer to Fig. 3 you will see the framework of reference circles used in
the Horizon system. These are the 'Horizon, the Meridian, and the
Prime Vertical.'
'The Meridian' is often referred to as the north-south great circle.
This is because it passes through the zenith and nadir (poles of the
horizon), the north and south poles of the equator, and the north and
south points of the horizon. This great circle is called 'the
Meridian' to distinguish it from all other meridian circles. The
Meridian is an integral part of each of the three systems of celestial
co-ordinates:

a) It is a 'vertical circle' in the Horizon System.
b) It is a 'meridian of right ascension' in the Equatorial System.
c) It is a 'meridian of longitude' in the Ecliptic System.

If we look again at Fig. 2 another reason for the distinction of
being termed 'the' Meridian becomes obvious: all other circles are
contained within its circle. Yet another significant point is that the
Sun crosses the Meridian at midday (i.e., when it is midday 'anywhere'
on Earth). At midday the ecliptic (sun's apparent path) intersects the
great circle of the Meridian, and this point of intersection is known
to astrologers as the 'Midheaven' (M.C., from Latin: Medium Coeli), or
degree of culmination.
The Prime Vertical, sometimes called the east-west great circle, is
a vertical circle passing through the zenith and nadir, and east and
west points of the horizon (Fig. 3). All other vertical circles
(called 'verticals') which also pass through the zenith and nadir,
unlike the Prime Vertical, do 'not' pass through the east and west
points of the horizon. Thus, all other verticals are referred to as
'secondaries' to the horizon. In passing through the east point of the
horizon it is the first, or 'prime' vertical. Its plane corresponds to
the points of intersection of the horizon and the equator.
The horizon, equator, and Prime Vertical (great circles linked by a
common factor, that of passing through E-W -- see Fig.2) can be spoken
of as secondaries to the Meridian--because the poles of the Meridian
are the east and west points of the horizon.
It is as well that the astrologer should understand the various
astronomical terms, so briefly we shall define 'altitude and azimuth,'
the two co-ordinates of the Horizon System. The position of a planet
when described by altitude is measure in degrees, minutes, and seconds
from the horizon up towards the zenith. It is the planet's angular
distance from the horizon, measured along a vertical. Azimuth is its
measurement along the horizon in degrees, minutes, and seconds
'westward' from where the Meridian cuts the south point of the horizon,
to the vertical containing the planet; or, expressed as the angle which
the vertical through the planet makes with the Meridian. Astronomers
speak of an object's (star, planet) 'zenith distance,' which is its
angular distance from the zenith downwards towards the horizon--the
complement of the planet's altitude.
'Polar Elevation' (Fig. 2) or 'polar altitude' is the height of the
pole above the horizon at a given place, and is equal to that place's
latitude or angular distance from the equator.


2. THE EQUATORIAL SYSTEM
The Equator, First Point of [the Sign] Aries
The 'terrestrial equator' is a great circle corresponding to the
Earth's largest circumference, midway between its north and south poles
around which the galaxies of stars appear to revolve.
The 'terrestrial poles' are the two points where the axis of
rotation meets the Earth's surface. The 'celestial poles' are the
terrestrial poles extended to infinity.
If we imagine the plane of the terrestrial equator projected beyond
the Earth, this 'extended" plane is called the 'celestial equator.' Why
should there be two names for what is, in effect, the same great
circle? Simply because the plane of the equator is used as a circle of
reference for fixing the position in the sky of a star or planet as
well as for locating the situation of any place on Earth.
The terrestrial equator is a great circle known as a 'parallel of
latitude' corresponding to latitude 0 degrees. On the terrestrial
sphere, parallels of latitude and 'meridians of longitude' are the
well-known co-ordinates used for finding a place on a map. New York,
for instance, is positioned on the parallel of latitude which is 40d
45' north of the great circle of the equator. But the parallel of
altitude on which New York lies is, like all other latitudes north or
south of the equator, a 'small' circle. Their planes do 'not' pass
through the centre of the Earth.
The astronomer, with reference to the circle of the celestial
equator, uses similar co-ordinates for fixing the position of a
heavenly body. These co-ordinates belong to the 'Equatorial System'
and are called 'parallels of declination' (which correspond exactly to
similar measurements in terrestrial latitude), and 'meridians of right
ascension.' A planet exactly on the plane of the equator has no
declination (0 degrees).
Measurement in degrees, minutes, and seconds of declination is in
the direction of either of its poles, according to whether a planet is
north or south of the zero point of the equator. Because the angular
measurement of declination corresponds exactly to that of terrestrial
latitude you must not confuse it with 'celestial latitude,' which is
the angular distance of a planet north or south of the ecliptic, and
refers to the Ecliptic System which will be dealt with presently.
For either terrestrial longitude or right ascension there is no
natural zero, so an arbitrary choice is made. The great circle passing
through the poles of the equator and the position of Greenwich
(England) is where measurement in terrestrial longitude begins. We
speak, for example, of New York being 74 degrees west, which means it
is situated 74 degrees west of the Greenwich meridian. The starting
point for measurement along the celestial equator in right ascension is
where the ecliptic and the equator intersect at the vernal equinox, and
is called the 'First Point of [the sign] Aries.'
There are two intersections of the ecliptic and equator, the second
being the First Point of libra, occurring at the autumnal equinox.
Both intersections are spoken of as the "Equinoctial Points.' The word
"equator" derives from its other name, the 'equinoctial,' because at
the equinoxes (Equinoctial Points) day and night are of equal length
(Latin: nox, night)....The Sun is then crossing from south to north of
the equator. The autumnal equinox...is when the Sun crosses the
equator again, this time from north to south.
The First Point of [the sign] Aries is very important in astronomy.
Just as the vernal equinox, with which it corresponds, is an important
phase of the year for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere.
For then our spring begins. [This pertains to the Northern Hemisphere
only as the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.] In
ancient times the beginning of the year was reckoned for this moment
when the Sun crossed the equator and began rising higher each day in
the heavens. Due to 'Precession' the constellation (not zodiacal sign)
which lies behind the Sun at the vernal equinox changes gradually
through the centuries. However, the First Point of [the sign] Aries
retains its name, and for the [tropical] astrologer this is the moment
when the cycle of the twelve signs of the zodiac begins with 0 degrees
of the sign Aries. [The ancient and original Sidereal Zodiac is
derived from the fixed star constellations and its positions do not
change due to precession--which is a seasonal marker.]
The Equatorial System is defined by the 'direction of the Earth's
axis.' Why? Because due to the Earth's rotating motion the complete
circle of the ecliptic is brought into view of any part of the Earth's
surface within the approximate period of 24 hours. Although the Sun is
only exactly on that point of intersection of the equator and ecliptic
twice in one year (around 21st March and 23rd September), these
intersections of First Point of [sign] Aries and First Point of [sign]
Libra are reference points....The First Point of the [sign] Aries is a
point of reference since once in every 24 hours it will cross the
meridian of any place.
We have already seen how a planet's position by the Equatorial
System co-ordinate of declination is measured. How do we finally fix
the planet's location in the heavens by the other co-ordinate, 'right
ascension'? First, let us define right ascension.
We know there are two co-ordinates for locating the position of a
place on Earth, just as there are two co-ordinates for locating the
position of a planet in the heavens, relative to the Earth. The
former, terrestrial or geographical co-ordinates, are latitude and
longitude. The latter, celestial co-ordinates, are declination and
right ascension. Terrestrial latitude corresponds to declination: both
are measured north or south 'from' the equator. Terrestrial longitude
corresponds to right ascension: both are measure 'along' the equator.
The Meridian of Greenwich marks the beginning of measurement in
terrestrial longitude, in a westwards direction for 180 degrees, or in
an eastwards direction for 180 degrees. The First Point of [sign]
Aries might be thought of as the "Greenwich" of the celestial sphere,
for it is here that measurement in right ascension begins. But right
ascension is measured in one direction only: eastwards. It is
measurement taken in degrees, minutes, and seconds of arc, from 0
degrees through a full circle of 360 degrees; or in hours, minutes, and
seconds of time, from 0 hours through a whole cycle of 24 hours. 'Hour
angle' is a measurement westwards from the First Point of Aries, which
is discussed on page 42.
Thus right ascension can be defined as measurement eastwards along
the equator in degrees of arc, or in hours of time, from the First
Point of [the sign] Aries.
We have seen that the diurnal motion or rotation of the Earth on its
axis cause the Sun and planets to appear to go round the Earth from
'east to west,' whereas in reality they, like the Earth, move from
'west to east.' We see, therefore, that measurement in right ascension
is in that direction which the Earth rotates, eastwards. More
significantly, it is the direction in which the planets (including
Earth) revolve round the Sun. By the measurement in right ascension we
can each successive day determine the angular distance a planet is
'eastwards' from the First Point of Aries, as seen from our standpoint
of Earth. [The problem from an astronomical and astrological point,
however, is precession: since the Earth wobbles, its poles and equator
also wobble, and the equatorial plane shifts 1 degree every 71.6 years.
Thus the tropical zodiac's coordinates are always shifting relative to
the stars.]
The full circle of the equator equals 360 degrees of arc, or 24
hours in time, in terms of right ascension. When we speak of the Sun's
transit of 1 hour in right ascension (R.A.) corresponding to 15 degrees
of arc, we mean that due to the rotation of the Earth the Sun in 1 hour
appears to pass over an area of the Earth's surface equal to R.A. 15
degrees. This will, perhaps, be better understood if we think of 1
hour as 1/24th part of the 24-hour cycle of one day; coincident with 15
degrees of arc representing 1/24th part of a full circle of 360
degrees.
Thus, if 15 degrees of arc equals 1 hour (60 minutes) of time, 1
degree of arc will equal 4 minutes of time. Right ascension, remember,
corresponds to terrestrial longitude. It follows, therefore, that the
Sun will take roughly 4 minutes to pass over an arc of 1 degree of the
Earth's surface. Amsterdam in the Netherlands is 5 degrees east of the
Greenwich meridian. As the Sun appears to move from east to west,
sunrise in Amsterdam will occur 20 minutes (5 degrees x 4 minutes = 20
minutes) earlier than it will in London.
Although measurement in right ascension is not normally used by the
astrologer it is well that he should understand this term, since from
this co-ordinate the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets are
converted into 'celestial longitude' as they appear in yearly
[tropical] ephemerides.


4. THE ECLIPTIC SYSTEM
The Ecliptic, the Zodiac
We speak of the 'ecliptic' being the apparent path of the Sun in the
heavens, the great circle the Sun appears to follow in its journey
round the Earth taking a year to complete one cycle. In reality it is
the Earth that orbits the Sun, the Sun being the Earth's centre of
gravity in common with the other planets in the Solar System.
It is not entirely true to say that the ecliptic is, therefore, an
'imaginary' great circle traced in the heavens, the plane of which
passes through he centre of the Earth. The ecliptic, as well as being
the actual path followed by the Earth, also corresponds very closely to
the plane of the orbits about the Sun traced by the other major
planets.
From the earliest records of man's study of the celestial sphere is
it is known that this apparent course of the Sun and planets in the sky
was recognized, and plotted against the background of the
constellations of "fixed stars"--so called because due to their immense
distances from the Earth they scarcely shift their positions relative
to the Earth over several centuries [even over several millennia], and
appear fixed in space. Certain patterns of grouped stars, or
constellations, "through which the Sun and planets move", were
associated by the earliest of priest-astrologers with mythological
figures significant to their primitive stellar religion. Thus, over
the centuries these very special constellations came to be known as the
Signs of the Zodiac. Zodiac is derived from the Greek zoon, meaning a
living thing. [The terms 'sign' and 'constellation' were used
interchangeably historically, but are now taken to distinguish between
two different ways of measuring the zodiac, respectively as the
tropical and sidereal zodiac.]
The 'zodiac' can be defined as a belt of the sky which as the
ecliptic as its centre. This belt is considered to extend about 8
degrees either side (north and south) of the ecliptic, a total of 16
degrees within which the Sun, Moon, and major planets always remain.
Pluto is the exception, its inclination tot he ecliptic reaching as
much as 17 degrees as measured in celestial latitude. [Other sources
may differ as to the extent of the zodiacal belt, classically Mercury's
latitude of about 7 degrees north and south was the measure, thus
giving a 14 degree belt. However that distinction is not a important
issue.]
The ecliptic is so called because 'eclipses' can only occur when the
Moon is in or very near to it. The Sun can never be away from the
ecliptic, since this is a great circle the plane of which passes
through the centre of the sun as well as through the centre of the
Earth.
As we have already said, the 'vernal equinox' is when the Sun's path
along the ecliptic crosses the equator from south to north. This
occurs around 21st March, and in the Northern Hemisphere is heralded as
the first day of spring. Each successive day the Sun by noon appears
higher in the heavens. This is because the angle of the Earth's
equator to the plane of the elliptic increases.
This angle is measured in 'declination,' and when the Sun has
reached its maximum declination north of the equator we say it is at
"declination 23-1/2 degrees north," which occurs in MID-summer in the
Northern Hemisphere, around 21st June. This tells us that the angle
between the plane of the equator and the plane of the ecliptic,
measured along a declination circle northwards from the equator, will
be 23-1/2 degrees. Or, put another way, the pole of the ecliptic is
about 23-1/2 degrees from the pole of the equator. The Sun's maximum
declination north marks the 'summer solstice.' It is then that increase
in declination is halted, the Sun, as it were, stands still (Latin:
sistere, to cause to stand still), and then declination starts to
decrease, until about 21st September the plane of the equator and the
plane of the ecliptic are as one. We say that the Sun has then
declination 0 degrees, zero, as it crosses from north to south of the
equator. This marks the 'autumnal equinox,' when day and night
throughout the world are again of equal length--as they were at the
vernal equinox.
As the Sun's declination southwards increases, so in the Northern
Hemisphere the Sun's maximum altitude at noon above the horizon gets
lower, until around 21st December the Sun reaches maximum declination
23-1/2 south, which marks the 'winter solstice.'
The 'Ecliptic System' is defined by the plane of the 'Earth's
orbit,' which fixes the position of the ecliptic. In simpler terms we
would say that the plane of the Earth's orbit round the Sun determines
where the ecliptic lies in relation to the Earth's equator. To plot
the position of a planet by this system we use the co-ordinates of
'celestial longitude' and 'celestial latitude.'
Celestial longitude [in the tropical zodiac framework] is that co-
ordinate of prime importance to astrologers. It is measurement in
degrees and minutes of arc eastwards from the First Point of [the sign]
Aries 'to the meridian of longitude which passes through both the
planet and the poles of the ecliptic. When, for example, we say that
Venus is in Aries 19 degrees we know that Venus is a distance of 19
degrees eastward from where the ecliptic intersects the equator. Note
that celestial longitude is measured in the same direction as right
ascension, i.e., eastward.
Celestial latitude is measurement in degrees and minutes north or
south of the ecliptic, though it is rarely applied by astrologers for
correcting a planet's position plotted by longitude. [However, it
should be.]
The diurnal motion of the Earth (rotation on its axis) does not
affect the co-ordinates of latitude and longitude. These refer to the
ecliptic (plane of Earth's orbit round the Sun).


9. STELLAR SYSTEMS AND GALAXIES
It is impossible for our human minds to comprehend the scale of the
universe in terms of its stellar population and the colossal distances
involved.
'Galaxies' are complex organizations of stars and interstellar
matter (dust and gas). There are perhaps ten thousand million galaxies
in the observable universe. Their size and structure vary
considerably, and an average galaxy may have a population of a thousand
million stars.
....
The astronomers speak of "aggregations of matter." The largest
known aggregations are 'clusters of galaxies.' Dense groups of stars
are star clusters.
'Nebulae' is the name for cloud-like aggregations of stellar matter,
usually referred to star-clusters so distant from our Earth that we see
them as mere blots or wisps of "cloud." What in effect may be a
pinpoint of light to the naked eye could be a remote galaxy containing
millions of stars!
'Stars' are self-luminous (as with our Sun) and are wholly gaseous,
unlike the planets, which are solid matter. There are stars known to
be 3,000 times the size of our own Sun.

The Galaxy
The galaxy is the galactic system to which the Sun and its system of
satellite (including, of course, the Earth), and most of the observable
'individual' stars, belong....It is now known to have a spiral
structure, and is flattened in shape (looked at edge-on it bulges in
the centre and tapers off at the extremities of its circumference).
It has been called the "Milky Way system" because of the encircling
hazy band of light called the Milky Way that can be seen with the naked
eye. This band is actually composed of stars, nebulae, and
interstellar dust.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *




EDITOR'S NOTE: Below essay from file [APEX] is appended for its review
of Allen's statistical work validating the 12 divisions of the zodiac.
* * *
Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," American Astrology 8/1956
COSMIC DIVISION?
Is the division of the zodiacal circle into twelve equal
constellations artificial--a mere schematic convenience--or is it
natural and cosmic in character? We are, of course, aware that the
zodiac was divided into twelve unequal constellations in the Graeco-
Roman star maps of the late period, and modified versions of these are
reproduced in modern star atlases. But the zodiac was always divided
into twelve equal constellations by the Babylonians and Egyptians as
abundantly testified by the numerous cuneiform and demotic texts that
have been preserved. In antiquity the year was lunar, and in a solar
year there are twelve lunar months with eleven days remaining over, and
it is generally held that the zodiac was duodenarly divided to
approximate the twelve months of the lunar year, and that such a
division was a mere schematic convenience having no intrinsic
astronomical or astrological basis.
The credit of scientifically establishing that the duodenary
division is, in fact truly cosmic in character, not mere schematism,
rests with Donald A. Bradley, who in his PROFESSION AND BIRTHDATE
statistically demonstrates such to be the case. In his review of
Bradley's book, Peter Roberts, himself an able statistician, remarks,

"Mr. Bradley...employs an interesting statistical technique to find
simultaneously whether there is a duodenary cycle of distribution among
the 360 degree length of the ecliptic and if this is so, the position
of the starting point for each 30 degree interval which gives rise to
the greatest disparity, with a chance distribution. The first part of
this test is tantamount to asking whether there are twelve signs: and
the answer is very satisfactorily in accord with astrological
tradition. It emerges that the arrangement of twelve 30 degree
intervals yields a better interpretation of the results, than say,
seve
n signs of 41.3/7 degrees or thirteen signs of 27.9/13 degrees.
This result is, I think, of tremendous importance. However confident
we may feel of the validity of traditional astrology, a carefully
conducted test of this character is most necessary and alone suffices
to disturb the less bigoted skeptics..."

Bradley, himself, writes of his results: "The implications are
startling; the 30 degree fundamental interval has successfully passed
the test of significance. One peak and one trough is in evidence, with
the peak itself far exceeding the .05 and .01 levels, approaching the
.00l mark with the trough dropping low beneath the necessary .05
line....The peak of influence found is the seventh degree of the
tropical signs! and...it is astonishing to say the least, that the
constellation center at 7d 58' of the tropical signs..."

So in this remarkable brochure, which should be in the hands of all
earnest students of astrology, Bradley not merely demonstrates that the
duodenary division of the zodiac is a fact in nature, but also that the
troughs of the distribution synchronize with the beginnings of the
ancient Babylonian constellations, while the peaks with their centers.
In short, Bradley is the first investigator, using scientifically
approved statistical methods, to demonstrate the verity of the Sidereal
zodiac.
* * * *


Garth Allen, "Perspectives In the Sidereal," 11/58 A.A.

PLANES, NOT POINTS!
The basic gimmick of the [astronomical] MECHANICS behind astrology
is so obvious, so continuously taken for granted, that most of us--
specialized researchers and general practitioners alike--tend to
mentally bypass it even when recognition of its importance would lead
to a seedy solution of many a technical problem. The gimmick is that
astrological influences work validly through 'planes' or in effect
lines on the surface of the celestial sphere, whereas we speak of them,
superficially conceive of them, and tabulate them in computing and
drawing charts, as though everything were a matter of 'points.'
For instance, a planet is a point on the celestial sphere but any
coordinate defining the position of that point is necessarily a sky-
wide plane. Or take the boundary lines of a zodiacal sign, say,
0d00'00" of Gemini. When we speak of such a "zero point" we seldom
stop to think that 0d00'00" of Gemini is a line that runs halfway
around the entire sky from the north pole of the ecliptic to its south
pole. Completing the great circle around the sky is the remaining 180
degree-long arc or line that defines 0d00'00" of Sagittarius. The
"beginnings" of Gemini-Sagittarius are a great-circle 'plane' exactly
halving the whole celestial sphere.
Then there are cusps from (from Latin for "point") of the houses.
In a drawn horoscope, at the end of each house spoke we place a
zodiacal sign with its longitude usually automatically thinking in
terms of this point in the zodiac as the cusp itself rather than 'on'
the cusp. Even the most accuracy-minded of us casually write and speak
of the Ascendant as though it were something essentially zodiacal
rather than a fixed plane tangentially eastward of a point on the
Earth's spherical surface. While it doesn't really matter for most
practical purposes, it is technically incorrect to say, "Her Ascendant
is Leo" when we should really be saying, "Leo is on her Ascendant."
Trivial distinctions in diction like this become tremendously important
when it comes to giving newer students an accurate visualization of
what is and why at an early stage of their astrological education.

What is a Conjunction?
The simplest demonstration of the PLANES-VERSUS-POINTS problem is to
think over what we are doing when we calculate a chart for the exact
moment two planets are in partile conjunction--that is, when the
ephemeris shows that their longitudes are identical to the degree,
minute, and second of arc. If the latitudes of the two planets are
even slightly different then the conjunction is not truly an exact
meeting of moving points in the sky. Take the time of New Moon, so
important to modern astrologers (and grunion, too as per below!). We
cast a chart for this time and Behold! the sun and Moon are found to be
in the same degree and minute of the zodiac. However, the Sun has no
latitude away from the ecliptic, whereas except for two fleeting
moments each month, the Moon always has latitude, sometimes being six
or seven degrees north or south of the ecliptic.
Our "conjunction" therefore is a conjunction of great-circle planes
running through the points represented by the centers of the lunar and
solar disks. Moreover, it is a meeting in only one coordinate, in
longitude, since the conjunction in right ascension will occur at a
different hour and minute. In fact, or conjunction is not even the
moment that the centers of the disks are closest to each other by a
straight line--this occurs at yet another hour and minute! Get this
all straight in your mind and you'll more readily understand why, under
certain vital circumstances, it is misleading to think of points in
other connection when you should be conceiving of astrological
mechanics in terms of planes.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

CYRIL FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS" 12/61 American Astrology

ORIGIN OF HOROSCOPE FORM
Before beginning a delineation of an astrological chart we must fully
comprehend the meaning of the horoscope form itself and its
interpretation. The circular diagram is popular in the west today; but
strange to say, it is a comparative innovation, notwithstanding the
fact that the dome of the heavens is obviously circular. Up to the
19th century the square of rectangular shaped horoscope form was the
vogue, as it is still the vogue in India. In his letters to the
present writer, the Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, the Nobel prize winner for
literature (1923), always used the square-shaped horoscope form. Why
did the square-shaped form persist for so many centuries before it was
gradually supplanted by the circular design, and how did it originate?
The glib answer is, of course, that it was easier to draw. But is that
the only reason?

If the hieroglyphic inscriptions of ancient Egypt are examined it will
be found that from the most remote periods they invariably inscribed in
the form of square or rectangular patterns, and down the corridors of
time, there appears to be little or no deviation from this rather rigid
convention. The famous Egyptian star charts were all square or
rectangular in shape to conform to the general pattern of hieroglyphic
inscriptions. But these same celestial diagrams, as they were termed
by Egyptologists, were a source of puzzlement to them and astronomers
alike, because the orientation appeared to them to be all wrong.

Referring to the Celestial Diagram found in the tomb of Senmut (cira
1500 B.C.) Professor Pogo writes: "...A characteristic feature of the
Senmut ceiling is the astronomically objectionable orientation of the
southern panel; it has to be inspected like the rest of the ceiling by
a person facing north, so that Orion appears east of Sirius. If
astronomical ceilings in sepulchral halls were originally an expansion
of the inside and outside decorations of sarcophagus lids, the reversed
orientation of the southern panel would be easy to account for.
Another explanation for the wrong orientation of the southern panel is
suggested by the possibility that it originated on a southern vertical
wall facing a northern vertical wall appropriately decorated with
representations of the "meridian cords" and the "mural dials" discussed
below; by moving such hypothetical mural panels to the ceiling, their
relative orientation could be preserved, as in the case of the Seti
monument, or else the orientation of the southern panel could be
sacrificed to "uniformity" as on the ceiling of Senmut and of the
Ramesseum..." (The astronomical ceiling decoration in the Tomb of
Senmut, --XVIIIth Dynasty: Isis 14, p.306). Professor Pogo did not
know, nor do Egyptologists in general know, that these celestial
diagrams, belonging to many different dynastic periods, were nothing
else than copies of the horoscope for the inauguration of the Sothic
Era at the heliacal rising of Sirius at Heliopolis on July 16 (O.S.),
2767 B.C. (see January 1954 issue). This was deemed to be a magical
talisman insuring for the deceased longevity in the Elysium Fields.

The orientation of these celestial diagrams was not wrong. It is
identical with the orientation of our modern horoscope forms, whether
square or circular; a fact which is a strong argument that it was the
Egyptians, and not the Babylonians, who invented astrology, as so
fondly argued by Assyriologists. The horoscope for the inauguration of
the Sothic Era is identical in form with that of the square horoscope
form. It antidates the first records of Babylonian astrology by over a
thousand years; and it is the oldest extant horoscope in the world.

South at Midheaven

When a modern horoscope form is seen for the first time, the beholder,
like Professor Pogo, is apt to exclaim "The orientation is all wrong."
This is because he is accustomed to see north at the top, the south at
the bottom, the east at the right and the west at the left in all
modern geographical maps. But to orientate our geographical maps in
this way is only a convention. In truth, there is no top or bottom to
the earth or for that matter for any of the celestial bodies. The
Egyptians always considered the south as being the top or upper region,
the north as the bottom or lower region, the east as being the left and
the west and being the right. The Egyptian for east is 'i3bt,' while
that for left-hand is 'i3bi' the Egyptian for west is 'imnt' and for
right-hand 'wnmy,' both words having the same root. The Egyptian for
north was 'mht,' the root of which is 'mh' meaning "a whip." The same
root occurs in the word 'mhnyt' - "the coiled one," meaning a snake or
serpent, and it is rather curious to find in the argot of the southern
states of the U.S.A., before the emancipation of the slaves, that the
whip was often referred to as the "snake." In Egyptian symbolism the
ideogram of a snake or serpent indicated the "winds" and that of the
"whip" is here identified with the icy winds that blow from the north,
which metaphorically speaking, "whip the backs of the Egyptians" when
they blow, as the viewer of a horoscope is always supposed to be facing
due south, with his back to the north. So positioned the east will be
at his left and the west at his right. The Egyptian for south was 'r-
swt' - "the sedge plant," and the Egyptian for Upper (southern) Egypt
was 'sm'w,' the phonetics of which incorporate the ideogram of a "sedge
plant," while that for Lower (northern) Egypt, i.e., the Land of the
Delta, was 'mhr,' the phonetics of which include the ideogram of the
"whip."

When looking at a circular horoscope form it must be remembered that
the astrologer is trying to express diagrammatically in two dimensions
a three dimensional view, this view being taken in "the plane of the
vertical." The circle that surrounds the diagram represents the prime
vertical, which is a great circle of the sphere that rises due east
(extreme left-hand point of the circle), cuts through the Zenith, which
is that point in the heavens that is immediately overhead (extreme top
point of the circle), sets due west (extreme right-hand point), passes
through the Nadir, which is that point immediately opposite to the
Zenith (bottom part of circle) and then rises again due east. Cusps
and Angles

The horizontal line that stretches across the diagram from east to west
is the great circle of the rational horizon viewed edge-on, thus
appearing as only a line. The vertical line is the great circle of the
meridian, also viewed edge on. It rises due north of the horizon, cuts
through the prime vertical at the Zenith, again intersects the horizon,
this time due south, and again intersects the prime vertical at the
Nadir, to rise again at the north point of the horizon. These are the
three great primary or fundamental circles of the mundane sphere. The
twelve lines, looking like spokes of a wheel, represent the cusps
(edges) of the twelve mundane houses. They are known as secondary
circles or just secondaries.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

90
(105) * (75)
120 * * * 60
* * *
135* * *45
*
150* * * * *30
*
(165)* * * * *(15)
*
180 * * * 0
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


QUINDECIMUS ORB-ASPECTS
15 DEGREE ASPECTS in Ecliptic Longitude from 0 to 180, 180 to 360
Kay Cavender

To use the Quindecimus Orb-Aspect System Table below, first determine
the aspect and its orb. Add the points under <A> for the Aspect, to
the points under <B> for the orb's general amount of degrees and
minutes. Then add to that the points in decimals under <C> for the
specific minutes of the orb. Example: 5PIS46 MOON - 3VIR53 NEP =
opposition of 1d 53'. ADD: from under <A> 7 points for the opposition,
from under <b> 4 points for general category (1 degree 31'- 2 degrees)
wherein 1d 53' falls, and <C> ".2" for specific 53 minutes. Total =
11.2 points.


C.

Minutes PTS Minutes
A. B. 0 = |1.0 |
01 02 03| .9 |31 32 33
PTS ASPECTS PTS ORB 04 05 06| .8 |34 35 36
________________ ______________ 07 08 09| .7 |37 38 39
7 | 0 | 180 | 7 | 01'- 30' 10 11 12| .6 |40 41 42
6 | 15 | 165 | 6 | 31'-1 00' 13 14 15| .5 |43 44 45
5 | 30 | 150 | 5 | 1 01'-1 30' 16 17 18| .4 |46 47 48
4 | 45 | 135 | 4 | 1 31'-2 00' 19 20 21| .3 |49 50 51
5 | 60 | 120 | 3 | 2 01'-2 30' 22 23 24| .2 |52 53 54
6 | 75 | 105 | 2 | 2 31'-3 00' 25 26 27| .1 |55 56 57
7 | 90 | 1 | 3 01'-3 30' 28 29 30| .0 |58 59 60
_______________________________________________________________________
Quindecimus Orb-Aspect Tables (C) 1987 by Kay Cavender


The information herein on the Quindecimus Orb-Aspect System for
ecliptic longitude is in three sections. SECTION I: the graph and
tables with description and sample data; SECTION II: examples of use
and delineation; and SECTION III: an overview of theory and
development. "Orb-Aspects" apply only to ecliptic longitude, not to
angular planets as on meridian (MC-IC) or horizon (ASC-DSC), although
an ecliptic aspect may have one or more of its planets (and/or lights)
angular.

Although the idea of 15 degree aspects is not new, I came upon the
idea in the mid-70's through Edward R. Dewey's CYCLES The Mysterious
Forces That Trigger Events. Dewey reported that John H. Nelson
discovered a connection between radio communication and the angular
relationship between the planets. He gave his explanation from a
heliocentric viewpoint: "If at any instant any three or more planets
are so situated that the angular relationship between the lines
connecting them and the Sun is 15 DEGREES OR SOME MULTIPLE OF 15
DEGREES, the quality of radio propagation will be affected...." In
terms of radio propagation, there are more specifications that are
pertinent. But it immediately struck me to wonder since this was
functioning in the universe, if it might also be significant in
astrology, and I began to consider 15 degree aspects. The above graph
helps to see where they lie. Also, the admission that 45 and 135
degrees arcs are functional is to admit 15 degree arcs as a whole.
The primary significance of the Quindecimus Orb-Aspect tables is
that they encapsulate an understanding of the relative strength of
aspects as derived from being part of a cycle; additionally the
tables combine aspects with an orb or distance wherein an aspect is
functional. The aspects wax and wan in strength. The tables rate the
STRENGTH OF ASPECTS as starting from the strongest--0, 180 and 90
degrees, and diminishing down to the weakest--45 and 135 degrees (which
in terms of the synodic moon phase of 29.53 days equates to crescent
and gibbous phases). The 45 & 135 degree aspects would be the in-
between aspects and/or phases. This rating scale factors in the
relationship between the strength of the aspect with the closeness of
the orb. Section III presents the theory of "orb" or effective
distance; in order to not re-invent the wheel, I took Garth Allen's
advice that if an event doesn't happen in 2-1/2 degree aspect, it
doesn't happen.
Judging the strongest orb&aspect combination is a major problem in
understanding any chart, particularly when nothing is angular. For
instance, given an opposition (180 degree aspect) of 3 degrees orb,
would that be judged stronger than an exact trine (120 degree aspect)?
What is the cutting point in judging natally which is the strongest
characteristic with Sun and/or Moon? This is the essential question
here, and it becomes much more complex in relation to transit or return
charts. The aspects are not just quintessential, they are Quindecimus
- in 15 degree arcs.
The names of the recognized aspects in 30 and 15 degree arcs are
conjunction (0), semi-sextile (30), semi-square (45), sextile (60),
square (90), trine (120), sesqui-square or sesquadrate (135), quincunx
(150), and opposition (180). These are repeated in reverse order from
180 to 360 degrees.
To belabor the obvious for those unacquainted with figuring aspects:
any planetary placement, for instance of 6 degrees (whatever minutes)
would be in some 30 degree aspect with any planet at or near 6 degrees
in any other constellation. Then allowing a couple of degrees orb, one
would look for aspects at 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 degrees in other
constellations. However, to figure 15 degree aspects, one must add (or
subtract) 15 degrees to the 6 degrees to get 21 degrees. If
subtracted, since the constellations are in "sets" of 30 degrees, the
placement will still be 21 degrees in previous constellation.
Regarding the FOUR (NEW) ASPECTS not generally recognized and for
which there are no names or symbols--15, 75, 105, and 165 degrees,
these are dubbed the QUARTI-SEXTILE (15), POST-SEXTILE (75), PRE-TRINE
(105), and POST-QUINCUNX (165) to partially describe their numeric
order in relation to the other recognized aspects. The words "pre" and
"post" respectively indicate "minus 15" and "plus 15." In order to
represent them graphically, a minus (-) or plus (+) was added to
existing symbols. The quarti-sextile (1/4 of a sextile) takes the
semi-sextile symbol (a "V" sitting on a line) and adds a minus line
underneath, i.e., 30 -15 = 15 degrees. The post-sextile (75) takes the
sextile symbol of crossed lines over a middle horizontal line, and
extends the middle line to the right, and adds a vertical line to
indicate a plus, i.e., 60 + 15 = 75 degrees. The pre-trine takes the
triangle representing the trine and adds a minus below it, i.e., 120 -
15 = 105 degrees. And the post-quincunx takes the symbol which looks
like a semi-sextile reversed (an upsidedown "V" with horizontal line on
top), and stacks a plus on top, i.e., 150 + 15 = 165 degrees. These
symbols could not be represented in ascii format.
(As a symbol which is an associative aid for the 45 degree semi-
square, I favor the modified L bent forward to represent a 45 degree
angle; and for the 135 degree sesqui-square (or sesquiquadrate), I
favor the square with an added 45 degree angle's top line diagonally
dividing the square and the base line of the 45 degree angle extending
below the square.)
For those with a convoluted delight in Latin terms, my CAPricorn SUN
husband devised abbreviated forms as names for the new aspects: quin-
decum for the 15 degree aspect, sept-quin for 75, cent-quin for 105,
and cent-sexquin for 165.
Just for the record regarding 'good and bad' aspects: the sidereal
view has been that there are stronger and weaker aspects(.) The
intrinsic nature of the planets in aspect indicates the 'goodness or
badness' if there be such. A exact trine of SAT & MARS is not sweet
even in lesser aspect; neither is a square of JUP and VEN bitter. But
again, sweet is not necessarily good, nor is bitter necessarily bad.
Life is richly ambiguous and so also is symbolism. Moral certainty
cannot be ascribed to life nor to a chart based on time and space.
Although a wide ORB is used in the table as a net to catch most
functional aspects, usually I would only consider 2-1/2 degrees as
'maximum' orb. (The diameter of the full Moon as viewed from Earth
approximates 1/2 degree; thus 5 moons is 2-1/2 degrees, ALOT of space.)
However, occasionally there may be only one or two aspects to each
light (Sun or Moon), and the wide orb serves to catch them. The table
represents a rule-of-thumb descriptive rating only. In this
Quindecimus Orb-Aspect rating scale (quindecimus means 15), maximum
points = 15, and minimum points = 5. Generally one can disregard any
Orb-Aspect below 7 points (unless it's with the lights and/or angular),
but do note it because if a person moves to a location where one or
both bodies in a lesser aspect are angular, then that lesser aspect
becomes more powerful. Considering 7 points as a 'functional' rating
in effect narrows the margin of orb allowed.
Also, of course, a wide Ecliptic Latitude will be a factor in
judging the strength of an aspect, particularly with a conjunction (0
degrees longitude), but this table does not take that into
consideration. For instance, Pluto can have up to 17 degrees of
ecliptic latitude, clearly destroying the concept of "conjunct."
A minor vagary of the table: sometimes one gets one aspect rated at
9.5 points and another at 9.6 points, and there may be only 1 minute's
difference in orb between them; and yet two different aspects with the
same rating could have 2 minutes' difference in orb. Both the previous
examples might be judged about equal.

Finally, regardless of a rating of a few decimals less, an aspect
between the lights may be considered more powerful than a light and
planet. And of course if any planet in the aspect is also angular,
this planet and its aspect becomes much more powerful even though of
lesser ecliptic strength.

Considering that the 29.53 day Synodic Cycle from New Moon to New
Moon is the most immediate and dynamic cycle (next to the 24 hour day)
that we experience, it represents a good model for understanding
aspects in a cycle. Note from the graph and table that there are
SEVEN KINDS OF ASPECTS, each of which wax and then wane again in
reverse order- the 0 degree conjunction and 180 degree opposition
(which would correspond to new and full moon) are paired in geometric
alignment, the 15 & 165, the 30 & 150, the 45 & 135 (of the crescent
and gibbous phases), the 60 and 120, the 75 & 105, and the 90 degree
square (of the quarter moons) which in itself is the aspect most
opposite or different than the straight alignment of three bodies in
conjunction (Sun-Moon-Earth) or opposition (Sun-Earth-Moon).
And also note that the missing (unnamed aspects) are located on
either side of the strongest aspects, the 0, 180 and 90 degree aspects;
i.e., the quarti-sextile (15) and the post-quincunx (165) are on either
side of the conjunction and opposition, while the post-sextile (75) &
the pre-trine (105) are on either side of the square. For research
purposes, one may wish to label the above aspects waxing (or D for
dexter), and then as the aspects repeat themselves in reverse order,
label them waning (or S for sinister aspects).
There is a presumption here that our most basic archetypal
experience of aspects comes from the Moon's cycle. We have general
terms for a perceived 8 phases of the Moon's cycle--dark and full, and
waxing and waning phases for crescents, quarters, and gibbous. We
experience each type for about 3 to 4 days--dark, the edged crescents,
the "half" shaped quarter moons, 3/4 full, and full. Perhaps because
of our perceived visual experience of the general shape of the 4 major
phases (dark-full and quarters), we have not distinguished between (the
unnamed) aspects which would occur in those 3 to 4 days near the major
ones.
Garth Allen's research (see file LONGLIFE) on one's own synodic
period of 29.53 days, starting with one's natal Moon-Sun phase/aspect,
shows the greatest frequency of deaths occur on the 8TH and 23RD DAYS
within one's own cycle. The 8th and 23rd days are the peaks of three day
periods. If compared to the aspects in the Moon's Synodic cycle of 29.53
days from new moon to new moon, the 8TH DAY of one's personal cycle (called
a Synodic Return) equates with the waxing 105 degree aspect (pre-trine), the
day after the first quarter; and the 23RD DAY, which has the highest degree
of deaths within one's cycle, equates with the waning 75 degree aspect (post-
sextile), the day after the last quarter. Allen's research did not
specifically point out the aspect, but rather just the number of days
elapsed in one's own cycle indicating low vitality. However, the 8th and
23rd days do correspond to waxing 105 and waning 75 degree aspects in a 29.53
day Synodic Moon cycle, but it is not known to this author if the natal
Moon-Sun aspects of the waxing 105 degrees and waning 75 degrees indicate
people who have serious health problems at birth. These findings have most
serious implications for monitoring medication and scheduling operations.
One research application of the vitality lapse indicated by the
synodic 8th and 23th days comes to mind. Should a natal MOON-SUN phase
relationship (of a waxing 105 degrees and a waning 75 degrees) be
discovered in infants who fail to thrive as in Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome, this knowledge could help save lives. This would require
birthdates for such infants to ascertain their natal Moon-Sun phase and
death dates for the time when they died.

Some of Allen's other research differentiated between other waxing
and waning aspects as being specifically significant. For instance,
rainfall cycles in the northern hemisphere were mostly predominant
after the Full Moon (waning 135 sesqui-square), whereas this reversed
itself in the southern hemispheres to after New Moon (waxing semi-
square). These aspects are also opposite each other. Thus there is
certainly more research required on the kinds of aspects, in all kinds
of astrological applications from natal to meteorological. The
Quindecimus system provides a helpful graphic way of understanding
behavior and astrological aspects as part of a CYCLE.
Although common knowledge is that mass behavior is more extreme
during the full moon, drunks get drunker, fights are more frequent,
etc., there have been studies and books citing medical crisis during
full moons. In Garth Allen's 6/1975 American Astrology "Perspectives
In the Sidereal," he reports on a study by Dr. Andrews in the Journal
of the Florida Medical Association wherein "using the three-year record
for over a thousand tonsillectomy cases, Dr. Andrews was amazed to find
that "82% of bleeding crisis occurred between the moon's first and
third quarters. What is more, the proportion is actually greater
because of the oddity that few patients were admitted during the Full
Moon period of the month." That is, 82 % of the crises occurred
starting from the first quarter, with a clustering of emergencies
around the full moon (which is halfway between the 1st and 3rd
quarters), and tapering off at a day before third quarter moon. Dr.
Andrews also had collaboration from another colleague with different
records which also indicated the same conditions. Yet, what evidence
there is has not yet impacted the medical establishments' thinking, and
so more needs to be done as even statistics are ignored and quarreled
over.

SAMPLE DATA to illustrate QUINDECIMUS ORB-ASPECT lineup: [31 July
1942, 10:25am MST, 108w30 45n47]. First determine aspects of 30 degree
arcs to the lights (Sun & Moon) and to any angular planets by checking
for the same degree (plus or minute 2 degrees) in each constellation.
Keep the orb to about 3 degrees maximum. Then add 15 degrees to the
above aspects (or subtract 15 degrees) to check for the 15 degree
aspects. The above data could be indicated as below. Any planets in
aspect in ecliptic longitude but also angular would have more weight.
Example: 5PIS46 Moon - 3VIR53 NEP = opposition of 1d 53'. ADD: from
under <A> 7 points for the opposition, from under <b> 4 points for
general category (1 degree 31'- 2 degrees) wherein 1d 53' falls, and
<C> ".2" for specific 53 minutes. Total = 11.2 points.

VIR ASC/ MC VEN - semi-sextile SAT 0d15' (12.5pts), conjunct JUP
1d22' (12.2pts), post-sextile NEP 2d40' (8.6pts), semi-sextile SUN
2d18' (8.4pts).
/ MC JUP - conjunct VEN 1d22' (12.2pts), post-sextile NEP
1d08' (11.7pts), semi-sextile SAT 1d27' (10.1pts), pre-trine MOON 3d11'
(7.6pts).

PIS MOON - quincunx MARS 0d06' (12.8pts), opposition NEP 1d53'
(11.2pts), pre-trine MC JUP 3d11' (7.6pts).
CAN SUN - conjunct PLU 2d24' (10.2pts), conjunct MER 2d29' (10pts),
sextile SAT 2d04' (8.8pts), semi-sextile MC VEN 2d18' (8.4pts).

For brevity on charts, the aspect symbol can be used rather than
spelling the name, and the points rating written below the aspect and
circled. Listing PARallel ALTitudes is recommended as well (i.e., the
distance up from the horizon in degrees & minutes). Star conjunctions
and oppositions can be indicated by an asterisk (or star) near the
planets or lights. See the appended LIST OF ZODIACAL STARS, limited to
within 3 degrees of the ecliptic in north & south latitude, at the end
of this essay.

This woman of the above data has a background in literature (B.A.),
taught English, and has interests in psychology, archaeology,
philosophy, religions, mysticism, healing (as an Ortho-Bionomy
Instructor), metaphysics, psychism, and Sidereal Astrology. Besides an
abiding enjoyment of books, she says one of her greatest blessings has
been her friends. She firmly believes she was born at a time
characteristic of her energy and talents, not that she was stamped and
set by any external aspects. Although telepathy is common place and
indicated by the obvious PIS MOON opp NEP, one also has to account for
one of her abiding vices which is a flash temper, high strung emotions,
etc., and the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects do show the MARS quincunx aspect
most strongly with her Moon. Those aspects plus the VIR ASC might
describe a system prone to various serious allergies. She credits the
SUN-SAT sextile & VIR ASC as descriptive of at least a minor strain of
practicality, and notes that SAT semi-sextile MC VEN (& SUN-PLU) may be
descriptive of her tendency to not marry until 40, her first (and
hopefully last) marriage. Characteristic of SUN-PLU, she lives in the
country on an unmarked road, behind locked gates, with an unlisted
number, and likes it that way. Approach-avoidance conflicts abound.
When she moved to her present longitude which brought natal Moon
opposite NEP angular in the early 60's, she plunged into a study of
hypnosis and metaphysics. She says that 2 years of hypnotic training
during TR PLU to MOON-NEP angular by location was a time which
radically changed the focus of her mind and life. But her life had
already changed radically by the choice to move to a different
location, although the conscious motivation was to attend graduate
school in the humanities.
* * *
SECTION II: EXAMPLES of USE of QUINDECIMUS ORB-ASPECTS includes
case studies showing several applications (natal, interaspects,
transits and/or events). Elsewhere (in file [BASICS]) is detailed a
simplified ABC approach to delineation which focuses on summarizing
what factors are most emphasized. It includes <A> ANGULAR planets &
their aspects, <B> the Lights (Sun & Moon) and their ASPECTS, & <C> the
CONSTELLATIONS of the Ascendant and of the Lights (that is, the
Sidereal Zodiac of the star constellations as distinct from the signs
of the Tropical Zodiac). Perhaps that should be called an "AAC"
approach. The intent in these mini-case studies is to present the
(birth)data of recognizable persons, some distinctive characteristics,
and a workable approach to a chart that defines the distinctive
characteristics of the person. The AAC approach with the Quindecimus
Orb-Aspects provides just that.


In order to briefly define the "ANGLES"--the MC-IC and the
ASCENDANT-DESCENDANT, these definitions first: The Ecliptic is the
great circle (and/or plane) of the celestial sphere that is the
apparent path of the Sun among the stars defining the zodiac, as seen
from the Earth. The prime Meridian is the first astronomical great
circle established; it bisects the south & north poles, the south and
north points of the horizon, the center of the earth, and the zenith
(the point directly overhead the observer) and the nadir (the point
below the observer).
Where the Ecliptic plane crosses or intersects the Prime Meridian in
the south indicates the MC (MIDHEAVEN from the Latin Medium Coeli) or
degree of culmination; and where the Ecliptic plane crosses or
intersects the Prime Meridian in the north (below the horizon)
indicates the IC (Latin Illium Coeli). These are but two opposite
points on the intersecting planes of the ecliptic and the prime
Meridian.
Where the Ecliptic plane crosses or intersects the eastern horizon
indicates the ASCENDANT (where the Sun ascends); where the Ecliptic
plane crosses the western horizon indicates the DESCENDANT. Again,
these are also but two opposite points on intersecting planes of the
ecliptic and the horizon. Only at the spring and fall equinoxes does
the Ecliptic plane cross the horizon at true East and West.

As also detailed in the file [BASICS], there are certainly other
significant factors which are not the point of this essay. To name a
few as follows:
*There are planets in PARallel ALTitude, i.e., the distance up (or
down) from the horizon, which are often as important as major aspects.
PAR ALTs are powerful! These are noted in the examples along with the
Quindecimus Orb-Aspect ecliptic longitude line-up and angularity. In
1/70 "Solunars" Fagan speaks of Rapt Parallels in discussing the Watch
Divisions of the Octoscope. Parallels as commonly understood are
measured in Declination, the distance (north or south) from the
Celestial Equator, whereas "Rapt" parallels are measured in elevation
or Altitude, the distance (north or south) from the horizon. Fagan
says that any two celestial bodies in rapt parallel was "accounted as
equal in power to a mutual conjunction." Herein 'rapt parallels' are
referred to as PARallel ALTitudes. PAR ALTs deserve inclusion in the
AAC approach, which could be amended to be AAAC - Angular Planets,
Aspects to lights, ALTitudes, and Constellations of Lights and
ASCendant.
*A planet is more powerful when in its "STATIONARY POINT," the point
in the apparent path of a planet at which its motion changes from
direct to retrograde (or vice-versa) and it appears motionless in the
sky. This applies to natal planets involved in an aspect and/or in
transits.
*Close ecliptic (zodiacal) stars conjunct or opposition lights or
planets give an added potency as if that characteristic quality in a
person can be more influential, known to more people. When the
birthtime is not in question, STARS Rising, Setting and Culminating,
particularly with other angular bodies, can be considered; but note
that the angularity of stars is figured differently than the ecliptic
or zodiacal stars conjunctions and oppositions (see notes in file
[4SPHERES]).
*Another level of meaning is given by Ken Irving's SECTOR
Distributions in American Astrology (see 2/93, 6/93, 8/93, 9/93, 12/93,
1/94, 3/94, 4/94, 5/94, 6/95, 12/95, 1/96). The distribution of
planets in the four quadrants of a chart show different types of
persons such as sirens, humanitarians, Machiavellians, and
sociometrists. These quadrants are derived mainly from the 24-hour
timeframe of a day in which one is born, and secondarily from the
distribution of planets in the zodiac.
*A most powerful tool is the LOCATIONAL Angularity, and also the
Crossings of planets at birth and/or residence as shown in Jim Lewis'
AstroCartoGraphy Maps. Cyril Fagan described how to draw these in his
Feb 1966 "Solunars" in American Astrology, and several versions were
drawn in articles in SPICA (see the World Map in April 1963 SPICA, R.C.
Firebrace's "1963 Capricorn Ingress"). Astro*Carto*Graphy also lists
the "crossings" in each LATITUDE where two (or more) planets
simultaneously come to an angle. I consider the crossings at the
Latitude of Birth within one degree a significant factor in natal
delineation. Natal Latitude Crossings are significant because they are
the planets already in "paran" (planets simultaneously at the angles)
in the latitude of birth at the moment of birth, not just what "can"
come to the angles, on the "day" of birth. Planets which "can" come to
the angles on the day of birth are actually occurring at different
latitudes, and are functional when one goes to those latitudes.
*Conjunctions and oppositions of close ECLIPTIC/ZODIACAL STARS,
which spotlight planets or lights in an alignment, intensify those
forces by their very alignment. See Appended LIST of ECLIPTIC STARS
limited to within 3 degrees latitude, north and south. Again as with
aspects, keep to within less than 3 degrees orb in longitude. To begin
with, generally disregard the 'goodness or badness' of stars. Several
famous celestial stars' negative astrological reputation came from
their being not only seafarers' directional markers, but also seasonal
markers when storms could cause a disaster. This is not to deny that
some stars are more positive than others, or at least different. There
may well be something to the quality of energy even as indicated by
stars' size and color. Certain stars were personified by ancient
cultures as god and goddess forms, which if we had some insight into
their mythological meaning, might well suggest the star's essence.
* * *


Before delving into aspects which can often seem a 51% expression of
who one is, here is a brief affirmation of the star constellation
zodiac (as distinct from the signs) as the basis for delineating one's
solar values & expression and lunar emotional perception. As Cyril
Fagan detailed in his writing, the star constellation ARIES
characteristically boasts a most significant list of historic dictators
and power players, which of itself, must give one pause in considering
the applicability of constellation symbolism: Catherine De Medici,
Adolf Hitler, Catherine The Great Of Russia, Oliver Cromwell, Rudolf
Hess, Ulysses S. Grant, Saddam Hussien, Machiavelli, Lenin, Karl Marx,
Robespierre, Vladimir Zhirinousky, Napoleon, Napoleon III, Charlemagne,
Tito, Rudolph Hess, Hirohito Of Japan.
There are other characteristic characters in each constellation: the
first dictionary maker, Samuel Johnson, was a sidereal Virgo which has
the reputation for wordsmithing. Sidereal LEO has at least three
historic figures who were the center of their world and/or world
conquerors: King Louis 14th, The "Sun" King ("I am the State");
Alexander The Great, and Napoleon Bonaparte who when asked about his
heritage replied, "I am the first of my line."
In addition to adventurer/explorers, sidereal PISCES is known for
some of the greatest depth actors, artists & entertainers: particularly
Betty Davis, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, Alec Guinness, Helen Hayes,
Mary Pickford, James Stewart, Gloria Swanson, Marlon Brando, Gregory
Peck, Lon Chaney, Marcel Marceau, Rudolf Nureyev, Jean Paul Belmondo,
Richard Chamberlaine, Glen Close, Warren Beatty, Omar Sharif, Noel
Coward, Tennessee Williams. Also James Garner, Fred Allen, Kurt
Russell, Ursula Andress, Vanessa Williams, Bruce Willis, Karl Malden,
William Shatner, Steve Mcqueen, Alan Arkin, James Caan, Ali MacGraw,
Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, Eddie Murphy, Chico Marx, Dana
Carvey, Billy Holiday, Julie Christie, Diana Ross, Pearl Bailey, Sarah
Vaughan, Wayne Newton, Billy Dee Williams, Andre Previn, Nat King Cole.
Perhaps because we know movie stars better than history, Sidereal
Pisces especially illustrates on several levels a title for this
section:
"Star Light, Star Bright Constellation Astrology."

But while historic figures and movie stars can well illustrate their
Sun constellations by their characteristic accomplishments, the kind of
person one is regardless of accomplishment is also indicated by
constellation placement. Among actors for instance, Frank Sinatra and
Kirk Douglas can easily be seen as scrappy macho SCORPIO SUN persons.
Barbara Steisand is convincing as a sidereal ARIES noted for doing
things her way. But with actors yet and still, regardless of the
obvious different kinds of actors, NEP is the most common theme in the
charts of most successful actors.
Sean Connery, a sidereal Leo (conjunct NEP), is known for his
overweening, suave self-confidence especially in the Bond series. [25
AUG 1930, 6:05pm GMT, Edinburgh, Scotland 3w11 55n57] His chart is
interesting in that the only aspect to his VIR Moon is a square to SAT
of 4d01' orb, indicating why he was convincing as a chauvinist devoid
of emotional attachment. At the same time, he does have SUN semi-
square VEN as the Sun's 2nd strongest aspect (in Quindecimus rating),
and the MOON (+13d 56') in PARallel ALTitude to VEN (+13.05')
indicating a basic sensual susceptibility. Otherwise, there is not
much of an astrological case for his sexiest man image.
But, of course, it is the sum total of a chart which emphasizes one
characteristic over another. Generally this can be found within a
chart in the emphasis of similar aspects and/or constellations by their
repetition.

The following comments on the case studies presume the correctness
of the data and are computed in the STAR CONSTELLATION ZODIAC. At the
outset, let me underscore my basic suspicion not only of War Time or
Daylight Saving Time mis-recording of data which directly affects the
angular positions (as the Earth revolves about 1 degree every 4
minutes), and also mis-recordings of birth times in general.
Since anyone can add and subtract orb amounts, for brevity these are
not listed those below, but only aspects to the lights with the points
rating in parenthesis. My comments will be mostly directed to specific
attributes which would not be clear otherwise unless indicated by the
Quindecimus Orb-Aspect System, particularly the "unnamed aspects" which
in many cases really nail the psychology. Once the significant
accuracy of these Orb-Aspects are seen, one can more easily make a more
complete delineation from the lineup.


After I had written up several of these case studies and finally
'discovered' that Uranus was a primary theme, I decided to append a
section from my PLANETARY KEYWORD LIST here as a reminder. Although
perception is certainly relative, I delight in the supposition that
these unconscious, serendipitous choices featuring Uranus occurred to
underscore the revelatory and revolutionary nature of the Quindecimus
Orb-Aspect System.



URANUS KEYWORD LIST
[Democratic. Progressive. Revolutionary.]
Uniqueness, individuality, originality, distinctiveness,
unusualness, discovery (of self & otherwise). Change, turnabout of
old, revolution or conversion, escape from boredom or the humdrum,
awakening, breakthrough, progress through shock, emergency, deviation,
unexpected, eccentricity, oddity, suddenness, birth trauma, renewal,
emancipation, liberation, re-orientation, new, modernization,
renovation, innovation, improvisation, ingenuity, inventive genius,
short-cuts, experiment, science as discovery rather than research,
cyclic motion,

Also described as: individual, different, independent, original,
colorful, fresh, exciting, thrilling, mentally creative, stimulating,
electrical, scintillating, ZEST, urge to be free, to move, to change,
or to travel; wanderlust, restless, impersonal, adventuresome,
charismatic, phenomenal, unconventional, unexpected, surprising,
incredible, progressive, shocking, ultra-modern, rapid-thinking, in the
vanguard, distinctive, futuristic, an onslaught of reality, existential
(here and now), organizational ability, pragmatic, god's gift to
mankind complex or superman complex, clownish, known for zany wit,
quips, and puns.
Negative expression: irresponsible, detached, uncaring, erratic,
undependable, unpredictable, unwillingness to be pinned to a schedule,
wayward, wasteful, here today--gone tomorrow, willful, rebellious,
strange, eccentric, outlandish, weird, spasmodic, emergency, shock,
deviation, disturbing, upsidedown way of seeing things.
Essential PARADOX: Individuality vs Universality (Understands the
commonality of all people and promotes civil rights while maintaining
the distinctiveness of each individual.) Responsibility vs Freedom.
Selfish, uncaring & irresponsible to others while maintaining his own
individual rights & the common good. Everyone is equal, but not equal
to Uranus who is so-o-o individual!
* * *



BRIGADIER ROY C. FIREBRACE, 1889 AUG 16, Halifax, Nova Scotia
(63w35' 44n38), 5pm InterColonial or Atlantic Time, 9pm GMT AT.
SVP 6 48' 19". (American Astrology 3/75 lists rectified time of
4:47:40pm LMT)

ASC 17SAG56; VEN DES - post-quincunx JUP (11.7), square URA (9.2),
semi-square SUN (6.3), /semi-square SAT (5.8)
MOON IC (aspects below);

ARI MOON - square MARS (14.9 pts), semi-sextile PLU (12.4), semi-
sextile NEP (9.4), pre-trine SUN (8.2), trine SAT (7.7) quincunx URA
(7.3),
LEO SUN - conjunct SAT (14.5), semi-square URA (11.8), square PLU
(10.4), pre-trine MOON (8.2), /semi-square DES VEN (6.3)

URA is Highest Elevation at +35.36' Altitude, and aspects both
lights.
Parallel Altitude: SUN +23.29' & SAT +24.36'.

Hence both URA & SAT have multiple emphasis in this aspect framework,
but URA has triple billing.


Brigadier Firebrace was one of the pioneer siderealists who edited
SPICA, The Journal of Sidereal Astrology, 1962 through 1964, and was
consistently open to investigating new techniques. He took nothing for
granted. He had the motto, "SEEK THE NEW IN THE OLD." In the 7/70
Spica, he said he was given the motto when in Hamburg as a translation
of an old Chinese saying. "But I [Firebrace] still hold the view that
the ancients did not know everything and that it is not only by just
going back to them that we shall discover the truth. It is however
true that by going back to the ancients that Cyril Fagan discovered the
Sidereal Zodiac." Certainly this chosen motto represented principles
which were meaningful in his life. Astrologers will recognize 'new'
and 'old' as keywords for Uranus and Saturn respectively, the same two
planets in closest aspect to his SUN.
Also in 4/73 Spica, Firebrace said, "I myself as a Sun Leo have all
my interests in Aquarian matters whilst I have nothing in Aquarius. I
could almost be thought of as an Aquarian!" Hence Firebrace himself
noticed his AQU/URA characteristics which represent "the inner man" and
which the Quindecimus (15 degree) Orb-Aspects would specifically
account for with the triple emphasis of URA.

From the 7/73 issue of Spica, for general interest I include
Firebrace's comments on himself and his chart: "Personally I have
sidereal Sagittarius rising which seems to fit me very well. I adore
travel, speak many foreign languages, enjoy life, have suffered from a
Jupiterian expansion of the body at times, am tall, and if Jupiter the
ruling planet does relate to the 'higher mind,' I am more than
interested in that too. This all seems to relate to the outward me,
the part seen by others which possibly could be called the personality,
the mask of my inner self which is not apparent on the surface. I
could not say the same of tropical Capricorn which seems to me to be
exactly that which I am not. I think in the past I have rather
neglected the Ascendant perhaps because I have been seeking the inner
man on which so much depends if they are to be helped by astrology."
Firebrace saw the angles as the more exterior persona, and was
interested in the inner man. For himself, that is represented by his
SUN aspects to SAT & URA, and URA further emphasized by its high
elevation/altitude.
From what little I knew of him personally through his letters, I can
well accept that he had an angular Moon and Venus for his intuition,
psychism, and congeniality. His angular Moon would well indicate a
mediumistic ability. Mary Austin, his Deputy Editor, wrote of him:


"Brigadier Firebrace was, as you know, wonderful in his approach to
Astrology. He was a truly dedicated man towards research. He was a
big man with a gentle nature and a fine sense of humor. He possessed a
deep understanding of life in all its aspects, a fountain of knowledge
and a wonderful memory, for he was fluent in seven languages and
understood several more. Brigadier Firebrace had led a most
interesting life having served in two World Wars, been Military Attache
in the Baltic States and Russia, and had interpreted at Cabinet
Meetings in Downing Street for Winston Churchill. He was a soldier for
forty years, an astrologer for thirty-five, and an ardent investigator
of psychic matters for just as long. He used to tell interesting
stories of Poltergeists and was even successful in exorcism,
occasionally in foreign tongues. His interest in ghosts and other
occult subjects was intense. He did sincerely believe in an after life
and spent much time reading and thinking about this, leaving behind him
the results of his researches in the shape of seven booklets in the
Moray Series. His meticulously written "New Students of Sidereal
Astrology" published in SPICA, will help many future generations to
study this difficult subject. No man did more to help individually
anyone who came to him for advice."
* * *


CYRIL FAGAN, 1896 May 22, Noon LMT, 12:25pm GMT, Dublin, Ireland
6w15 53n21. (From Firebrace's Spica: 12:14pm GMT; from April 1970
American Astrology: 11:50 LMT, 12:14pm GMT, and from Erlewine's Circle
Book of Charts published by the American Federation of Astrologers:
11:45am LMT) These various times were likely based on and about
Fagan's mother's memory of his Father coming in at noon in tall silk
hat and frock coat after his birth to visit his mother.

LEO ASC; SUN MC (aspects below)

TAU SUN - quarti-sextile NEP (13.4), trine Moon (12.5), sextile MARS
(10.4), quarti-sextile VEN (10), post-quincunx SAT (9.4), sextile JUP
(8.8).
VIR MOON - pre-trine NEP (12.9), opposition MARS (12.9), trine SUN
(12.5), sextile JUP (8.3), semi-square SAT (7.8), sesqui-square VEN
(7.6).

Most elevated and Parallel Altitudes: SUN (+57d11'), MER (+57d18'),
NEP (+56.04).

The main point about these Orb-Aspects for Fagan is that they show
NEP is the strongest aspect to Fagan's MOON and the strongest to his
SUN (with the MOON as second strongest with the SUN) all indicating
extraordinary psychism, which Fagan certainly had. The Parallel
Altitudes of SUN-MER-NEP at the highest elevation supports this
clairvoyant perception. At a dinner given for him in San Francisco in
1969, the young teenage daughter of the hostess and her young friend
walked in the room. Cyril had never seen either of them before. He
simply gazed at them and gave them both a reading, which was said to be
right on! Mrs. Fagan commented that he often did that - so it was a
recognized gift. And Pauline also referred to him as having long
abiding idealism about astrology, which would be indicated by NEP. The
Parallel Altitudes of SUN-MER-NEP also would have underscored this.
However, I have considerable skepticism and questions about this
time with his SUN angular on the MC. Essentially, although I only knew
and visited with Cyril Fagan for a brief time in person, I could not
accept that he had an angular SUN in addition to LEO ASC and MOON
opposite MARS, because he did not have the personal arrogance that
would indicate. In fact, he was most personable and charming with most
everyone, and even had an underlying sweetness and whimsicality about
him. Indeed I thought he was one of the most charming people I had
ever met. Pauline called him "Cyrilly." Admittedly on the other hand,
that SUN angularity is certainly modified by the TAU SUN placement with
NEP & MOON as strongest aspects.
But I also ask wherefore is the indication of the years of intense
study and discoveries? Is there some strong MER emphasis? The VIR
MOON by itself describes a studious emotional temperament and an
inclination for research, which was a lifetime pursuit for Fagan. But
I would expect some more specific MER indication for study and
discovery, although some argument may be made for the PAR ALT of SUN,
MER & NEP. And granted, his MER (conjunct the Crab Nebulla 29TAU21) is
quincunx URA for revolutionary ideas, but neither is angular with the
12:25pm GMT. This by itself does not seem to describe Fagan's scope
and learning which were incredible and, as he was wont to say,
astonishing, not to mention his prodigious mathematical ability. He
seemed to be able to do mathematics in his sleep. He even learned
hieroglyphics. 'Sheer genius' is an inevitable description of him.
Not many have both the technical ability to deal with the calculations
as well as the intuitive ability to understand what is calculated.
Admittedly, persons with an angular SUN (or Moon or even Neptune)
often have a vast comprehension (of a different quality than MER), but
I am not totally convinced still. He was known to have a brilliant and
unconventional mind, and delighted in communication with people
personally or in written correspondence would would well indicate a
strongly emphasized MER. Besides the monthly "SOLUNARS" series 7/53-
3/70 in American Astrology, he also wrote "THE PRESIDENT'S OUTLOOK"
under the name "I. COWLEY" 3/66-3/70 as well as essays in Spica, and
other articles. Fagan was prolifically innovative; he could toss out
more new ideas a in month than more folk have in a lifetime. Even his
bad ideas were interesting.
Gene Lockhart wrote of Fagan in (Spring 1977) The Constellations:
"He had the 'gift of gab.' He was a talker and what talk! In his
great generosity he gave me lessons in hieroglyphics and history, and
it was then that I began to realize the scope of his own study and
work. He called his contribution 'the hard work and loneliness of the
innovator,' and Mrs. Fagan spoke of the years of travail and the long
hours spent in research and correspondence that led to the most
important astrological discovery in modern times, that is, that the
exaltation degrees of the planets originated in 786 B.C." Uranian
keywords keep occurring-- "innovation and discovery" from Fagan
personally, as well as Lockhart's description of Fagan's extraordinary
personal communication.
Also Fagan was said to have especially liked travel and to have
traveled throughout most of Europe, particularly the capitals and their
libraries, and through some of Canada, as well as having lived in
several parts of the world such as London, Wales, Algiers, Morocco,
Spain, and the United States. This further suggests URA (or MER) as
factors in his profile.


Fagan certainly considered several birth times for himself since he
gave out several (as above). I cannot but wonder about an earlier
birth time (of some 40-45 minutes) that would have brought natal URA
closer to the IC (within a degree) as well as VEN closer the MC for his
most considerable charm. Since MER was close quincunx URA as its only
significant aspect, thus MER would have been more significant because
it aspected an angular URA. A theoretical 11:45 am GMT time would have
indicated these ALTitude PARallels for MER (at +53.06): NEP (+52.48),
VEN (+52.56), with the SUN at the highest elevation (+56.27). URA as
the only aspect to (quincunx) his MER would be at the lowest elevation
(-54.52) and within a degree of the (theoretic) IC.
This speculation comes from wondering just how long it might have
taken Fagan's mother to get both herself and baby son presentable after
the birth in 1896 before greeting her husband in his tall silk hat and
frock coat. That dressing-up could imply Victorian formality might
have been observed by both sides. Even without formality, getting
cleaned up after childbirth would not necessarily have been
accomplished in a few minutes at that time. However, this is only my
own speculation.
In further consideration of Fagan's chart from a locational
viewpoint: Fagan's 12:25 pm GMT angular SUN was not represented in
outstanding professional recognition in Dublin. And although he may
have reasoned that accordingly that time gave SUN angular in Phoenix
where American Astrology was published indicating a wide recognition,
for the most part, the implications of SUN angular did not fit with his
experience there. They had moved to Arizona in 1966, and later (in
1969) Mrs. Fagan told me with considerable vehemence how badly he was
treated there by other astrologers who reacted with petty jealousy.
However, Fagan did have JUP interaspects, a good personal relationship
with Mrs. Clancy, the publisher, which certainly would have been a
helpful factor. [Joanne Clancy, 16 April 1917, 7:00am EST, Erie, PA
42n07 80w07]
Fagan himself did not enjoy Arizona. In a private letter published
posthumously in The Siderealist, written from Tucson in April 1, 1966,
Fagan wrote: "Things here are as dull as dull can be. Often I wish
myself back in North Africa, where I was Morocco bound. The people
here are god-fearing, simple and church-going folk, despite their
immense advance in science. Why are they so lop-sided? They are not
real people. They seem to have walked out of the pages of Victorian
fiction." A 40-45 minute earlier time would have brought VEN ASC but
also SAT DSC within a degree mundanely in Phoenix for the personal
humiliation and disappointment suggested by VEN-SAT on the horizon, as
well as an JUP near the IC (within 3 degrees of R.A.) for mixed
success, which he also had in Tucson, Arizona. Such location aspects
would be born out by both Fagan's and his wife's descriptions of his
experience there. It was in Tucson where he had a stroke about a year
before he died there. Tucson did not agree with him. Also the earlier
(theoretic) time would also have put his natal SUN angular in Algiers
(located some 3 degrees West longitude) where he had lived in North
Africa and wished to return.
Another small notation: in response to some other question of mine,
they both said that "things happened to Cyril" on February 19th; at
that date the SUN would be near 6 AQU, close to a degree or so of his
DES for a theoretical 11:45am "GMT" time. However, although plausible,
this is conjecture, and more information on his life and further
calculations would hopefully clear up such questions. Or substantiate
them. My VIR ASC quibble factor is intact and continuous. For diverse
reasons, not every chart can be satisfactorily delineated.
* * *



Starting again to find what the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects reveal in a
notable person: On 10 June 1996, ABC's Good Morning America gave a
brief interview of CHRISTOPHER REEVE, a super man, who was so
critically injured and paralyzed in his fall in a riding accident in
the last year. He said, "You only have a couple of options in a
situation like this. Either you can vegetate and look out the window,
or you can activate and affect change. The second option seems a whole
lot better." Particularly in such a situation, I believe one comes
down to his or her most deeply held values and basic characteristics.
I take Reeves' expression with keywords "activate and affect change" as
one that comes from who he is at heart, which can be indicated by his
SUN placement and its aspects. From that statement, I expect to find
URA if astrology is at all descriptive of the person.

CHRISTOPHER REEVE, 1952 SEP 25, 3:30 am EDT, New York City 73w57
40n45.

VIR SUN conjunct MER (13.8), pre-trine URA (12), post-sextile MARS
(11.8), quarti-sextile SAT (11.6).
SCO MOON - semi-square VEN (10.6), /sextile SAT (6.4).

JUP has the highest elevation/altitude and is within 6 degrees of
the MC (and is quincunx MARS again suggesting a superman theme).

This time (EDT) generates a CAN ASC, and PLU ASC at some 3d44' of
Altitude. The SUN-MARS aspect plus the SCO MOON would indicate his
inherent courage.
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

Just as a followup on the Uranus-Superman theme, Friedrich
NIETZSCHE's data is irresistible (German philosopher and moralist who
wrote of a heroic moral superman): [1844 OCT 15, 10:07 am LMT, 12e08
51n15, Rocken, a Prussian Province of Saxony]. His data indicates a
VIR SUN opposition to PLU within about 2 degrees orb, and
yes! SUN post-quincunx URA within less than 3 degrees. (Mercury,
Jupiter and Venus were also SUN aspects.) MARS opposes JUP and
conjuncts his Meridian (MC-IC), which would be classic for an Olympian.
Garth Allen specifically described URA as indicating a savior or
superman complex, and also MARS & JUP in aspect as indicating 'might
makes right'--the motto of any superior military power. GARTH ALLEN,
by the way, (1925 MAY 16, 2:04 pm CST, 97w35 40n21) was a
quintessential Uranian. He had URA/AQU to the 5th power: 14AQU10 ASC,
15AQU14 MOON, AQU MOON conjunct ASC, MOON strongest with URA, TAU SUN
strongest with SAT & URA.
* * *






One more most extraordinary super man, who was a savior to his
people and nation, MAHATMA GANDHI. 1969 OCT 2, Porbander, India 69e36
21n38, Sundial Local Apparent Time 7:19 am., 2:30 am GMT. (From Fagan's
1/55 & 2/55 "Solunars")

LIB ASC - URA most elevated & within 3.5 degrees of the MC in R.A.

VIR SUN - post-sextile URA (9.6).
CAN MOON - square JUP (14.5) & square PLU (14.5), square MARS
(11.9), post-sextile MER (11.6), square VEN (10), trine NEP (10), semi-
square URA (9.3).
The single aspect of his SUN to URA, which is most elevated and
likely also angular is most telling of his purpose in India, total
revolution and change. LIB ASC indicates his peaceful means to that
change. Note that URA is also in a solid aspect to his MOON for a
fourfold emphasis of the Uranian force. His CAN MOON indicates popular
appeal and identity with many people, and most strongly aspected
equally by JUP & PLU indicates his absolute conviction in justice over
and above conventions. He has an abundance of felt lunar aspects which
he expressed in many talents--law, social and political reform, writing
and political philosophy, political activism and change.
Fagan sums his lunar aspects up thus: "If by the power of his Virgo
Sun, Gandhi succeeded in restraining the action of the Moon's
configurations to VEN and MARS--although it did not prevent him from
marrying at the age of 13 years and being adored by the women of his
entourage--he allowed the Moon's configurations with Jupiter and Pluto
in the political and dictatorial constellation Aries to have full
reign. The Moon's quartile aspect to the aloof Pluto rendered him the
most famous rebel in Indian life, and the immense success of his Civil
Disobedience campaign was assured by Pluto's conjunction with Jupiter.
This antisocial trait, albeit only directed against certain sections of
society, found force and drive from Pluto's opposition to Mars....In
Gandhi's case as it was the Moon that was configurated with these
malefics, his revolt against the abuses of his time was but a powerful
emotion (Moon) response, devoid of innate violence."
* * *


My purpose in chosing the included mini-case studies is to
illustrate the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects clearly by referring to public
persons who are fairly well known. People that I know personally have
been to me more distinctive in helping to understand aspects, but they
would not be helpful for the general public. For reasons unknown to
me, URANUS and now LIBRA have emerged as themes in these examples of
the "wonderful and famous"--Gandhi, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis, Hillary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt, President Clinton and his
Election Oath, and Johnny Carson. Except for Eleanor Roosevelt, these
were all selected a month before the nonsense hit the news the last of
June 1996 about Hillary Clinton's admiration for Ghandi and Eleanor
Roosevelt.
For contrast, I'll also comment on a combo of MARS, NEP and/or SAT
for the "terrible and infamous," although I hasten to say one could
also find the terrible among the wonderful and the wonderful among the
terrible. For instance, SAT opposite and NEP square natal SUN were the
strongest ecliptic aspects in a recent Nobel prize winning chemist's
chart [Kary Banks Mullis, 28 DEC 1944, 1:53 pm EWT, Lenoir, NC 81w32
35n55]. Another Nobel Prize winner, Russian physiologist Pavlov had a
VIR SUN opposite SAT & quincunx NEP as wonderful symbolism of his work
with the conditioned response - just that configuration as symbolic of
the conditioned response is wonderful. If Pavlov were born in the
morning, it is possible that his MOON could have been in SAG which is
known as a trainer of animals, i.e., his dogs which salivated to a bell
ringing. Pavlov investigated the digestive system, the central nervous
system, and the physiology of the cardiovascular system, and was
awarded the 1904 Nobel Prize for his work on digestion. [Ivan
Petrovich Pavlov, September 26 (N.S.) 1849.
* * *


JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS, 1929 JUL 28, Southampton, N.Y. 72w23
40n34, 2:30 pm EDT. (No DST in 1929 N.Y.; however in Southampton -
Yes!) I took this time from Lewis & Guttman's A*C*G Book of Maps as one
of several in existence for her birth because it gives NEP near the
natal MC for her personal mystique and for its appropriateness in terms
of her locality experience. Her ASC in Sidereal Libra is known for its
love of beauty and art and aesthetic sensibility, its politeness and
consideration of others, its peacemaking abilities and sense of
harmony. The poet John Keats was a sidereal LIB; his famous poetic
statement is a Libran standard: "Beauty is truth and truth, beauty."
(His Libra Sun was conjunct NEP & sextile URA.)
In Jacqueline's case, MC NEP & LIB ASC would tend to indicate her
outer persona, even to her career as a publishing executive in fashion.
PAR ALT of NEP, MER, & SUN would tend to underscore that. Even
presently, she engages our interest and continues to be thought of as
our First Lady of Camelot. She was the wife of a president, they both
have continued to reign as idols in our imagination.

LIB ASC; MC NEP - quarti-sextile MARS (13.3), semi-sextile MER
(8.4), /semi-square PLU (5.5)

ARI MOON - quarti-sextile URA (12.5), trine SAT (11.1), semi-square
JUP (9).
CAN SUN - quarti-sextile PLU (10.4), conjunct MER (9.5), semi-square
VEN (8.7).

PARallel ALTitudes: NEP (61d03'), MER (60d26'), SUN (60d16').

However, I am interested in Jacqueline's basic motivations. At her
death, her son John, Jr., remembered her love of words, her bonds to
home and family, and her spirit of adventure. (MER, CANCER SUN, URA)
Also a quote of hers was given at her funeral, which must have
represented her most basic values: "If you bungle how you raise your
children, nothing else much matters." Standard Cancer Sun.
And all her life, she kept her personal and public life quite
separate--she gave NO interviews, NO access. Do please note the
strongest Quindecimus Orb-Aspect of SUN to PLU denoting privacy,
reserve and distance from the public! And after the assassination of
her husband and his brother, she was reported to have made a bottom-
line assessment: "They're killing Kennedys!" She departed straightaway
with her children to the safety of another country via the means of an
extremely wealthy marriage.
As for her emotional charisma, it would seem that no matter whether
she re-decorated the white house or was seen in a bikini in Europe, she
caused a sensation (Moon-URA). Even when those with a Uranian flair do
something quite commonplace, it seems exciting, extreme, or
unconventional. Even after her death, her estate sale at the end of
April 1996 scintillated and erupted with the TRansit of URA 9CAP46
opposition her SUN 11CAN24 and TR NEP 3CAP03 square her MOON 1ARI51.
* * *


Another of the first leading ladies of American's popular
imagination from the movies was GRACE KELLY; she became an actual head
of state, Princess of Monaco. [1929 NOV 12, Philadelphia, PA 75w11
39n57, 5:31 am EST.] She gave up her movie career to raise her family
in a castle. Lewis & Guttman's Astro*Carto*Graphy Book of Maps
indicates that the location placement of her planets with this time
leaves something to be desired. But they also say regarding the
location angles of planets: "An indication unaffected by birth time is
the exact crossing of SUN*NEP on the latitude of Monaco. A SUN*NEP
unites visibility and myth in an aspect unusually appropriate for a
princess living out a fairy tale romance."

10LIB56 ASC; VEN ASC (+5d59' Altitude), MER ASC (-5d13' Altitude
below the ASC).

LIB SUN - trine PLU (12.9), post-sextile NEP (11.7), trine MOON
(8.4).
AQU MOON - quarti-sextile URA (11.8), trine SUN (8.4), trine PLU
(8.3).

With LIB SUN and ASC, plus VEN in LIB above the horizon in the
foreground, we certainly have a prototypal indication of grace and
loveliness. Grace Kelly was a cool and detached beauty we adored who
retired from Hollywood but not from public adulation, and departed to
another court. And she was even described as emotionally cool, which
would be apropos her AQU MOON strongest with URA, and her retirement
from the public apropos her SUN-PLU.
* * *


I chose the previous super Libran women because they reminded me of
HILLARY CLINTON, our present First Lady, of admirable style. As can be
seen, I found there are also obvious astrological similarities when
comparing their Orb-Aspect lineups. Hillary's data: 1947 OCT 26, 8:00
pm CST, Chicago, Illinois 87w39 41n52. She is a also a beautiful woman
on many levels, and VEN & JUP with her SUN would indicate her basic
goodness and generosity. Additionally, President Clinton said that she
is the smartest person he knows. Note that URA ASC in GEM would
indicate a unique intellectual approach with a URAnian agenda for the
common good and for reform. She has a keen mind, graduate honors, a
law degree, and a list of social causes behind her poised demeanor.
The PAR ALT combo of her MER to VEN & MARS further invests her mental
expression. She was known as a "new" type of first lady who broke the
mold of the traditional white house hostess. But with URA out front
ASCending, she would be thought of as non-traditional and contrary
however straight she keeps her flower garden rows.
GEM ASC; URA ASC (+2d49' Altitude) - pre-trine NEP (13).

LIB SUN - quarti-sextile VEN (12.1), semi-sextile JUP (8.6), post-
sextile PLU (8.l), /quincunx MOON (5.8),
PIS MOON - conjunct SVP (13.4), sesqui-square MARS (11.8), sesqui-
square PLU (10.7), post-quincunx NEP (8.3), trine JUP (8.1), /sesqui-
square VEN (6.7), /quincunx SUN (5.8).

MOON is the highest in ALTitude.
PAR ALT: MER (-27d31'), VEN (-27d.39'), MARS (-27d.25').
Synetic Vernal Point 5d 59'33"

But with all her basic VEN & JUP qualities, where is the
astrological indication of her being on the front line of political
battle, taking the heat, and speaking her own mind? Again, the
Quindecimus Orb-Aspects indicate MARS and PLU, her strongest Moon
aspects, as a tough emotional stance with courage to stand up for
herself, which are a good balance for her SUN aspects.

And because of Hillary's reported interest in new age psychological
techniques, the mention of her 5PIS12 MOON receiving special emphasis
by its conjunction of the spring equinoctial point (the intersecting
planes of the equatorial and ecliptic) is apropos. Also the next
strongest aspects to her Moon would be a NEP & JUP for considerable
religious or mystical perception and conviction and quite possibly some
unusual psychic ability as well. Were I in a position like hers and
Catholic, I would be most devoutly talking to the Ultimate First Woman,
Mary Mother of God, and all the Sister and Brother Saints. Evidently
Protestants in our country are not allowed the same inner access as
Catholics; such is politics. Hillary is a woman of wide empathy and
perception, with the added intellectual range needed to understand and
work for needed social reforms, especially for children, who are the
foundation of the future. With her PIS MOON and its aspects for inner
listening, and her GEM ASC for rapport with the young at heart, I feel
that her priorities and accomplishments show that she really does hear,
in a profound way, the voices of children.
We would all be better off if her work were to prosper. However,
the PLU TRansit of the last few years, currently (June 1996) trine her
Moon and soon to come semi-sextile her SUN, plus TR URA square her SUN
would seem to represent the timing of much politically motivated
turmoil for her. URA & PLU in transit often represent maximum eruption
and transformation; she must feel like she's being bombed continuously.
In mid March 94, SAT was conjunct her MC in the midst of Whitewater
allegations. Two months ago at mid-April 1996, SAT was conjunct her
Moon. It is a wonder, and so is she, that she can maintain her poise
and dignity. May her Global Village Consciousness prosper for the sake
of the children and us all. May her voice be heard.
* * *



And because of Hillary Clinton admires her, I added ELEANOR
ROOSEVELT. [Data: 1884 OCT 11, 11am LMT, New York City 73w57 40n45]
Personal affinities are expressed astrologically, and it is immediately
easy from their Orb-Aspect lineups to see similarities. Hillary's URA
ASC in GEM; Eleanor's GEM MOON and URA & MER very likely near her MC
(if allowance is made for Eleanor's time being rounded off to 11
"o'clock"). Hillary's MARS & PLU with her MOON; Eleanor's SCO ASC.
They both share Venus aspects to their lights. Eleanor's MER-URA
conjunction is semi-sextile to Hillary's SUN for intellectual
inspiration. They would have talked! And there are more significant
interaspects.
SCO ASC
MER (3-1/4 degrees in R.A. from her MC) - quarti-sextile SUN (12.1),
semi-sextile VEN (11), trine PLU (11), post-sextile MOON (10.5),
conjunct URA (8.9), semi-square MARS (8).

VIR SUN - square MOON (13.3), semi-square VEN (12.8), quarti-sextile
MER (12.3), semi-sextile MARS (10.8), sesqui-square PLU (10.3), quarti-
sextile URA (7.5).
GEM MOON - square SUN (13.3), trine MARS (12.4), post-sextile MER
(10.5), semi-square VEN (10.5), semi-square PLU (8.6).

PAR ALT: MOON (+21.09), MARS (+20.06). PAR ALT: MER (+49.49), URA
(+49.20), VEN (+48.58), JUP (+48.05)


That Eleanor was an amazingly brilliant person as well as a
humanitarian can be deduced from the phenomenal MERCURY aspects -
conjunct URA, elevated and possibly angular, in PARallel ALTitude with
URA, VEN & JUP, as well as aspecting both her lights, which were also
both in Mercurial constellations, . Although I am unfamiliar with her
life, I know in general that she broke all the molds in her time and
day. Her humanitarianism is also further indicated by the broad
sympathy of the MOON & VEN aspects to her SUN. I cannot even imagine
the grief she must have suffered from the public. I would think that
her emotional staying power was indicated by her SCO ASC and the strong
MARS aspect to her MOON.
Just from the briefest synopsis of her life, it looks like more of
us should be talking about or to Eleanor Roosevelt. Other than Eleanor
Roosevelt, Rosalyn Carter (The Steel Magnolia), and Hillary Clinton,
there have been few First Ladies in this century who have done more
politically than redecorate and order new dishes. Eleanor was a niece
of Theodore Roosevelt and a distant cousin of President Franklin
Roosevelt, her husband. She was active in politics and reform, a
lecturer, newspaper columnist, and world traveler. She was active in
Red Cross Relief work in Washington D.C and inspired her husband to
return to political life after contacting polio. In the White House in
the depression, she helped to plan work camps for girls, to establish
the National Youth Administration in 1935, and to employ writers,
artists, musicians, and actors, all the while insisting that women's
wages be equal to men's. She was an outspoken civil rights advocate,
against racial bias in relief programs, concerned about the improvement
of health and education on Indian reservations, and the continuance of
their culture. She visited troops overseas in World War II. After
Roosevelt died in 1945 she supported postwar relief work in Europe. As
U.S. Delegate to the U.N., she was made Chairman of the Commission of
Human Rights in 1946 and helped write the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights adopted in 1948. Later she led the liberal wing of the
Democratic party in the 1950's. She sided with laborers during postwar
strikes and supported social welfare legislation. Because of her
support of such liberal causes, she was accused of supporting
Communism, that old ultimate surefire putdown. Many would have
preferred her at home serving cookies too.
* * *


Quindecimus Orb-Aspects and InterAspects

The basic framework for the psychological profile in any chart is
represented by <A> Angular planets and/or lights and their aspects, <B>
the Aspects to the lights (Sun and Moon), and <C> the Constellations of
the lights and ascendant. Generally speaking, unless one moves to a
location where an unaspected planet is angular, it is of minor
significance. In order to compare charts, one can use the above to
compare person X's lights to Z's lights and planets, and Z's lights to
X's lights and planets. This is fairly straight forward since the
lights & planets are measured in the ecliptic plane system in ecliptic
longitude and latitude.
However, the angles (MC-IC and ASC-DSC) are generated by the Earth's
24 hour rotation each day, and are measured in the Horizon System. To
allow for commonly rounded-off birthtime recording, one can generally
allow for a larger margin of orb on the angles of natals. Since the
angles move about 1 degree every 4 minutes, these are greatly affected
by just a few minutes of time. The most important thing to know is
that one cannot have aspects "to" the angles--planets must be "ON"
(conjunct mundanely) the angles to be angular. This is so natally and
in interaspects. Garth Allen's research on rainfall helped establish
the active areas for planets as angular (in the foreground) and the
inactive planets as midway between the angles in the background.
Hence, a determination of X's angles conjunct Z's planets or lights,
or vice-versa, must be taken 'very' generally. The calculations to
discover just what is angular in X's chart is not directly
transferable to Z's since the natal location of the angles would be
different. Pluto which has ecliptic latitudes up to 17 degrees and the
Moon which has ecliptic latitudes up to 5 degrees are the most likely
to be far from the actual zodiacal/ecliptic degree on the angles.

But given the data we have, a comparison of Hillary Clinton and
Eleanor Roosevelt's interaspects using the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects
could be listed as follows below. This listing allows one to see what
factors would be the most important psychological connections between
two people. Again, I am omitting the orb amount for brevity. Using
their data and the Orb-Aspect Tables, one can reproduce these points
ratings.

______________________________________________________________________
HILLARY ELEANOR | ELEANOR HILLARY
|
IC 11LEO08 conj VEN 10LEO42 | MC 14VIR09 conj NEP 17VIR22
|
SUN 8LIB48 | SUN 25VIR37
quincunx PLU (12.8 pts) | quarti-sextile SUN (10.3 pts)
semi-sextile MER (11.2) | semi-sextile MER (9.6)
quarti-sextile SUN (10.3) | sextile SAT (9.5)
sextile VEN (9.2) |
semi-sextile URA (8.7) |
pre-trine MOON (8.7) |
quarti-sextile MARS (8.5) |
|
MOON 5PIS12 | MOON 26GEM27
quincunx JUP (12.9) | trine MER (11.2)
opposition URA (12) | semi-sextile SAT (11.2)
| pre-trine SUN (10.7)
______________________________________________________________________


What they have in common should be the first consideration in a
chart comparison even before interaspects. We tend to remain connected
to people who we can identify with - "birds of a feather flock
together." Hillary has URA ASCending in GEM, and Eleanor has a GEM
MOON with MER conjunct URA elevated and close to the MC. This is their
common ground, those qualities that they share and so understand in the
other. What one "likes" in another is very often indicated by how one
is similar to or "alike" another, what one shares with another.
Similar characteristics are the basis for "identity overlap" and mutual
understanding. In comparisons, as in summarizing the strongest
characteristics in a natal, the "like constellation--like planet" axiom
is very helpful, though not absolute.
The interaspects either continue and connect the similarities, or
not. It will be noted that VEN is that force which has the greatest
empathy to another person; it is the planetary archetype which shows
one's basic liking and/or loving of people in general when strong in a
natal, and in particular in reference to a specific person by
interaspect.
A careful study of interaspects with those one knows can help to
sort out how these work. Fagan has pointed out that transiting planets
act upon the lights. It has been my experience that interaspects are
similar to transits, that planetary characteristics of both
interaspects and transits are elicited by aspect to the lights, or
their qualities are called forth and seem to "act" in relation to the
lights. This is seemingly opposite the notion of the SUN as being the
vital expressive principle, but the SUN does bring forth or seem to
spotlight the qualities of any planet it aspects.
I.E., if my SAT is aspecting another's SUN or angles, I am critical
of the SUN person. Or, if my SAT conjuncts another's angles, I find I
disapprove of that person in some way. But this is not always that
precise. The other person may feel I disprove whether I do or not or
may disapprove of me. And yet I have a good, long-time friend whose
SAT is sextile my SUN with my SAT quincunx her SUN. One interaspect is
not generally indicative of the whole relationship.
Another way to say this: Z's lights or angles in aspect to X's
planets seems to bring out that planetary quality in X's behavior.
That is, Z's lights "spotlight" X's planets or behavior. For instance,
if Z's lights aspect X's MARS, it is X who is the aggressor (and/or the
one who lusts after Z). Again, this is general as the whole
person/chart must be taken into consideration. It works similarly in
natal aspects as the light's action or perception is "colored" by the
planetary aspect. One who has MARS strongly with his natal SUN will
have qualities of aggressive energy and stamina. Thus in natal charts
with aspects to the lights, in transits to the lights, or similarly
with interaspects, the lights act as catalysts to the planets evoking a
response after the nature of the planet.
Even while trying to understand which way the individual
interaspects work, at the same time one must hold in mind that every
relationship does not depend on any one or two interaspects, even
though in some cases one or two particular interaspects may define a
relationship. Generally, one can know that a connection exists wherein
a particular quality as 'Venusian like' or 'Saturnine dislike' will
manifest, whoever does it or perceives it.

One might surmise from Hillary's IC conjunct Eleanor's VEN that
Hillary would see Eleanor as a loveable person, and at the same time
from Hillary's SUN to Eleanor's PLU, that Hillary would also majorly
perceive Eleanor as a rebel. But the next strongest in Hillary's
perception of Eleanor are Eleanor's MER and SUN. Since they both have
as major aspects from their own SUN self--the other's MER & SUN, one
would certainly think they would have talked alot. Hillary's MOON in
relation to Eleanor's JUP & URA might indicate that Hillary "feels"
Eleanor to be a great and unique person.

And from Eleanor's MC conjunct Hillary's NEP, one might say Eleanor
might have viewed Hillary as more NEPtunian than she is . But Eleanor
would likely have related person to person, SUN to SUN to Hillary, and
stimulated Hillary's expressiveness (Sun to H's MER and Moon to H's
MER) as well as Hillary's criticism (SAT).
* * * *




One most CLASSIC and famous example of the MOON-ANGLES INTERASPECT
is the conjunction between Ed MacMahon's MOON and Johnny Carson's ASC.
The MOON person (Ed MacMahon) is said to wait upon and be most
perceptive of the SUN (or angles) person (Johnny Carson) in an
interaspect. Anyone who has ever heard Ed's famous introduction
"HERRRRRRRE'S JOHNNY!" will understand this interaspect immediately.
The angular Moon in general is held to be a "Behold The Man" aspect,
calling attention to one personally. The Moon person (Ed) is the
catalyst for introducing the personality of Johnny Carson, represented
by Johnny's ASC.
Even though MacMahon and Carson are both strong persons in their own
right, and have a long friendship (the nature of which can be studied
in their similarities and interaspects), the keynote of their
professional relationship for many of us in their audience is summed up
in that MOON-ASCENDANT connection. Carson: 1925 OCT 23, 7:15 am CST,
Corning, Ohio 94w44 40n59. MacMahon: 1923 MAR 06, 2:23 pm EST,
Detroit, Michigan 83w03 42n20.
JOHNNY CARSON has both a LIB ASC and LIB SUN; apropos of his
constellation which is said to be the gentleman of the zodiac (and the
most marrying constellation), he was noted for always being polite to
his guests and others that he met. Added to that, his MER also in LIB
and some 4d 18' minutes below the ASC is very descriptive symbolism for
one of the greatest talk show hosts in entertainment history. With his
SUN some 5d 40' above the horizon he was a very popular entertainer who
loved to be center stage.
And yet at the same time he also has a very private side. The
Quindecimus Orb-Aspects show PLU in opposition to his SAG MOON (12.7
points) as the strongest aspect, and PLU pre-trine his SUN (13.4
points) with SAT quarti-sextile his SUN almost as strong (13.3 points).
Both configurations are true at once--the outfront, foreground SUN and
its PLU aspects which indicate reserve and privacy.
* * * *


Of course, we are all most interested in the consideration of
interaspects to check romantic attachments. If the connection is to be
permanent, there must be overlapping similarities between the persons
which can be seen astrologically, as indicated above. And it is the
"identity overlap" in similarities which provides a basis for a
relationship, to which the interaspects are only icing. But as for
general interaspects, just for the lust of it, MARS aspecting the
lights or angles of another indicates compelling primal urges. The
clause "depending on sex and/or sexual orientation" must be added as a
qualifier to MARS interaspects regarding MARS as the Pannish minion of
Spring's Sap Rising. MARS can be also well-fueled aggravation--or
worse--or better. VEN and MARS together are best for sweet and spicy
dalliance.
But, one must look to the MOON and its natal aspects for what one
likes emotionally and erotically, for what one wants and needs. The
MOON is the indication of one's feelings, emotions, moods, psyche,
soul, memory, intuition, empathy, psychism, senses, sensations,
sensuality, sensitivity, sensual desires, appetites, subconscious
behavior or associations or mannerisms, subjective processes, gut
instincts, responses or involuntary action, reactions (rather than
actions), responsiveness.
For instance, if one's strongest Moon aspect is to NEP, then it will
be a person with a strongly placed NEP (angular or with the lights) who
will be found attractive. And then, theoretically, NEP interaspects
may be of more consequence than MARS interaspects. I leave the
investigation of who attracts whom indicated by Quindecimus Orb-Aspects
as a nutritious carrot for the curious.

Astroerotics vis-a-vis Astrogenetics: the subject of mutual
attraction eventually leads to the next generation since erotic
connection leads to offspring. As another application of chart
comparisons, it is possible to astrologically to tell which child has
traits more like whichever parent by comparing similarities in their
charts. Is daughter like mother or like father? Family relationships
can be described and elucidated. Sometimes an outstanding family
characteristic can be identified astrologically. Some say that we
attract those to us as children who are of our own ilk; or else those
with whom we have an issue to work out, thus something to learn. The
family is the most basic cauldron for the soul's development - with
those who are very like us and sometimes those who seem very different
from us but still of our own blood.
Since it is one's maternal grandmother who is said to contribute
significant genes to one's family ties, it would be a fascinating study
to undertake generational studies; however, correct data for three
generations is not easy to come by. And by the fourth generation,
records of the ultimate genetic tie that binds is lost. Nor is
statistical "proof" likely since verification of similarities depends
on the perception of members in the family. Unfortunately American
family ties between several generations is hardly the cultural norm.
Very recent news indicates that intelligence is sex-linked, and that
especially a man's intelligence comes from his mother, although a woman
may inherit more easily from both parents. All right men, if you want
intelligent sons, mate with a smart woman! That of course goes against
all natal Moon aspect theory of wanting someone like your own Moon
aspects unless one's natal moon is configured with MER. And for both
men and women--marry someone who has a close connection with their
mother.
* * *




The mystery of the universe and mind is ongoing whether at times we
find cause to rejoice or despair over our perception of life. One last
(on URA or LIB) mini-case as an upnote reminder of the insatiable
curiosity of the how and why of everything and the pursuit of
understanding. Among the great many qualities that we recognize in
ourselves, we are also that which wonders.

SHIRLEY MACLAINE, 1934 Apr 24, Richmond, VA (77w26, 37n32), 3:57 pm
EST. No celestial body within 15 degrees (approximately 1 hour) of any
angle! Hence her data, if correct, would give a clear cut case of just
the aspects and constellations for delineation.

VIR ASC (PLU highest Altitude up from Horizon at 63d 37')

ARI SUN - conjunct MARS (10.4 pts), semi-square VEN (9.9pts), post-
quincunx JUP (8.6 pts), trine Moon (7 pts),
LEO MOON - semi-square PLU (10.7 pts), conjunct NEP (9.4 pts), trine
SUN (7 pts),

PAR ALT: SUN (+33.36) & MARS (+31.18) - loose
MOON (+21.02) & NEP (+19.02) - loose

Specifically, this rating system indicates her strongest Moon aspect
as PLU, which is further emphasized by its high elevation, and she has
been known to be personally private. PLU in a more external sense was
characteristically expressed by Greta Garbo (who had PLU ASC) in her
famous line, "I want to be alone," which expression would not have been
so pertinent unless Garbo embodied it in some way.
PLU would seem to be the quality Shirley shares with her brother
Warren Beatty, who also has a strain of PLU aspecting both lights and
of the highest elevation/Altitude: PLU pre-trine his SUN as the 2nd
strongest aspect, and trine his Moon as the fourth aspect. [30 MAR
1937, 5:30 pm EST, 37n33 77w27] That and his DES SAT certainly would
describe secretiveness, defensiveness, and preference for privacy.
Significantly also, his PIS SUN (22d09') is in PARallel ALTitude to NEP
(11d15').

Shirley' ARI SUN conjunct MARS would be indicative of considerable
physical stamina and energy which is an athlete's necessity. Dancing
is an art requiring an athlete to perform it. With this much energy
and drive indicated by her ARI SUN aspects, one could also expect her
frank, outspoken honesty and directness, yet such configuration does
not seem to describe her metaphysical quest which has been a strong
part of her life. Theoretically there would be something much more
pronounced (angular?) to account for other qualities.
Even though Shirley's MOON strongest Orb-Aspects are with PLU-NEP,
the two most mysterious planets of higher vision, and her Moon is in
PAR ALT with NEP, I would have expected a more pronounced expression of
Shirley's profound interest in inner thought and metaphysics, and more
than just her VIR ASC for her interest in writing - and her MER
opposite JUP (in under 1 degree orb). Granted, viewed another way,
those points by themselves could constitute an argument for her time.
But although her time looks specific, I would be very glad to know
of a later time (about an hour) which would put JUP ASC and MER DES,
natally angular, as those aspects would, to my thinking, describe her
happy and bright, sprightly elfin persona better, as well as indicating
an outstanding talent for philosophic writing and thought.
Her time and Location Map (published in Lewis & Guttman's
AstroCartoGraphy Book of Maps) shows SAT DES near Los Angeles, which
hardly seems apropos in terms of her movie career there. The
speculative hour later would make much better sense for her Peruvian
visions with JUP-MER running through Peru as well as the U.S. east
coast. And Hong Kong where she picked up a book that would change her
life, would have URA&PLU straddling it, a combination which is known to
change lives.
Her very book titles, IT'S ALL IN THE PLAYING and DANCING IN THE
LIGHT, suggest the playful and the mentally and physically nimble
nature of Mercury as uplifted by Jupiter's philosophy. In the latter
book Shirley says, " From the time I was very small, I remember having
the impulse to 'express myself.' At the age of three I attended dance
classes because I wanted to express myself physically. As a teenager,
I went from dancing to singing, which seemed a natural and logical
extension of that self-expression. Later, as an adult, I carried that
impulse for expression even further, into acting, and experienced a
great form of expression....Then I found writing--an outlet that
enabled me to express more intricately and specifically my experiences.
I wrote to know what I was thinking. I wrote to understand my
profession, my travels, my relationships, and in fact, my life.
Writing helped to whet an already insatiable appetite to understand the
'why' and 'how' of everything."
Certainly her quote expresses the essence of a very strong MER. At
the beginning of Dancing In the Light, she gives this quote which, by
looking for the best, the God Within and Without, is certainly
characteristic of JUP: "To dance with God, the creator of all things,
is to dance with oneself." Her exploration of the Dance Without and
the Dance Within is part of her life as Vision Quest. Dancing has been
the province of the nimble footed MER as well. Shirley ends her book
Dancing in the Light: "But more important than anything, in my
experience the purpose for continuing is simply to understand SELF.
The dance within and the dance without are intertwined. The Dance and
the Dancer are One."

The angularity of Shirley's JUP & MER is conjecture, but I have too
often found time data incorrectly recorded and so I maintain a margin
of suspicion as a matter of course. I have on several occasions come
across recorded data in terms of specific minutes, which was in
conflict with other birth attendants' notation and memory. I am very
taken with this person's extraordinary thought and writing, and I
cannot find that Shirley's time is satisfactory on the whole, even
though the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects do indicate some significant
characteristics of her inner feelings and perceptions.
* * *



And one more, most marvelous LIB & URA example occurs in Cyril
Fagan's wife, Pauline's chart, wherein LIB ASCends and URA is the
strongest aspect to her SUN. Again, remember that many charts at the
first part of the century were rounded off to the nearest hour and
could easily be plus-or-minus a half hour either way. Pauline told me
6:00pm LMT was birth certificate time.
But "IF" their data were correct for the o'clock times, then, the
one aspect that argues most strongly for Fagan's 12:25pm GMT birthtime
is the conjunction of Pauline's 16LEO46 MOON and his 15LEO20 ASC (his
figures) which seemed descriptive of the relationship between them.
When I met them, Pauline most certainly "presented" Cyril and told
about his accomplishments. She was attentive and very present in doing
so. She was the Moon to Cyril's Sun and may have been "Moonrise on his
Horizon."


PAULINE FAGAN. [14 may 1913, Dublin, Ireland 6w15 53n21, 6:00pm LMT,
6:27pm GMT (Fagan's usage).

LIB ASC/ MER DSC - pre-trine JUP (10.9), semi-sextile SAT (10.2),

ARI SUN - pre-trine URA (12.5), sextile NEP (12.3), semi-square MARS
(11.5), pre-trine MOON (10.2), quarti-sextile SAT (8.6), semi-square
VEN (7.4),
LEO MOON - sesqui-square VEN (10.3), pre-trine SUN (10.2), semi-
square NEP (8.7), quincunx MARS (8.4), quincunx URA (7.6),

NEP (Highest ALTitude +51.35'), URA (Lowest ALTitude -54.21')

She once said that she helped put out the whole American Astrology
Magazine when she and Cyril lived near Phoenix where it was published.
It could be quite likely that she had an angular MER.
The quibble factor: astrologically I want evidence of her temper.
Her MOON aspects are mellow although a certain high strung energy would
be indicated by her angular DSCendant MER particularly with ARI SUN
aspecting URA, NEP & MARS. The expression of distinctive temper could
well be indicated by DSC MER semi-sextile both MARS and SAT. She was
not only solicitous and of Cyril, she was protective and considerably
outspoken and blunt in defense of him and his work, or in expressing
any of her opinions. As I recall, there was only a short interval
between simmering and boiling with her. She did not forget wrongs done
to Cyril during or after his death. Her tongue lashings were whole
hearted. She was very proud of her "Cyrilly" and had been supportive
of his astrological and historical research for years.

It has been my intuition that Fagan's description of the MOON IN LEO
from his SYMBOLISM OF THE STAR CONSTELLATIONS was a tribute to Pauline
since his other constellation delineations did not specifically address
at length the characteristics of women. In itself, Leo is not known
for temper, and the prideful disdain could also apply to an ARI SUN,
which Pauline had. Pauline who was known as a beauty in her youth
definitely had Force of Personality which transcended looks.
"Women, who have the Moon in the constellation Leo, have as a rule,
queenly figures and hold themselves erect inwardly despising a display
of weakness and a lack of self reliance in others. Never are they of
the 'clinging-vine' variety. Always independent, they soon cut out a
line in life for themselves. Rarely do they seek sympathy or complain
of their health; they have a contempt for those who do so. They always
appear healthy and happy, strong and capable. But they have a horror
of illness and old age, and a dread of doctors and hospitals. Hot
tempered and impetuous, they can, betimes, roar like a lion, but they
are seldom violent. Gracefulness in speech, action and movement is,
unfortunately, not theirs. They never like being taken at a
disadvantage or found in embarrassing positions--their pride is fierce.
Not being gregarious, they keep very much to themselves with a tendency
to be 'snobs'. In married life, they have dread of scandal and
exposure, and so eschew the publicity entailed in separation and
divorce proceedings. Nor are they given much to sentiment, but they
adore their children, and identifying themselves with them, sacrifice
all for their worldly success. They dislike visitors who walk in
unexpectedly, finding them unprepared. And, unless they can 'put on a
good show', they seldom entertain or go visiting, especially if their
means are limited. In love they are ardent, passionate, impulsive and
forthright. Being devoid of coyness and other feminine artifices, they
do not seek to charm or entice, but without preamble declare themselves
overtly. Having superb sex appeal and magnificent womanhood, inviting
the envy of others less endowed by nature, they are a tremendous
challenge to the opposite sex, particularly those who, also have their
natal Sun in the same constellation. But they are not invulnerable to
flattery, which is sometimes their undoing."
***

Pauline's and Cyril's interaspects show them to be most supportive
of each other's intellect and accomplishments--particularly in regard
to their SUN-MER exchange: his SUN aspects her MER & JUP, and her SUN
aspects his MER & URA. Additionally, his MOON aspects her MER & JUP,
and her MOON aspects his MER & URA. This exchange is quite
extraordinary in itself. What talks they must have had. Particularly
note also that Pauline's MOON and SUN are both focused on Fagan's MER &
URA, his creative mental qualities. She must have greatly supported
and stimulated his mind and work. He said to me in Pauline's presence
that his greatest discovery, that of the historical origins of the
Hypsomata, was made while DANCING with his wife.


---------------------------------------------------------------------
PAULINE CYRIL | CYRIL PAULINE
|
MOON 16LEO46 ASC 15LEO20 | ASC MOON
| MC 7TAU47 ? SAT 12TAU06
|
SUN opposite URA (12.9) | SUN sesqui-square JUP (10.9)
semi-sextile MER (12.1) | semi-sextile MER (8.7)
| conjunct SAT (7.9)
|
MOON square PLU (11.2) | MOON pre-trine JUP (12.2)
post-sextile MER (9.2) | quincunx DSC MER (8.1)
post-sextile URA (8)
____________________________________________________________________


Their main points of identity which are the basis for continuing
relationship and interaspects would be his LEO ASC and her LEO MOON;
and his SUN-VEN-NEP-MOON-MARS compared with her MOON-VEN-SUN-NEP-MARS.
Certainly they had many of the same planetary qualities: Cyril had as
Sun-self-aspects what she would be receptive to in her Moon-self-
aspects; that is, his Sun aspects were reflected in her Moon aspects.
Also her SUN-URA-NEP-MARS-MOON aspect lineup echoes most of the same
qualities.

Again the speculative factor for unanswered questions: "If" URA
were strongly placed (angular with Fagan's above theoretic earlier
time) in Fagan's chart, then Pauline's strongest SUN-URA quality would
also be echoed in Cyril's chart as further indication of shared
characteristic.
On May 14, 1949, Fagan's life research culminated in his archaeo-
astronomical "discovery" (a Uranian principle) of the Hypsomata or
traditional Exaltation degrees as historical heliacal phenomena, actual
astronomical placements, in the sidereal zodiac in 786 B.C., by which
he not only discovered the Exaltation origins, he also found that these
were valid only in the Sidereal Zodiac. It may be reasonable to
consider whether URA was more strongly placed in Fagan's chart. On 14
May 1949, TRansiting SUN (29ARI39) was opposite his Natal URA (28LIB47)
and semi-square his MER (29TAU22)! This aspect in itself would be a
good indication of a startling or new experience or understanding. But
was that Natal URA and Hypsomata discovery TR SUN more closely angular
in his natal? A theoretical earlier time (11:45am GMT) would indicate
a 29ARI42 MC. Fagan himself looked for such transits in the lives of
historic figures who made great achievements or were awarded recognition.
As well on May 14, 1949, lesser timing factors were certainly
involved which would support the nature of a mental discovery for
Fagan: TR MER was conjunct Natal PLU, and the TR VIR MOON could well
have been involved. Without a more specific time for Fagan's
realization of the Hypsomata origins, it's not possible to get the
angles. But since Fagan said he was dancing with Pauline when he made
his Hypsomata discovery, the most likely time is evening.
* * *



There is a conceptual difference between comparing a natal to event
transits and comparing two charts through interaspects, but the
process is the same. For instance, a woman's giving birth to her child
is both an event in her life and a person with whom she will have a
most close relationship, and so technically these are the same. But
with an event which is not a person, the TRansits become interaspects
with oneself, or oneself as dancing in the world, interacting or
dancing with the world energies. Mystically, one might say the same
for interrelationships with all other persons, that's it's all same
dance, it's all God/dess. But for the sake of the conceptual mind, the
Event Transits comparison is framed differently.

Whens and Whys
Another application of the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects is with ELECTIONS
or "When" Charts, which are themselves fraught with error. The Horary
question is--"When" is the time of beginning? What constitutes
beginnings of various kinds of events which can be part of a continuous
process in themselves? When one is elected and/or inaugurated, i.e.,
takes the oath of president, is an obvious example of an "election"
chart. But also when one elects/choses to start any business, to have
an operation, to move, or to marry--these events are of vital
importance to an individual, and they all involve a contractual
agreement or commitment, a kind of oath. All of them imply one's
purposeful, chosen interactive connection with the event of the moment
and/or another person or persons. The formality of these events which
encapsulate one's intention seems to be key factor, as opposed to an
accidental event.

Thank America's Constitution for the written law that specifies a
U.S. President Elect shall take his Inaugural Oath at noon on January
20th. That time at least is clear. The nature of the commitment with
America that any particular President Elect may take is indicated by
viewing the event transits in relation to the President Elect's natal
chart. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON'S INAUGURAL 1993 Chart has a most
unusual emphasis on URA and the MOON. This was illustrated by his own
words in his Inaugural Address as well as previous press statements.
His data will be presented later.

The "when" issue is related to foreknowledge of the "right" time
and/or prediction techniques. It cuts to the core of what we know and
or think, or think we know, about the nature and mystery of
consciousness and the universe. If one already knows the time, there
is no need to find out. But are there astrological techniques for
discovering ahead of time the best time? Not unless there is a general
timeframe already chosen. And if so, can these techniques find us the
"right time" regardless of our own motives and awareness? Probably
not. But questioning is a better part of human nature.
Cyril Fagan pursued the 'Incident vs Accident' question to his
death as evidenced by posthumous publication of some private
correspondence. "The Incidents and Accidents of Astrology" was the
title of his first published series on the Sidereal Zodiac in 1947.
Ironically, his very conceptualization into those two categories,
Incidents vs. Accidents, might have set up and limited his
investigation of what techniques he considered would work. His
understanding, which he inherited as astrological thinking, was that
'accidents' as external events were better indicated by transits and
return charts, and that 'incidents' as generated from one's own
purposes were better shown by progressions. If one is the kind of
person who is oriented in real time, then the "day-for-a-year" basis of
progressions might be too incredible to consider. The theory, for
example, is that 2 days after birth equates to 2 years, 10 days to 10
years, etc.
Primary Directions, another method of progression, are those formed
in the first 20 minutes after birth and correspond to about 120 years
of age. Too absurd for words. There may be a time for every season
under the Sun, but it is hard to conceive even for the most imaginative
or gullible that one's life energies are set up and limited to the
first 20 minutes of life or even the first three months.
The mathematical basis of progressions indicates by measuring the
first three months of life that these "determine" the first 90 years of
life. The basis of Directions (a method of progression) - by its
timeframe indicates the first 20 minutes of life equates to the first
120 years. Whether or not progressions were or are the only known
means of dealing with inner directions is not, in my opinion, a
recommendation. It may not be that such a division between 'incidents
and accidents' can't be made in life and/or in investigative
techniques.
However, I am profoundly impressed with and grateful for most of
Cyril Fagan's thinking and work. In the Autumn 1936 American Journal
of Astrology in one of his masterful research essays on historic
persons, on "NERO EMPEROR," Fagan pointed out that the incredible
reputation of the ancient Babylonians rested almost entirely on the
basis of current transits alone. This was even before Fagan became
convinced of the Sidereal Zodiac. Ironically, the two zodiacs were
only about 3-4 degrees apart so his interpretation of the
constellations was quite accurate, and neither would Nero's Sun, Moon,
nor Ascendant have changed constellations so the delineation is
remarkable.
In that 1936 essay, Fagan's major premise was that the ancients kept
the framework of the natal as central. Specifically, Nero's
astrologers recommended that he appear at noon of a particular day to
announce his succession as ruler to his (murdered) father under the
title of Nero Domitius Casear. The crux of the matter as Fagan
describes it:
"The fact that noon was stressed will rivet the attention. At noon
the Sun would be on the midheaven and it would not be unreasonable to
presume that it was actually transiting Nero's radical midheaven on
this date. Had the election been for sunrise we should have assumed
that the sun was transiting the ascendant at birth; or at sunset, the
descendant at birth. Knowing the Sun to be the most important
chronocrator in the predictive art, its zodiacal position at this time
will be of importance....It is important to remember than in an
election of this sort the Chaldees always endeavored to keep the
horoscope of the election 'radical.' That is, they always timed the
event so as to make the birth-ascendant actually rise. Assuming that
this was true in this case, then 18 degrees Libra must have been Nero's
radical midheaven..."
The focus that makes the individual's self and chart central is a
very different one than that which makes the event central even though
the event is based upon the natal. Hence it also follows that one
should watch both natal and event angles. But most significantly, we
can still "Find the New in The Old" with the here-and-now approach of
using current transits.

It seems a truism that one consciously or unconsciously chooses a
time because it represents an expression of one's energy and purpose.
When one changes his understanding, and hence choice or purpose, he or
she changes his time schedule, his destiny dates. Some things can be
called off or changed. And yet with or without the acceptance that
one's own choice inter-reacts with and also creates the circumstance,
astrologers find the symbolism is still there on some level. Each
individual has an interaction and symbolic reasonance with "Time-and-
circumstance."

What about the famous Sidereal Solars and Lunars as event charts
indicative of fortune which is a mix of inner direction and outer
event? Unfortunately, I have not found Solar and Lunar Returns
consistently accurate in either zodiac. Solars and Lunars are both to
cover a general cycle rather than a specific time, a sidereal year* and
sidereal month respectively. The essential question: If they
correctly indicated the general tone of the whole cycle, why the mania
to progress them to an event? There may or may not be a significant
event involved which is representative of the whole. Or something
unexpected can change a generally positive time.
However, the great predictive forte of the Solars and Lunars
consists in the obvious fact that their transits are current, in real
time. This month is this month, this year is this year. Conceptually,
viewed against the bizarre exegesis from a Biblical phrase of a
day-for-a-year progression theory, Solars and Lunars were fresh and
vital. Experimentation with the Solars and Lunars with focus on the
angles brought about an awareness of the very personal application of
the outer planets when angular and a refinement of delineation of the
planets.
All of the outer, slower planets' transits--those of SAT, URA, NEP,
and PLU--can more easily be noted because they are of longer duration
in real present time. Ironically, in the late forty's, the early
siderealists thought that the outer planets were not personal since
they were so slow moving and tended to discount them. This neglect was
probably directly a result of working with progressions based on the
first 2 to 3 months of life (representing 60 to 90 years) in which time
the movement of the outer planets would not have been much. Pluto for
example may only move a degree a month. The focus was then on the
faster moving planets which were thought to be more personal, and
especially on the angles.
In the mid-1940's, The Solar Returns were the historical predictive
techniques which caught Fagan's attention. They were the straw that
broke the back of the tropical framework for Fagan, who immediately saw
the implications of correcting them for precession to make them work,
if they were to work at all. Correcting them for precession implied
the framework of the sidereal zodiac. He took up championing their use
with a series of 10 articles published in the AFA Bulletin, beginning
in 1947 entitled, "The Incidents and Accidents of Astrology."
In the April 1970 SPICA, R.C. Firebrace reports of Fagan that "...it
was on February 17th, 1944 that he [Fagan] finally accepted the
Sidereal Zodiac and within a week 'invented' the sidereal Lunar Return.
On April 30, 1944 he finally accepted the sidereal Solar Return and
made these discoveries public in a series of articles entitled
'Incidents and Accidents of Astrology' which ran in the A.F.A. Bulletin
in 1947."
When corrected for precession which accrued in the Tropical moving
framework, Solars were based on a sidereal (star to star*) cycle,
instead of a seasonal (spring to spring**) cycle, and were thus
functioning in a sidereal framework as based on the apparent Sun's
sidereal cycle. When Fagan noted this in his own historical context,
it brought into question the validity of another option, a sidereal
zodiac, which was unknown in the west. We owe Fagan a great debt for
perceiving and pioneering its use. And to Garth Allen who
statistically nailed the markers of the sidereal zodiac with his famous
Synetic Vernal Point correction of 06'05" to the fiducial Spica in
29VIRGO by use of his CAPRICORN INGRESS studies. The Fagan-Ayanamsa is
now considered to be 29VIR06'05".

[Jim Eshelman]

[*A Sidereal Year is the Apparent Sun's or the Earth's revolution in
its orbit around the Sun of 365.2564 mean solar days. **A Tropical
Year is the time required for the Apparent Sun, which is actually the
Earth's orbit around the Sun, to complete a cycle with respect to the
vernal equinox, which precesses. Hence the Tropical Year of 365.2422
mean solar days is about 20 minutes shorter than the Sidereal Year.]

However, regardless of which cycle may or may not be a more
functional cycle for prediction, to equate the sidereal year with the
proof of the sidereal zodiac is not warranted. The sidereal or star
constellation zodiac is the framework for both cycles. Adherence to
either solar year, tropical or sidereal, as the basis of a predictive
technique does not prove or disprove the zodiacal framework associated
with each. The mere name association is a point of confusion and has
kept many siderealists from considering the basic concept of each
cycle, i.e., the tropical year and the sidereal year.
On the other hand, of course it's totally ridiculous to attempt
delineation of Solars in the tropical framework. As Fagan has pointed
out, the very reason for the existence of a tropical framework was
based on its spring point being fixed for all time and the assumption
that the spheres of the heavens were precessing, which is not factually
so. It is the equinoxes which are moving backward through the star
constellations at about 1 degree every 71.5 years, a matter of fact,
not opinion. The spring equinox does not mark the beginning of Aries
and never did. Only the most visible stars close to the ecliptic were
originally used the markers of the constellation boundaries. Using the
Fagan-Allen Synetic Vernal Point correction of 06'05", some of these
key marking stars are SPICA at 29VIR06, REGULUS at 5LEO06, ALDEBARAN
(the Bull's Eye) in the middle of Taurus at 15TAU03, ANTARES at
15SCO04.
* * *

Most of the significant astrological delineative studies are done
after the fact when the event is history so the symbolism can be
clearly calculated. And these studies are absolutely essential for
study and learning. In such studies, it becomes clear that even with a
day, persons live through horrendous aspects which sink others.
Without a considered timeframe, it is sheer impossibility to calculate
the right time for another out of all the possibilities. However,
given a considered time, one can make some assessment from the
symbolism. Astrology can certainly focus and inform one's subjective
intuitions. Even though a "good" time might be indicated, it will
still be relative to the person involved.
And of course any predictive technique still depends on correct
birth data, which is generally assumed by many astrologers to be the
first breath. But that is not the assumption or practice of those
recording births, nor are those recording births always able to attend
to the time. I know of a family birth where the labor was in crisis,
and the child supposedly started breathing in the womb and ingested
some of the contents of the womb. The actual delivery was in doubt by
10 to 15 minutes. Time recording is a more serious problem than most
realize.
* * *

The whole idea of having a celebration for one's birthday came out
of some impulse to magically affect one's next year of life. It was
thought that if one was having a good time at the time of their
birthday, that energy would go forth into the next year. In finding
the time of a Solar Return, the question is whether the cycle should be
counted in reference to the fixed stars* (Sidereal Year) or to the
seasonal spring point** which precesses (Tropical Year). This is not
necessarily a choice between zodiacs although tropicalists who do not
understand precession think it is. The precessional (tropical) zodiac
is a historical error of the Greeks who misunderstood that the star
constellation framework of the Egypto-Assyrians were the original
markers against which the seasons moved.
Both sidereal and seasonal years are significant cycles though
different, and the timing between them can amount to considerable
mundane time in terms of an individual's angles and angular planets.
The good news is that at least for one's birthday, there is a choice
between two specific "current time" events. The bad news is that
the sidereal solar cycle might be no more significant than the tropical
seasonal cycle. And most folk think in terms of a calendar year
rather than their personal year--either one is a long time frame to
evaluate in terms of astrological themes unless characterized by an
outstanding event/s - which may not be forthcoming.

And so with or without theory, we come back to "event" as an
intertwined part and parcel of consciousness: events created by our
choice and/or reactions, and choices and/or reactions created by our
response to events. The events in the days of our lives are personal
beginnings, continuances, endings. We still need clarity in technique
to study and understand those beginning, continuing, and ending events
that come after our birthdays--the anniversaries, celebrations, and
commemorations.
Certainly grand openings for various kinds of businesses echo the
birthday celebration. But when does a business begin? When it makes
its grand promotional opening which is a preliminary introduction and
advertisement? Or when it opens it doors, or makes its first sale?
Depending on the business, there are many considerations that might
mark its beginning.
A wedding ceremony is not altogether simpler. Should a wedding
chart be set for its beginning or the oath taking and ring exchange?
Or the kiss? Or its consummation as some laws require? The latter is
now longer a new event for many married couples. One ancient tradition
of declared union was for the couple to feed one another in public, and
we retain a vestige of this in the wedding reception cake cutting. To
a great extent, what one thinks is the indication of an important life
passage and its formal celebration probably does mark that event. And
there have been traditional ways of observing major events. Sacred
essential life acts were marked and usually accompanied by a
recognition or exchange of life substance--oaths by a giving of blood,
matings by sharing life's waters, healing, cleansing, christening by
washing, and renewal and sustenance by eating and drinking.
A personal move to a new residence is an important personal event as
well. What is the nature of one's experience in a new place? When is
that move indicated? What christens a new house? When is the tone set
for the kind of life one has in a new place, or business or
relationship? Probably that tone is set by one's intent (conscious or
unconscious) in synchronization with the time of its formal
celebration. I've come to believe that customs such as bringing bread
and drink to a new house to bless it have great spiritual potency.
That notion developed along with noticing that such simple acts as
eating and drinking, even when 'not' a ritual act, also have
significance in our lives and can be shown in astrology.
Quite by accident, I came upon a curious pattern in charting times
of friends' moves and business beginnings, which may have implications
for other events. Generally, such event charts should be considered as
transits to one's natal, but sometimes they are very descriptive in
themselves. I had been waiting for the opening of THE ENCHANTED
CRYSTAL in San Francisco on 12 APR 1977, and had asked the owner to
note the time of his first sale. The owner, a CAN SUN, LIB MOON, was
one of the first street artists to popularize the import and sale of
Austrian crystal, and the store itself was a fairy land marvel brimming
with spectacular glittering crystals in superb displays. Scotty
literally had a sign up saying, "Please handle the crystal" to invite
people's involvement.
I asked him how he saw the shop and made notes of his response: "as
a gallery as well as a functioning business, a playground where people
could just come in and just experience beauty." And he particularly
said he wanted to keep it changing. He had even sent out specially
designed announcements with a butterfly on them saying, "The Enchanted
Crystal of San Francisco Invites to you Experience it's Metamorphosis.
An Enchanting New Shop Featuring Dazzling New Crystal Designs." (URA-
change-metamorphosis-butterfly) The time of opening his doors for
business was within 5 minutes of his first sale. That time generated
SAT ASC on an angle, great for an careful accountant, but hardly
descriptive of the store's visual impact or intent.
I considered the time and the angles and noticed that about 45
minutes later (at 1:20 pm PST) would have put MER opposite URA on the
MC-IC and the Moon DES. The PIS SUN strongest aspect was post-quincunx
URA which on the IC, and also quarti-sextile MER on the MC. Certainly
a potentially glamorous and exciting combination. I asked him what he
was doing about 45 minutes later. He said he was having a champagne
celebration with friends and family who had been waiting for his
opening. Eating and drinking in celebration! [1977 April 12, 1:20 pm
PST, 122w26 37n47] This 1:20 pm time seemed quite opposite what might
be thought was the most important function of a store in general--
sales, but it was most descriptive and in keeping with the owner's
intent.
Also Scotty's LIB MOON whose strongest aspects, according to the
Orb-Aspects, is post-quincunx URA and then MER. He had certainly
picked a time which repeated some of his own felt energy. He was born
in Hawaii during WT and when there some question as to whether Hawaii
was on Central Alaskan Time (+10 hours) which is was actually closer
to, or Hawaiian Standard Time (+10.5 hours). IF Central Alaskan Time
and War Time (which would bring the Owner's MER ASC in GEM), then also
the Enchanted Crystal's SUN (TRansiting SUN) would be less than 2
degrees from the owner's natal MC. The Chaldeans and Fagan would have
approved of the owner's choice of day to start his business.
Previous to that time, I had spent considerable time doing much
chart work with a friend and her family. Then she and her husband had
bought a big, old house in San Francisco which they set about to
redecorate. There followed continuous complaints, irritation and
troubles, glitches, hitches and snafus with living in and redecorating
the house, even to it being haunted. I finally woke up and noticed
that she was using many of the same words she used to describe her
functioning as during NEP and SAT transits. Thus NEP & SAT would
theoretically have had to be with the lights or angular. I asked when
she moved in. She gave me a last-box-in-the-house time (about 5:30pm,
30 OCT 1976) which did not show NEP or SAT with either of the lights.
My reasoning was that these would then have to be angular and should
show up. Didn't. Until just before 8pm PDT--SAT IC & NEP DES conjunct
VEN, with a TAU ASC. I asked her what they were doing about 8pm. She
replied that about that time she had put the kids to bed and she and
her husband were having their first meal in the new house. Eating and
drinking.
And where was the house URA? Conjunct the Sun in Libra. By the
way, the "house" turned out beautifully in spite of the process. And
the ghost came to one of the first dinner parties and blew out the
candles on queue. I truly hadn't remembered the URA-LIB factor until
checking these old charts as examples, which I just decided to add.
About the same time, I had another friend (CAN SUN, MER ASC in LEO,
AQU MOON) whose move had occasioned a considerable lifestyle change
from hosting large parties and having a grand-central, coffee-
house/coop-apartment with a world of friends--to seeing almost no one
at all. She grumbled about this for months. Upon questioning, she was
able to recall the date and time that she ate her first meal before
watching her favorite program, Star Trek. That time put TR PLU ASC and
her Natal SAT on the MC--indicating the keynote of that event and
continuing experience for her--great for monks, but hardly for
socializing. She never got her stacks of boxes unpacked or felt at
home there, and left the city after a year or so. This Star Trekee fan
had moved from hosting the center of her universe to where no one else
would go.
And so having done my first election/business chart on HAIR-HAIR, a
hair-styling shop in Santa Cruz which served wine to its patrons, by
the time I got to the Enchanted Crystal, I was ready to notice
champagne toasts. One of the most obvious ways to connect with others
is with food and drink. And one of Christianity's central, religious,
ritual acts of focusing attention is Communion, eating and drinking,
partaking of and thus sharing the essential nature of the "substance"
of what is considered sacred. I began to realize that there might be
more to a superficial celebratory toast than I had thought as a
personal and cultural act. I was on to a PATTERN!
* * *



PRESIDENT (BILL) WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, [19 AUG 1946, 8:51 am
CST, Hope, ARK 33n40 93w35]

11VIR30 ASC/ MARS 12VIR23 (ALTitude -0.46')
NEP 12VIR52 (ALTitude -1.04')
VEN 17VIR07 (ALTitude -5.39')

LEO SUN - quarti-sextile PLU (12.2), semi-sextile VEN (11.7),
sextile JUP (7.8), quarti-sextile MER (7.3).
ARI MOON - semi-sextile URA (11.3), sesqui-square ASC MARS (9.8),
post-sextile MER (9.3), sesqui-square ASC NEP (8.9), post-sextile SAT
(7.6), quincunx JUP (6.8).

URA has highest ALTitude (+72.24).
PAR ALT: NEP (-1d 04') & MARS (-0d 46');
MER (+56d 03') & PLU (+53d 50').

Clinton is said to have the stamina of a horse, to love being with
people, and to always be campaigning; he is said to be able "to finesse
his way across a mine field." MARS ASC could well do for the stamina
and energy as well as temper but so also would his LEO SUN in
strongest aspect to PLU for unstoppable drive. LEO SUN-VEN (and
perhaps even an angular VEN) help would define his considerable
charisma and connection with people as well as MOON-URA (URA most
elevated) for acceptance of every kind of person.
My specific question astrologically is in regard to his intellect
which earned him a Rhodes Scholarship. His MER is triple-starred
(conjunct stars Praesepe, Asellus Borealis & Asellus Austrailis in
CAN), and is a strong aspect with his Moon, and a lesser aspect to his
SUN. VIR ASC indicates an affinity for study. And a LEO SUN might be
necessary to call one's attention to the fact that he deserved the
recognition. All that should add up to a very fine mind indeed. The
tendency to emotionally embrace new and fresh concepts in indicated in
his MOON-URA as the strongest aspect with URA elevated. Moon-URA also
indicates a fondness for his URA ASC wife, Hillary.
That URA as the highest elevated planet and also aspecting his MOON
assumes significance in Clinton's chart. Besides the MOON, URANUS also
aspects his MER, MARS, NEP and JUP, which latter helps contribute to
his liberal and far-reaching views.


The Contract With America
There have been ancient traditions long and far away of the Sacred
Oath of the Sacrificial King who bound his life and service to the
Mother Land and its people. We have lost and denied the female
polarity of the sacred trust and understanding, and in that is the
tragedy of our age. But in American there is the creative concept of a
democratic process which has been associated astrologically with the
archetype URANUS. The presidential election and inauguration may be
our greatest national tradition. Even we who are in it are hardly are
aware of its uniqueness, implications, and potential. Every fourth
year is the Inaugural Oath upon which our collective fate as a nation
is re-dedicated through the mind and heart of the President Elect,
chosen by the people, at an appointed Time and Place, noon at
Washington D.C., January 20, following the fall election.
At the Inauguration the President Elect must make and renew his pact
with the psyche of a nation at that particular time. He must not only
have his finger on the pulse of America, he must be able to shape, as
well as embody, our national hopes and expectations. That is an
extraordinary lot that we expect in a leader. And so, he must have
1> something in common with the time, the identity overlap factor, and
2> it must feature his best characteristics and values, usually by
transiting aspects. The last 1993 INAUGURATION of the 42 President of
the United States in Washington D.C. was remarkable for Bill Clinton in
several respects.
There are several constants in our inaugural chart specified by the
day and noon time. The SUN will always be approximately 5+ degrees CAP
and the ASC always ARIES. Unfortunately a noon time does not put the
SUN exactly angular at that time of year. The 1993 Inaugural Chart was
not particularly outstanding in itself, but at least MARS was not
featured. MER was within 4 degrees of the MC. CAP SUN was with JUP-
MER-SAT-VEN-URA-NEP, and SAG MOON with NEP-URA-PLU. However, in
reference to Clinton's natal, it keynoted some of his basic attributes
even to the themes of his campaign.
On the January 19, 1993 news, the day before his inauguration, as if
he knew the aspects, Clinton was quoted as saying that "he desperately
wants to make a difference and to keep an open door." I heard in
"difference" a URA keyword, and in keeping contact with people a MOON
or VEN inclination. In his first Inaugural Speech, by the end of the
second paragraph, he had used these words indicating one of his main
themes: renewal, spring (2 times), reborn, re-invent, and change (4
times). Phrases bandied about by the press at the time: that there
was a very "diverse" group at the inaugural, that "change" was
certainly a theme, that he would be a "technology" president, as well
as a "man of the people." Very Uranian concepts.
Most striking was that the TRansiting SAG MOON was conjunct his IC
within a degree, indicating attention from the public (HERE'S BILL!),
AND with its strongest aspects to his Ascending NEP&MARS, and then URA
which is his strongest Moon aspect. The Moon itself has often been
indicated astrologically as the indicator of the public and its moods
in general. The following represents the lineup of the TRansiting
12SAG45' MOON to Clinton's natal planets:

TRANSITING SAG MOON to Clinton's natal planets: square ASC NEP
(14.8 pts), square ASC MARS (14.2 pts), post-quincunx URA (12.8 pts),
quincunx MER (11.2 pts), post-sextile JUP (10.7 pts), sesqui-square
MOON (9.1 pts), square ASC NEP (8.8 pts), square ASC MARS, /post-
sextile JUP (6.7 pts).

Also interesting and significant are the specific TRANSITS TO HIS
NATAL MOON: square TR SAT (10.1), trine TR NEP (9.3), sesqui-square TR
MOON (9.1), trine TR URA (8.7), sextile TR VEN (6.5). The strong
square of TR SAT would indicate some very bittersweet feelings and
issues associated with his success. At that time TRansiting NEP&URA
were very close in conjunction, a unique astronomically phenomena
occurring once every 82-84 years, and these significantly impacted his
natal Moon, thus again emphasizing the URAnian theme.

The TRANSITS TO HIS NATAL SUN were: semi-square TR MARS (9.5),
quincunx TR MER (8.3), semi-square TR JUP (6.1), square TR PLU (5.9)
JUP and PLU are known for incredible and impossible luck, impossible
wins, etc., although these were not in strong aspect to his Sun.
* * *


Would the comparison of the Inaugural Chart with each candidate give
an indication of who would win? Probably not. The expectation would
be that with whoever won, the Inaugural Chart would indicate what that
person's featured energy and commitment would be. However, the 1997
INAUGURAL CHART is striking in itself because of the strong emphasis of
several planetary themes--MER & NEP, URA and PLU. In contrast with
those are 6 bodies in the constellation CAP within 8 degrees orb, thus
emphasizing values of restraint, limitation, thrift, and self-
discipline. These 6 include the New or Dark MOON phase with the MOON
just 2 & half degrees past the CAP SUN indicating the CAP values would
have a strong emotional component. The President Elect may have to
deal directly with some conservative demands. And as per mid-July
1996, Clinton is already voicing an emphasis on "responsibility,
economic growth, common sense, and mainstream government"--Saturnine
themes, with reference also to using "new means to preserve of
traditional values." Basic reforms will be emphasized.
Seemingly in contradiction to the conservatism of CAPricorn is
visionary idealism of MER conjunct NEP, both conjunct the MC. With
NEP&MER quarti-sextile MARS, they could have inflammatory consequences
particularly if considered along with the aspects to the Lights, URA &
PLU which together indicate considerable upheaval and turmoil, and need
for radical change in CAP matters of basic self-sufficiency.
The lineup of the 1997 43RD PRESIDENTAL INAUGURATION time is worth
looking at. These augur for trying times for the next administration
and for Americans.

MC: MER conjunct NEP (both aspecting MARS)

CAP MOON - sextile PLU (12.6), conjunct URA (11.2), conjunct SUN
(10.1), semi-sextile JUP (10), /semi-sextile SAT (4.7).

CAP SUN - conjunct URA (14.5), conjunct MOON (10.1), sextile PLU
(7.7).

PAR ALT: SUN (+30d46'), NEP (+30d32'), URA (+30d18'), MARS
(+30d28'),
MOON highest Altitude/Elevation: (+35d56')


One will note the obvious similarities--Clinton can match within
himself the energy of the time: Clinton's SUN-PLU and Inaugural MOON-
PLU-URA; Clinton's MOON-URA and Inaugural SUN-URA-MOON-PLU. Again,
this chart comparison of Clinton and the 1997 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
does not indicate that he will win (although I think it likely for
other reasons) but only his new contract with America should he win.
And Clinton does have TR JUP at 9SAG11 near conjunct his natal IC
within 3 degrees. That's perfect for accepting public honors. TR VEN
further sweetens that by sextile to his natal MOON and quincunx his ASC
MARS & NEP.
Very significantly, TR MER and NEP (both from the MC of the
Inaugural Chart) aspect his natal SUN, and the TR SUN is in 3d13"
(loose) quincunx to his natal SUN. If he is President Elect, he will
have to voice a very strong idealism in order to lead the country. But
if his birthtime is correct, he already has an innate understanding of
the NEPtunian and MERcurial qualities. I do not say this tongue-in-
cheek as it is necessary for any leader: he has the ability to change
with the needs of the times particularly with his MOON to elevated URA.
And the possible downside for Clinton is there--a real stackup of
SAT aspects: TR SUN (as it was in last inaugural chart) is quincunx his
natal SAT, (a lesser aspect of nearly three degrees) yet spotlighting
again his own responsibility. But TR PLU also trines his natal SAT at
17' orb (12.4 points) which signals some very critical emphasis of duty
and dire responsibility. Further, TR SAT is sextile his natal MOON
only 01' orb (12.9 points). Further yet, TR MOON is opposite his natal
SAT only 27' (14.1 points). Whether he wins or loses, this could be an
extremely bittersweet time for him as SAT-MOON denotes depressive
feelings; these aspects could also manifest in public criticism.
Clinton will have need of all the dignity and inner strength he can
muster. We should not forget to pray for our President and his family,
whoever he is.

Here ends the serendipitous Uranian theme in case studies.
* * *




From the FAMOUS to the INFAMOUS, the sublime to the ridiculous, the
best to the beastial. A comparison of the data of O.J. SIMPSON and his
murdered wife NICOLE is included because the story is high profile and
particularly because the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects reveal a significant
abusive pattern in their personal interaction. Notwithstanding, this
is no attempt to indicate guilt or innocence in the murder as that
could not be known from any chart. It's in the person. But the nature
of their interaction and feelings at the time of the murder could be
known through transits whether there was violence or murder or not.
Consequently with this subject, we are back again to the issue of
bad and good aspects, or at least the 'bad and good' expression of the
planetary forces in aspect. Quite simply, many people experience
similar aspects and do not become murderers or murdered. But some few
do, and astrologers are interested in looking at the extreme expression
of planets in aspect. For some of us, knowing the extremes seems
necessary in understanding the mean or middle principle involved.
Each planetary archetype has in its virtue--the seed of its vice,
both the expressions of its principle; and likewise in the vice--the
seed of its virtue. For instance, Michelangelo, (Sun in starfield
PISCES for creative imagination) saw in a block of stone the form of
David and hewed it out. And yet, PIS/NEP folk are often accused of
seeing things that aren't there. An actor by virtue of NEP conveys a
truth thru illusion, and yet NEP is accused of unreal feelings. The
paradox is the key here. If a talent is strong, it will be more of an
asset and more of a liability, both simultaneously.
Within each planetary expression, there is that vice-virtue
continuum. For instance, for MERCURY, a youthful playfulness can also
used as gamesmanship; quick intellect can be virtuoso trickery. VENUS'
loving sociability can be spineless compromising. The MOON'S empathy &
emotional support - emotional dependence. MARS' bravery - brutality.
JUPITER'S positive outlook - selective snobbery. SATURN'S conservatism
- blockage. URANUS' individuality & creativity - eccentricity &
nuttiness. NEPTUNE'S sensitivity - spacecase foolishness. PLUTO'S
laser focus - fundamentalist radicalism. "Virtue itself turns vice,
being misapplied; And vice sometime's by action dignified."
(Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.)
One's light and dark sides exist simultaneously. The issue is the
balance within. Unfortunately, a quote from Shakespeare's Othello
rather than Romeo and Juliet would be more apt for Orinthal James and
Nicole. What cankered, jealous, whispering Iago who directed the hand
with the knife will probably not be revealed.

Beyond Star-Crossed
In addition to the general ABC approach of looking at the angular
planets and the aspects to the lights, one can also consider minor
"STRINGS" of planets which often represent unassimilated, or latent
qualities in one's character. In a general chart comparison, O.J. and
Nicole have some fairly positive interaspects. But the key to their
negative interaction can be found in an "aspect string" that they both
have in common: NEP & MARS & SAT were all in aspect in each chart.
This is a combination that Cyril Fagan detailed as occurring very
strongly with the natal lights and/or on the angles of the most
horrendously cruel and brutal criminals in his studies of murderers and
murders. Additionally, Fagan found as a indication of the crimes that
two or three of the natal NEP-SAT-MARS trio occurred angular at the
location of the crime, and/or that two or three of the TRansiting NEP-
SAT-MARS combination were either transiting the natal lights or angles.
[Some of Fagan's studies in American Astrology as follows: 9/56
(Lilli), 11/62 (Stanford White), 10/63 (Extreme Cruelty), 12/63
(Heath); 12/66 (Strack); 1/67 & 8/68 (Richard Speck's murder of 8
nurses); 12/65 (Mars & Stabbing); 10/63 & 2/70 (Catherine De Medici);
6/54, 9/54, 8/61/, 9/61, 10/63, 3/69, 5/69 (Sadism); 9/61 (Sacher-
Masoch); 9/54 & 9/61 (de Sade); 7/61 (Sex murderer); 3/57 (Violent
Transits)]
There are of course other patterns indicative of violence. For
example, in 2/77 American Astrology, Garth Allen did a study called
"Murder Will Out!" in which he plotted the natal angularity of planets
in some 42 murderers' charts. He found that the following occurred
most often in the foreground: MARS (26 times), NEP (23 times) and PLU
(22 times). Allen's conclusion in a nutshell, "So when we find an
imbalance in the distribution of planets in the horoscopes of
murderers, and hyperactivity of certain aspect combinations, it is
probably safe to say that these statistical excesses are symptomatic of
a weak frustration tolerance." Those three planets were involved as
transits in both OJS' and Nicole's charts during the time of the
murder.
To repeat, this is not to say that a crime 'will' be committed by a
person with such configurations or under such transits. One may
vicariously experience such emotions watching violence on TV, movies,
or video in what is considered 'entertainment,' now an American staple.

Although the NEP-SAT-MARS trio are not predominant in their natals
with angles or lights, O.J. and Nicole BOTH have a minor string
connection of all three of that terrible trio, NEP-SAT-MARS, and that
pattern warrants detailing. One of the implications of any planet
aspect string: every month the TRansiting MOON would activate a string
of planets four times a month via the major aspects of conjunction,
opposition, and squares. The Transiting Moon travels some 360
degrees, the whole zodiac, in 27 1/3 days (a sidereal cycle, as from
star 360 degrees back to the same star). Also other planetary transits
would activate this pattern as well, but not as quickly or as often.
By this minor pattern which they shared in common, when they interacted
in terms of it, it called forth the very worst in them both; Nicole and
O.J. were diminished as individual persons. The pattern can be seen in
just the following natal positions:


NiCOLE BROWN SIMPSON O.J. SIMPSON
NEP 10LIB50 MARS 12TAU02
SAT 12SAG04 NEP 14VIR08
MARS 28GEM06 SAT 15CAN01
URA 29TAU26

To scan for aspects: any planetary placement, for instance of 12
degrees (whatever minutes) would be in some 30 degree aspect with any
planet at 12 degrees in every other constellation. Then allowing a
few degrees orb, one would scan for aspects at 10, 11, <12>, 13 and 14
degrees in other constellations. However, to figure 15 degree aspects,
one must add (or subtract) 15 degrees to the 12 degrees to get 27
degrees. If subtracted, since the constellations are in "sets" of 30
degrees, the placement will still be 27 degrees in previous
constellation. (15 degrees = 30 degrees, and/or 0 degrees of next
constellation.)
It will be further noted that Nicole and OJS not only had these
three in aspect within their own natal, they also had them near THE
SAME DEGREES so that the feelings ascribed to each combination would be
happening near AT THE SAME TIME sequence for each of them, igniting,
mirroring, and fueling any negative trends in the other person. The
planets in 28 and 29 degrees would be triggered in 15 degree aspects
along with the other 13 & 14 degree positions (28+15=13, and 29+15=14).
Thus all of these aspects occur within 5 degrees when transits are from
10 to 15 degrees (or +15 degrees = from 25 to 30 degrees). For
instance, the Moon moves approximately 6.5 degrees in 12 hours: when
Nicole was in a NEP&SAT mode, O.J.'s MARS was triggered, followed by
Nicole's MARS, then O.J.'s NEP&SAT. A vicious cycle to be sure, and
often played out between them every month.
Most significantly, the LOCATION of Los Angeles for Nicole (if her
birthtime is anywhere near correct) would indicate an angular ASCending
NEP, a key indication of vulnerability and victimization, making that
aspect string foremost and critical in her chart. Her NEP (at 1d 11'
Altitude from her Los Angeles ASC) would have been the first impulse
triggered by 'any' direct transit (as distinct from a retrograde
transit). Clearly, Los Angeles could not have been recommended as a
location with NEP ASC and its aspects of SAT and MARS. Repetitive
abject terror would be one interpretation of such aspects.


NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON, 19 May 1959, Frankfurt, Germany 8e40 50n07, 2:00
am MET. Location for Los Angeles: 16CAN05 MC (URA 18CAN25), and
11LIB33 ASC (NEP +1.11 and MER +4.19)

AQU ASC/ (URA DSC -6d 26' Altitude)

TAU SUN - opposite JUP (14.5), post-sextile URA (13.4), quarti-
sextile MER (10.8), /semi-square VEN (6.3).
VIR MOON - square VEN (12.6), post-sextile MARS (12), square SAT
(10.8), quincunx MER (8.1).

PAR ALT: SUN (-17d 00') & MER (-17d 15') & lowest altitude.
MOON (8d 29') & PLU (9d 53')
SAT (15d 58') & NEP (16d 21')

Highest Elevation: JUP (18d 05')

This "o'clock" time is possibly generic, and planets in high latitudes
may be closer or nearer to horizon than the ecliptic longitude would
suggest. For instance, PLU 7LEO29 longitude which has an ecliptic
latitude of +12d 03' would be some +9d 53' "above the DSC 12LEO57.
* * *



Orinthal James SIMPSON, 9 July 1947, San Francisco 37n47 122w25,
8:08 am PST.

LEO ASC/ JUP IC

GEM SUN - trine JUP (10.7), quarti-sextile VEN (13.5),
PIS MOON - square URA (13.7), trine MER (11.1), post-quincunx NEP
(11.1), sesqui-square SAT (8.8), sesqui-square PLU (8.8), /post-sextile
MARS (wide orb of 4d 33')

PAR ALT: MOON (+27d 07') & MER (+26d 24')
PLU (+13d 56') & SAT (+14d 55')
Highest Elevation: MARS (+67d 17')

NEP, SAT & PLU do figure in with his Moon aspects as secondary
positions; however, PLU & SAT are in PARallel ALTitude for even more
powerful impact. Such words in description of his character as the
prosecuting attorneys presented--controlled, restrained, critical,
authoritarian, jealous, obsessive, denial, repressed anger--would
follow as a delineation of SAT&PLU as MOON aspects, further intensified
and exaggerated by the accompanying NEP. But although a heavy aspect
lineup, even together these do not necessarily augur for an evil
temperament. Others have done terrible deeds with happier aspects.
In TRansits, one may notice that for better or worse, a person's
planetary characteristics are exaggerated by the same TRansiting planet
and usually manifest in similar external activities or events over
time. Certain TRansits can trigger negative behavior as it does in us
all. The question is how negative, and the answer is still within the
person.
A small sidenote on the ways, sometimes ludicrous - sometimes
profound, that astrological symbolism works out in our lives:
Considering the part the barking dog with bloody paws played in
alerting people to the time of the murders, it is interesting to note
that OJS's natal MOON 1PIS35 is opposite the ecliptic star Zavijava,
The Barking Dog, 2VIR25 0n42. As well, Sirius, The Dog Star, 19GEM21
would have mundanely risen close to the same time as SAT. The star
with the sinister reputation, Algol, the severed Medusa's Head,
culminates on his natal M.C. which all too starkly reminds us of
Nicole's nearly severed head.
This 8:08am PST chart with JUP angular looks like something a good
astrologer would set up as a "lucky chart" for PR purposes. Without
JUP's angularity, there is already a significant emphasis of JUP by its
strong placement with the GEM SUN indicating boyant enthusiasm, glib
social charm, and a need for recognition and friendships, "who's
looking at me now?" The additional angularity of his JUP would add to
his public charisma. MARS for the competing athlete does have the
highest elevation. Much more could be said of his intelligence and
manipulative talents with GEM SUN to JUP, PIS MOON to URA & MER.
One must question the power of the extra emphasis given by PLU&SAT
being in parallel altitude and in aspect to Simpson's Moon. A
strong SAT&PLU combination with the Moon would give a clearer picture
of an abusive man who could deliberately contemplate beheading his wife
(whether he would or not). As it is with the 8:08am PST, the Transits
are quite extraordinary.
Whether this time is absolutely correct or not, it is still of a man
so taken with the externals of success that he failed any internal
awareness of his own negative emotions and their implications. One of
Simpson's more JUPiterian means of raising money to fund his defense
was to issue a video which featured a tour of his house reminiscent of
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. There has been a significant
portion of the American public who bought this, literally, and
supported him in mind and with material goods. OJS is a household
name.
* * *





There were two dates released on the news, a matter of police
record, when Nicole had reported violence from OJS - these include
transits to the natal NEP-MARS-SAT pattern. The exact Quindecimus Orb-
Aspect ratings are not given because the below data is cast for an
approximate time of 8:00 pm PST, Los Angeles, giving an approximate
placement of transits. And because the time is not known, the angles
and MOON positions are not known or considered.
In these two instances of recorded abuse, the TRansiting aspects in
themselves were more than could be expected in relation to their natal
NEP-MARS-SAT pattern. Since it can be seen just from the degree number
whether the transits are in aspect, the aspect itself is not specified
(and it can be determined from the tables). TR SAT&NEP in loose
conjunction along with TR MARS, seemingly the trigger factor in the
below cases of domestic violence, are all incredibly within the "same
degree range" that occurs in "both" their charts. Moreover, they both
had other planets in that 5 to 6 degree range compounding their
involvement. Also bear in mind that Nicole's NEP was angular Ascending
by location in Los Angeles, signifying excessive vulnerability and
naive trust.
One or two of this TRansiting trio occurring once within this range
would have been pushing the boundary of coincidence. As it is, the
extraordinary repetition of all three natal planets in the transits in
both instances goes beyond the bounds. Beyond star-crossed. It would
seem that whatever activities are associated for a particular person
with an archetypal pattern gets repeated. The universe continually
turns up ample opportunities to re-experience our problems and solve
them. It may be hard to conceive of a positive activity for the
overwhelming pattern described, but everyone does not become murderer
or murdered under such pressure. That is, similar patterns do not come
to attention when there is no dilemma.
Below, please recall that 15 degree arc aspects can be mentally
figured by adding or subtracting 15 degrees to any below. Thus 12
degrees becomes 27 degrees, or 28 becomes 13, so that the closeness of
aspect can be appreciated. In January 1989, TR SAT&MARS aspect
Nicole's NEP&SAT&MARS and OJS' MARS&NEP. TR NEP aspects all three for
both Nicole and OJS. And so on.



DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
NICOLE SIMPSON 1/1/89 TRANSITS O.J. SIMPSON
NEP 10LIB50 SAT 11SAG09
SAT 12SAG04 MARS 26PIS14 MARS 12TAU02
MARS 28GEM06 NEP 14VIR08
MOON 14VIR06 URA 29TAU26
VEN 15GEM18 NEP 15SAG23 SAT 15CAN01
MER 16GEM33 SUN 17SAG09 MOON 01PIS35
___________________________________________________________________



DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
NICOLE SIMPSON 10-25-93 TRANSITS O.J. SIMPSON

SUN 08LIB06
NEP 10LIB50 NEP 23SAG54
SAT 12SAG04 MARS 25LIB22 MARS 12TAU02
MARS 28GEM06 MER 27LIB51 NEP 14VIR08
MOON 14VIR06 SAT 28CAP58 URA 29TAU26
VEN 15GEM18 PLU 29LIB54 SAT 15CAN01
MER 16GEM33 MOON 01PIS35
___________________________________________________________________


It cannot be denied that this pattern is certainly a terribly
difficult one at best. One issue that emerges from looking at this
welter of transits and interaspects is that the victim had similar
forces activated as one would suspect of the murderer. More research
needs be done on the victims' charts as it could be that both victim
and murderer enter into a similar wavelength, a dance of death between
prey and predator. Such 'mutual configurations' would not be limited
to people who knew each other, but might well indicate patterns between
those who were attuned to a similar frequencies, so to speak. We often
examine the charts of the criminal and not his victims - which study
would complicate the issue considerably. The Quindecimus Orb-Aspects
provides help in sorting such complexity.
In April 1968 SPICA, Cyril Fagan wrote an article on "Interpreting
the Lunar Return" in which he attempts to define the difference between
natal and transiting planets:
"The reader should keep in mind that the transiting bodies
always act CENTRIPETALLY (inward) while the natal ones always
act CENTRIFUGALLY (outward)....Again, should the transiting
Mars, when slow in motion, configurate the radical Sun or Moon,
the native is liable to be attacked or molested by another,
frequently sexually.... But on the other hand should the transiting
Sun cross the natal Mars the native himself may be tempted to
sexually molest another."
However, this 'inward vs outward' definition does not at all
consistently bear out. Except for Nicole's angular location NEP, the
distinction between predator and prey blurs with the complexity of
transits to Nicole's and OJS's charts. That is, who 'acts or reacts'
with negative MARS energy cannot be always specified. However, what
can be said is that such-and-such a connection (MARS to NEP, and NEP to
MARS) exists between them. Fagan's quote from The Symbolism of The
Star Constellations may better approximate experience:
"All mutual configurations between the planets are two-edged
and contain their own opposites, which oscillate pendulum like,
as the wheel of fate revolves. Now, one of the bodies may act
as significator and the other as promittor; but, anon, their
positions will be reversed."

Even so, in researching aspects we should attempt as much precision
as possible while maintaining some balance of perspective--our human
notions of good and bad, winning and losing are not those of the
cosmos. That last is too philosophically broad for most of us. As an
analogy, it's easier to think in terms of ants' underground colonies
compared to the depth of the Grand Canyon than in perceiving humans' in
relation to the cosmos.

In order to give at least a general sense of some factors in the
complex emotional situation between Nicole and OJS, the following
generic delineations will be from the book, THE PRIMER OF SIDEREAL
ASTROLOGY by Cyril Fagan and R.C. Firebrace, the chapter on "Transits,"
and from THE SOLUNARS HANDBOOK by Cyril Fagan. As these transits,
MARS-SAT-NEP, occurred all three at once for both Nicole and OJS on
several occasions, the cumulative effect would be greatly intensified.
The following is just a mild sampling of what became an ever worsening
cumulative effect of MARS-SAT-NEP in combination and in transit
repetition between Nicole and OJS.

"When the radical MARS appears on an angle in return maps the native
is prepared to attack, annoy, tease, be generally aggressive to others
and even to use force.
When TRANSITING MARS appears in the foreground it presages some
physical hurt, injury, fever or indisposition the severity of which
depends on the speed of Mars at the time and on its aspects...
The most ugly of all TRANSITS is that of MARS over the radical
SATURN. Now the native can feel hatred. He may become unpopular and
may be maligned and made to feel unwanted...
MARS To NEPTUNE: This transit can cause panic and agitation from
which he does not recover soon. In some way he may be driven into a
corner. It is a transit of defeat.
* * *
Natal SATURN on an angle: The occasions are most unpleasant when
SATURN appears in the immediate foreground of return maps. The effect
is naturally increased if it simultaneously suffers the transit of a
malefic. On such an occasion one feels alone, empty, insufficient,
inadequate, neglected, miserable, uncared for and unloving, suffering
from chronic ailments.
TRansiting SATURN on the angles: This is the worst of omens for
success. Often it denotes failure in all things. It denotes the ill
will - even hatred - of others which inhibits success at this time.
SATURN To MARS: When SATURN transits the natal MARS, the native,
finding himself thwarted and pushed round, is apt to try and take it
out of the weaker, such as wife and children and to act the bully.
Hurting out of viciousness in battle or in sport he meets with ill
success. Should Venus be with Saturn there may be sadistic tendencies.
SATURN To SATURN: Janus like, the transit of Saturn to its own
natal place often closes one door and opens another. Through no fault
of his own he may be dismissed and find himself unemployed. It
sometimes happens that he finds another job at once. It is a worrying
and anxious time...
Should SATURN, NEPTUNE or PLUTO in transit also afflict the radical
SATURN, the native may even be assailed and dishonored.
SATURN TO NEPTUNE: Associated with death, funerals, graveyards and
the like, it tends to morbidity, the macabre and the lugubrious, and
gives rise to sadness and melancholy.
SATURN and NEPTUNE: When these two malefics transit in double
harness the effects are far from healthy and wholesome; for Neptune is
disposed to dramatize the influences of any planets with which it is
configured, converting in this case and everyday common occurrence,
produced by Saturn, into deep tragedy, accompanied by wailings and
lamentations.
SATURN to PLUTO: The native may find himself serving terms of
imprisonment or otherwise have his freedom drastically curtailed.
Should MARS and SATURN together transit the radical PLUTO the effects
will be all the more brutal, and the native may even be in danger of
being lynched by the mob.
* * *
Provided that it is not afflicted by transiting malefics, the
radical NEPTUNE [on an angle] makes the native feel like taking 'French
leave' to escape from his responsibilities and to bury himself in his
pet distractions. At this time he may succumb to his favorite
temptation.
TRANSITING NEPTUNE on an angle...will usually find the native in an
intense, if somewhat suppressed, state of emotional excitement, a state
of worry and flurry. Under such transits school boys have to report to
the headmaster, the aching to the dentist, the afflicted to the
surgeon. States of anesthesia are characteristic of Neptune. There is
a possibility of being victimized or robbed, even of becoming
inebriated. Neptune too, has a connection with seduction. On the
positive side the native may well make a positive achievement in the
realm of art.
NEPTUNE TO MARS: A serious transit of uncontrolled emotion, such as
caused by crowd activities, a sudden sense of power as in war, the
helplessness of others, may tempt the native to acts of cruelty which
are otherwise not in his nature.
NEPTUNE TO SATURN: In extreme cases this transit may cause 'dirty
linen' to be washed in public. If in the foreground it can be serious,
the native being in some way disgraced and in extreme cases ruined.
NEPTUNE TO SATURN: ...perhaps the most unsavory of them all. The
native is apprehensive lest his enemies plot to encompass his ruin by
exposing his acts or follies and he is often in a constant state of
terror lest his private life be exposed. Ignominy, defeat, arrest are
common under this transit.
* * *



Nicole Who?
The June 12, 1994 MURDERS EVENT CHART was cast for 10:15 pm PDT in
Los Angeles, a police estimate of probable time. At that time, TR MARS
the significator in its negative guise of aggression and violence was
within one degree of the Event IC. TR NEP & URA on the Event ASC in
under 2 degrees altitude, and Ven DSC +3d 24' Altitude. And Nicole's
natal MARS in 28GEM06 at this probable Event time of the murders would
have been ANGULAR within 2 degrees ecliptic longitude of the DES of
00CAN00 indicating a fight for her life, which she did not win.
Ironically, such an aspect can be also found in the charts of those who
commit the violence. Again, I do not in any way say that it can be
told from a chart whether one be guilty or innocent, but the motivating
energy available and emotions can be known, the emotional 'motive.'
Even so, there is little doubt in my mind that Simpson is guilty.
My inclinations are to focus on his MARS-PLU transits which are
indicative of taking the law into one's own hands; even so these are
significant transits for him. In order to gain some perspective, one
has to disbelieve in one's own belief. For better or worse, truth is
what we believe it to be, and varies from person to person, country to
country, age to age.
During the murders, the Nicole's transit pattern focus shifts and
enlarges to include the lights and other planets; this would add
credibility to the basic importance of TRansits to the lights in major
life events. TR MARS & TR SAT no longer aspect any of her natal trio,
but instead both TR MARS&SAT then aspect Nicole's SUN and natal PLU &
URA. TR PLU is also added to the mix and aspects both her lights.
These would detail the violence which escalated to brutal slaughter.
However, there is still an overwhelming, mind-boggling focus on the
NEP-SAT-MARS trio as an issue for Nicole. Remember that in Los Angeles
her NEP ASCends, and URA is close to the MC. TR NEP aspects her natal
NEP-MARS-SAT and natal MOON. TR MER also aspects her NEP-SAT-MARS and
MOON. Unbelievably, the TR SUN and TR MOON both aspect the same trio,
as well as does her natal MOON. Additionally, the TR SUN conjuncts her
natal MC, and the TR MOON conjuncts her locational Los Angeles MC. The
fact that her natal VEN is added to the focus in 6 of the 8 listed
TRansits suggests that sadistic jealousy directed toward her was a
factor in this complex pattern. Ironically, even TR JUP aspects the
trio. Even a third of this lineup would have been remarkable. The
Quindecimus Orb-Aspect points rating indicates the strongest aspects.


JUNE 12, 1994
MURDERS' TRANSITS NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON

TR PLU 01SCO20 rx
post-quincunx MER 16ARI33 (13.5)
conjunct JUP 02SCO55 (11.8)
opposite SUN 03TAU09 (11.3)
sesqui-square VEN 15GEM18 (9.9)
semi-square MOON 14VIR06 (7.5)



(IC) TR MARS 20ARI24
pre-trine PLU 07LEO29 (11.8)
square URA 18CAN25 (11)
quarti-sextile SUN 03TAU09 (9.5)
post-quincunx JUP 02SCO55 (9)


TR SAT 17AQU39
square JUP 02SCO55 (14.4)
post-sextile SUN 03TAU09 (13)
quincunx URA 18CAN25 (11.4)
sextile MER 16ARI33 (10.8)
trine VEN 15GEM18 (8.3)
[quincunx MOON 14VIR06 (5.9)]
(ASC) TR NEP 28SAG05 rx
opposite MARS 28GEM07 (14.9) - 01' orb
quarti-sextile SAT 12SAG04 (11.9)
pre-trine MOON 14VIR06 (11.9)
post-sextile NEP 10LIB50 (9.5)
post-quincunx VEN 15GEM18 (9.5)

TR SUN 27TAU19
conjunct NATAL IC 26TAU18

post-quincunx SAT 12SAG04 (13.5)
semi-square MARS 28GEM06 (11.4)
pre-trine MOON 14VIR06 (10.4)
sesqui-square NEP 10LIB50 (9)
quarti-sextile VEN 15GEM18 (9)

TR MOON 12CAN12
conjunct LOS ANGELES MC 16CAN05

quincunx SAT 12SAG04 (12.7)
square NEP 10LIB50 (12.2)
quarti-sextile MARS 28GEM06 (12.2)
sextile MOON 14VIR06 (9.2)
semi-sextile VEN 15GEM18 (6.8)

TR MER 13GEM44
square MOON 14VIR06 (14.2)
quarti-sextile MARS 28GEM06 (12.7)
conjunct VEN 15GEM18 (11.8)
opposite SAT 12SAG04 (11.6)
trine NEP 10LIB50 (7.2)

TR JUP 10LIB38 rx
conjunct Nicole's LOS ANGELES ASC 11LIB33

conjunct NEP 10LIB50 (14.6)
sextile SAT 12SAG04 (10.1)
pre-trine MARS 28SAG06 (9)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

[Jim Eshelman]

An American Hero
The police estimated 10:15pm PDT for June 12, 1994 for the murders
in Los Angeles. The remarkable thing between the two charts is that in
general there is such similarity in the natal patterns and the
transits. It is not that easy to distinguish between murderer and
victim although there are some specifics to note. In Simpson's chart,
the Murders Event transit pattern also shifts to include TR PLU and
also TR URA (for explosive violent, shocking antisocial expression)
which both aspect his natal SAT, NEP, URA, and MOON, another pattern
indicative of malevolent violence. Note TR PLU joins TR MARS and TR
SAT to aspect his natal PLU and to further escalate these energies to
ferocity. Simpson's natal PLU & SAT are both in Parallel Altitude and
in aspect to his natal MOON.
TR MARS aspects his SUN, and TR SAT his MOON and SAT & NEP. It is
curious that TR MARS does not aspect the NEP-MARS-SAT trio until the
arrest when it is also on Simpson's MC, almost as if his awareness of
such pattern was not triggered until there was external attention to
the savagery of it. Also, the TR MARS is square to PLU, and it is
joined by TR SAT also aspecting natal PLU. The combined effects of all
these transits is not easy to imagine, but Nicole's gashed throat which
partially severed her head from her body is an apt and actual image,
along with the also brutally murdered body of her friend Ron Goldman
who merely happened to be in the way.
Only one aspect description from Fagan's SOLUNARS HANDBOOK is
difficult enough: "When the TRANSITING MARS comes to a major aspect
with the radical PLUTO from the foreground of a return, the native may
receive such a shock that he may instantly take to flight. Under the
stress of this transit, separations have been enacted and divorces
granted, and in extreme cases the native has been known to resort to
murder to effect detachment." This textbook description is amazingly
apt in describing Simpson's behavior in his white Bronco! His emotions
ran the gamut while he ran away on the freeway. The media and America
attending to Simpson's feelings as a media event usurping hours of TV
network time, rather than to Nicoles' mutilated body, are a sign of our
values and our times.
TR SUN, MER & MOON all point to his NEP-MARS-SAT trio as in Nicole's
chart, but here natal URA is added to the pattern (in contrast to
Nicole's VEN). Note again the addition of TR URA to the pattern for
the drastic and unexpected.
Ironically TR JUP aspects his natal JUP, MARS, and SUN, as if he
were victorious in a sports competition. In contrast to Nicole's natal
MARS being emphasized by the local angles, O.J. Simpson had his natal
JUP 23LIB44 near local MC of 19LIB35 and natal MER 0CAN39 on the local
DES 00CAN00. Summation: great aspects for getting away with murder!
He was cheered as he fled down the highway. And he did get immediate
and extensive coverage on several networks.
The announcement of the fully publicized jury verdict "Not Guilty"
came over the networks at close to 10:08 am PDT, October 3, 1995, Los
Angeles, CA. This time gave angles 3LEO51 MC and 25LIB50 ASC which
conjuncted Simpson's natal JUP 23LIB44. Again the JUPITER. And more
cheers for OJS! And more media coverage. Simpson's natal meridian MC
24ARI48 was only a degree off the local Los Angeles Event horizon at
the time of the announcement.

"So you're saying that good people sacrifice everything and
evil people sacrifice nothing?"
"Not at all. I'm saying that good people sacrifice anything
that is necessary in order to maintain the order that allows all
others to exist, even if they have to sacrifice their own life.
While evil people manipulate and force the sacrifice of any and
every other person in order to wholly gratify their own hunger."
O.S. Card, WYRMS



JUNE 12, 1994
MURDERS' TRANSITS O. J. SIMPSON

TR PLU 01SCO17 rx
trine MOON 01PIS35 (12.4)
sesqui-square SAT 15CAN01 (9.5)
quincunx URA 29TAU28 (9.3)
sesqui-square PLU 18CAN11 (8.2)
semi-square NEP 14VIR08 (7.7)

(ASC) TR URA 0CAP57
post-quincunx SAT 15CAN01 (12.1)
sextile MOON 01PIS35 (11.7)
pre-trine NEP 14VIR08 (10.3)
quincunx URA 29TAU26 (9.9)

(IC) TR MARS 20ARI24
square PLU 18CAN11 (10.5)
semi-square VEN 07GEM22 (10)
sextile SUN 22GEM36 (8.6)

TR SAT 17AQU39
quincunx PLU 18CAN11 (11.9)
quarti-sextile MOON 01PIS35 (11.8)
quincunx SAT 15CAN01 (7.7)
quincunx NEP 14VIR08 (5.9)

(ASC) TR NEP 28SAG05 rx
pre-trine NEP 14VIR08 (11.9)
quincunx URA 29TAU26 (10.3)
post-quincunx SAT 15CAN01 (10.1)
sesqui-square MARS 12TAU02 (9.9)

TR SUN 27TAU19
quarti-sextile MARS 12TAU02 (13.4)
conjunct URA 29TAU26 (10.7)
pre-trine NEP 14VIR08 (10.3)
semi-square SAT 15CAN01 (6.6)

TR MER 13GEM44
square NEP 14VIR08 (14.2)
quarti-sextile URA 29TAU26 (12.6)
semi-sextile SAT 15CAN01 (10.1)
semi-sextile MARS 12TAU02 (9.6)

TR MOON 12CAN12
sextile MARS 12TAU02 (12.6)
conjunct SAT 15CAN01 (9.3)
sextile NEP 14VIR08 (9.1)
semi-square URA 29TAU26 (7.5)

TR JUP 10LIB38 rx
quarti-sextile JUP 23LIB44 (11.5)
quincunx MARS 12TAU02 (10.2)
pre-trine SUN 22GEM36 (7.9)
semi-sextile NEP 14VIR08 (6)
__________________________________________________________________






In all of this, the one who feared for her life and lost it is still
unable to articulate her plight in a culture where victim's rights
cannot be acknowledged unless we really mean to change our acceptance
of brutality. If we are to change this fate, we must change our
attitude, which then changes fate. On a national collective level,
that will take much time because it depends on individual awareness.
For Nicole and OJS, the depths of fear, malice, jealousy that built to
a seemingly inevitable end must certainly have made a change in their
personal relationship seem impossible. That Nicole did not feel she
could have personal or public support in her plight sealed her fate.
Indeed her feelings seem reflective of a social truth: our attention
and support has been with our sports hero Simpson, not Nicole.

"The destiny of the world is determined less by the
battles that are lost and won than by the stories it
loves and believes in."
Harold Goddard.



Astrology does not tell guilt or innocence. It's tells the energies
available that are the stuff and staff of our lives. Simpson is
certainly not the first guilty man to go free under lucky aspects, and
obviously there have been too many innocent who have been unjustly
sentenced under unfavorable conditions and aspects. It may be Biblical
that all things work for the good for those who believe in it, but it is also
true that whatever is believed in works for its own furtherance
- Hitler had a very good following. Deliverance is not nigh. The
world as a whole is not living in an enlightened state.

Belief in one's own Karma as ultimately settling debts over
lifetimes is small solace when in America such ideals for truth and
justice as we have are so blighted. There have been other times and
places in America and in other countries where such abuse would not
have been tolerated. But although domestic violence is at the root of
this moral issue, the situation is far more widespread - through the
professions sworn uphold justice but which do not, and in the very
perception of the common person who judges in favor of injustice.
As long as Simpson lives, and it will be in the public arena with
the fickle Dame Fortune which is his true love, he will have to
remember this pattern in some way, because the universe will keep
presenting it to him, at least in transits to his natal pattern. In
the unlikely event that he was innocent, he will still have the
consequences of his trials to deal with; again, small solace. To call
the first trial a travesty of justice is totally inadequate as Simpson
is the original Teflon man, a major manipulator. Recently he is saying
he has turned to religion - which duplicity is beyond description. To
ever confess truly to himself, let alone to another, is out of his
moral league. One wonders if his own children will dare to notice that
this emperor has not a shred of truth about him for fear of forfeiting
their own lives. The rest of the admiring court will surely not hear
any such questions. But the tragedy is not limited to his personal
situation or even his own children or the other families he affected.
Nor is it just a "problem" of our court system, nor race relations.
This tragedy is not just a condemnation of personal evil, but of the
culture which took him as hero, and supported the moral ambiguity which
freed him, with continuing reward of public recognition and attention
and support.

There must start - in ourselves and with our neighbors - some
objection to allowing rewards of prestige and money for those who
profit on and live for such externals without integrity. The
questionable morals of our lawyers who would take such a case for money
and prestige is not questioned, they prosper. Simpson funded his
multi-million dollar defense by his popular appeal that the American
public directly paid for, he prospers. The American way. The transit
of the worst of the trigon NEP-SAT-MARS together is ours; it belongs to
us. Simpson and his lawyers did not cause the setback in so-called
race relations. Using existing attitudes, they masterfully perpetrated
a charade with sleight of glove and mind, and revealed that as a
people, we cannot trust each other because we cannot or will not
discern what is true.
* * *



HERE ENDS PART II: QUINDECIMUS ORB-ASPECT EXAMPLES.
(See Appended STARLISTS Below)
* * *

STARS AT LESS THAN 3 DEGREES N/S ECLIPTIC LATITUDE
ZODIACAL/ECLIPTIC STARS (Sidereal) Ecliptic
LONG. & LAT.

Botein (Sheep's Belly) Delta 26ARI11 1n49
Crab Nebulla (Supernova 1054) *M1 29TAU21 -1s17
Al Hecka (Heavenly Gate, So. Horn Zeta 0GEM03 -2s12
Tajat Eta 8GEM42 -0s54
Dirah (Beaten One, Branch) Mu 10GEM34 -0s49
Mabsuta (outstretched) Epsilon 15GEM12 2n04
Makbuda (contracted) Zeta 20GEM04 -2s04
Wasat (middle) Delta 23GEM47 -0s11
Tegmine (covering) Zeta 6CAN30 -2s18
Praesepe (Manger, Beehive, Crib) *44M 12CAN39 1n10
Asellus Borealis (No. aff) Gamma 12CAN48 (3n12)
Asellus Australis (So. aff) Delta 13CAN59 0n04
REGULUS (Little King) Alpha 5LEO06 0n28
Zavijava (Barking Dog) Beta 2VIR25 0n42
Zaniah (corner) Eta 10VIR06 1n22
Caphir Gamma 15VIR24 2n47
SPICA (Peg, Ear of Corn) Alpha 29VIR06 -2s22
Khambalia (Crooked Foot) Lamda 12LIB12 0n29
Kiffa Austr. (So. Scale) (T.P.) Alpha 20LIB21 0n20
NGC5897 27LIB03
Isidis (forehead) Delta 7SCO50 -1s48
Acrab (Scorpion) or Graffius Beta 8SCO27 1n01
MID-GALAXY DEC 18 2SAG06 5s35
M20 Trifid *M20 5SAG42
Spiculum (8, 20, 21M SAG) 5SAG55 0n01
Polis (foal) Mu 8SAG27 2n21
Facies (face) 13SAG35 -0s43
M22 Globular *M22 13SAG37
Pegalus Sigma 17SAG38 (-3s26)
Nunki (Proclamation of the Sea) Sigma 17SAG39 (-3s27)
Manubrium Omicron 20SAG14 0n52
Al Baldah Pi 21SAG30 1n27
Oculus Pi 9CAP58 0n54
Bos Pho 10CAP25 1n12
Armus (shoulder) Eta 18CAP01 -2s59
Dorsum Theta 19CAP05 -0s36
Nashiri (fortunate) Gamma 27CAP02 -2s33
Deneb Algedi (Goat's Tail) Delta 28CAP48 -2s36
Revati Zeta 25PIS08 -0s13



ECLIPTIC RADIO SOURCES (1950 Jan 1st SVP 5 57' 31.6")
From Rand McNalley's Atlas of the Universe, Messier*

Zeta Taurii, 29TAU (apprx), 3h 37 RA, +21n24 Dec.
*M1 Crab Nebulla 29TAU36'02", 5h 31.5 RA, +21 59' Dec, Radio Source-
Plusar x-rays & visible light.
*M44 Beehive 12CAN48 38", PRAESEPE, 8h 37.4 RA, +20 Dec, Cluster, no
nebulosity.
*M4 Globular 12SCO47'41" (near Antares), 16h 20.6 RA, -26s24 Dec.
*M20 Trifid 5SAG42'02" (on ecliptic), 17h 58.9 RA, -23s02 Dec, Radio
Nebulla, Luminous, near Mu Sagittarii (+2s & 2.5w of M20 Trifid).
*M22 Globular 13SAG37', 18h 33.3 RA, -23s58' Dec.
NGC5897 27LIB02'32", 15h 14.6' RA, -20s50' Dec.



STARS AT MORE THAN 4+ DEGREES ECLIPTIC LATITUDE
(Extreme N/S Latitudes: Moon 5 degrees and Pluto 17 degrees)


Al Pherg Eta 2ARI05 5n23
Kaitain (Knot) Alpha 4ARI39 -9s04
Mesartim (Ministers) Gamma 8ARI25 7n09
Sharatan (2 Notches) Beta 9ARI14 8n19
Apin (Babylonian Plough-star) Alpha 12ARI08 16n48
Hamal (Lamb) Alpha 12ARI55 9n58
Menkar (Nose) Alpha 19ARI35 12n34
ALCYONE (in PLEIADES) Eta 5TAU15 4n03
Prima Hyadum (First of the Hyades) Gamma 11TAU03 -5s44
Hyades Theta 13TAU13 -5s47
AL DEBARAN (Forecaster) Alpha 15TAU03 -5s28
Bellatrix Gamma 26TAU11 -16s48
El Nath (N. Horn of the Bull) Beta 27TAU50 5n23
Betelgeuse (Orion's shoulder) Alpha 4GEM01 -16s04
Alhena (Burnt-in Brand) Gamma 14GEM22 -6s45
Propus (Projecting) Iota 24GEM13 5n45
CASTOR (or Apollo) Alpha 25GEM30 10n05
POLLUX (or Hercules) Beta 28GEM30 6n41
Procyon (Lesser Dog) Alpha 1CAN04 -16s07
Acubens (Claws) Alpha 18CAN54 -5s05
Al Tarf (The Glance) * Beta 23CAN07 7n54
Al Genubi * Epsilon 25CAN58 9n42
Ras Alas (Lion's Head) * Mu 26CAN40 12n21
Adhaferah (Mane) or Al Seraph * Zeta 2LEO49 11n52
Al Jabhah (Lion's forehead) * Eta 3LEO07 4n51
Al Gieba (the Tent) * Gamma 4LEO51 8n49
Zosma (Back) Delta 16LEO34 14n20
Denebola (Lion's TAIL) Beta 26LEO52 12n17
Ampikos (Favorite of Baccus) or
Vindemiatrix (Grapegatherer) Epsilon 15VIR12 16n13
Alchiba (Raven's beak in Corvus) Alpha 15VIR59 -21s45
Algorab (in Corvus) Delta 18VIR43 -12s12
Syrma (Trailing robe) Iota 9LIB03 7n13
Kiffa Bor. (No. Scale) Beta 24LIB37 8n31
*M4 Globular *M4 12SCO48
ANTARES (Rival of Mars) Alpha 15SCO01 -4s34
Lesath (The Sting) Upsilon 29SCO16 -14s00
Shaula Lambda "
Aculeus 6M 1SAG01 -8s50
Al Nasl (Arrow-Head) Gamma 6SAG31 -6s49
Ascellus (Armpit) Zeta 18SAG54 -7s11
Rukbat (knee) Alpha 21SAG53 -18s44
Terebellum Omega 1CAP05 -5s25
Algedi/Giedi (Goat) Alpha 9CAP07 6N58
Dabih Beta 9CAP18 4n36
Casta Epsilon 25CAP27 -4s58
Saldalsuud (luckiest of the Lucky) Beta 28CAP39 8n38
Sadalmelik (Lucky One of the King) Alpha 8AQU41 10n44
Skat (Shinbone) Delta 14AQU07 -8s11
Situla (Urn) Zeta 14AQU09 8n47
Markab (Saddle) Alpha 28AQU45 19n25
Algenib (Flank) Gamma 14PIS24 12n36






*The Sickle of Leo: Al Tarf, Al Genubi, Ras Alas, Al Sraph, Al Jabhad,
Al Gieba, Regulus (7 stars).



GREEK ALPHABET: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta,
Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, Nu, Xi, Omicron, Pi, Rho, Sigma, Tau, Upsilon,
Phi, Chi, Psi, Omega.




METEORIC SHOWERS (3/56 "Solunars")

Andromedids Best Visibility AUG 1 15ARI57 30n11
Perids AUG 11 7TAU24 37n51
Orionids OCT 19 4GEM04 -8s25
Geminids DEC 12 25GEM41 10n07
Leonids NOV 15 2LEO17 9n51
Quadranids JAN 3 26VIR25 65n11
Lyrids APR 21 7SAG32 56n28
Herculids APR 21 11SAG29 48n23




TAIL STARS: El Nath (Butting One) 27TAU50); Pollux 28GEM30; Denebola
(Lion's Tail) 26LEO52; Spica (Mooring Peg) 29VIR06; Lesath (the
Sting) 29SCO16; Deneb Algedi (Goat's Tail).


Compiled from Cyril Fagan's Symbolism of the Star Constellations and
"Solunars", Omega Associates Sidereal Ephemeris, Vivian E. Robson's
Fixed Stars & Constellations in Astrology, & others.
* * *

QUINDECIMUS ORB-ASPECTS, SECTION III:
Theory and Development, A Summary

Generally, my interest in aspects came from a need to understand
which planet or planets would be the most significant in natal
psychology, and also in transiting aspects in return charts. The
complexity more than doubles when figuring aspects in combined natal
and transiting charts. Specifically, I became interested in the key
aspects when working with the Synodic Lunar Return of 29.5306 days
(once called the "Solunar" Return) which charts the repetition each
month of the Moon phase that existed at birth. The synodic cycle is
the complete Moon cycle from new moon to new moon, as distinct from the
sidereal Moon cycle of 27.3217 days around the 360 degree zodiac.
I did not arrive at the simple clarity of the Quindecimus Orb-
Aspects system neatly. It required many stops and starts and much
research since the mid-1970's to understand the basic mechanism
involved and to piece together the tables. The concept of the Synodic
Cycle of the Moon's phases both inspired and enlightened me--the
conceptual framework of the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects is that of a cycle.
Considering that the 29.5 day Synodic Cycle from New Moon to New Moon
is the most immediate and dynamic cycle (next to the 24 hour day) that
we experience, it represents the best archetypal model for
understanding aspects in a cycle. Orb-Aspects combine a functional orb
with an understanding of aspects as occurring in a cycle having
distinct peaks and troughs.

As previously mentioned, the idea of 15 degree aspects as the basic
unit of aspects is not new, although to many, the Quindecimus
Orb-Aspects will seem revolutionary in that it provides an excellent
key to what is most important in one's chart. Mention can be made of
several astrologers who considered 15 degree aspects.
C.E.O. Carter, a noted English Astrologer of Fagan's generation,
addressed the idea of 15 degree aspects (as in The Astrological
Aspects, The Foundations of Astrology). However, Carter was involved
in describing aspects as if they had inherent meanings in themselves,
rather than considering the inherent meanings of the planets that were
related by aspect. In The Foundations of Astrology 9, Carter did not
specifically consider 15 aspects beyond the semi-square (45) and
sesqui-square (135) although he said believed that they existed and had
a theory for their quality ("frictional") based on what signs they
occurred in. Carter's thinking was not only typical, he was known as
one of the greatest astrologers of his day.
Edward Johndro's Theory of Planetary Aspects Per Se (by Al H.
Morrison, published by the AFA, August 1972) is noteworthy in that
Johndro thought that 15 degree aspects were based of the hour angle,
i.e., that the Earth turns 15 degrees of longitude on its axis in an
hour. In that Johndro's focus was to the mundane angles and location,
this astronomical unit would be an obvious one. Although Johndro's
stated concept of functional orb is 7-1/2 degrees (which is half of 15
degrees and if you go past that you are into the next aspect). He
limits that by saying that from 5 degrees orb on, the aspect is
unimportant in terms of results, being 11% and less. His table showing
percent of effectiveness lists 3-1/2 degrees at 28.5 % effectiveness,
and he states that at 2 degrees of orb (54% effectiveness), the aspect
is increasingly important for results. Johndro's graph and tables
showing the relative power of aspects is based on Newton's law of
inverse squares. As the orb decreases by half degrees from 0 to 3.5
degrees, the percentage effectiveness decreases by 13%, 12%, 11%, 10%,
10%, 8%, and 7.5%. However, Johndro too falls into the trap of trying
to delineate each aspect as being of a certain kind and having a
quality regardless of the planets involved. And Johndro had an
extraordinary mind.
Garth Allen to the rescue! Among his many other contributions to
sidereal astrology, Garth Allen liberated siderealists from the
quagmire of kinds of aspects with his 'stronger and weaker' concept of
aspects. One may particularly recall his witty and provocative
statement regarding transits that the difference between a trine of
Mars and a square of Mars is only the size of the bandage. In "Many
Things," May 1972 American Astrology, Allen says, "One of the basic
reasons astrology fell into disrepute, as human knowledge expanded over
recent centuries, was the coming into vogue of the concept of two basic
categories of aspect: the good and the bad....In many delineations it
makes very little difference in 'quality' (although a lot in
'quantity') if a linkage between two planets is via a trine or a
square. The square is much more intense and energetic than the trine.
The quality or "nature" or an aspects depends on the kinds of influence
being blended. Mere membership in a grand trine or a T-cross imparts
precious little practical information: look to 'the planets' comprising
the pattern."

I came upon the idea of 15 degree aspects in the mid-1970's through
Edward R. Dewey's CYCLES The Mysterious Forces That Trigger Events
(p. 182). Dewey reported that John H. Nelson discovered a connection
between radio communication and the angular relationship between the
planets. He gave the explanation from a heliocentric viewpoint: "If at
any instant any three or more planets are so situated that the angular
relationship between the lines connecting them and the Sun is 15
DEGREES OR SOME MULTIPLE OF 15 DEGREES, the quality of radio
propagation will be affected, provided one of the angles is 60 degrees,
90 degrees, 120 degrees or 180 degrees. For important disturbances
there must also be at least two fast-moving planets and one or more
slow-moving planets involved in the configuration....The fastest moving
planet is looked upon as the "trigger" planet. It's as simple as
that..."
Mainly Nelson found he could predict magnetic storms which disrupt
radio communication worldwide by the angular relationship between the
planets using 15 DEGREE ASPECTS. Nelson's book is called Cosmic
Patterns: Their Influence on Man and His Communications. But the brief
report by Dewey immediately set me wondering since the 15 degree aspect
was functioning as a scientific principle in the universe, if it might
also be significant in astrological character delineation. I began to
list 15 degree aspects in charts, both natal and transiting and/or
return.
Starting with the known 30 degree aspects (0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150,
180) plus the also recognized 45 degree semi-square and 135 degree
sesqui-square, and just listing them in a graphic circular format
indicated the "missing aspects" (15, 75, 105, & 165). But which was
the MOST and the LEAST important?
Regarding aspects and particularly in return charts, the early
sidereal viewpoint as developed by siderealists Cyril Fagan and Garth
Allen was to emphasize the angular planets and especially the obvious
strongest aspects, conjunction, opposition and square. However, other
aspects are also obviously functional, and the question is - what are
the relative strengths? If the strongest are known, then it is only to
find the weakest and rate the others in between.

If I had read Garth Allen thoroughly sooner, it would have saved me
years of fumbling for the weakest aspect, but I arrived at the
conclusion before doing so. In several essays Allen says that the
semi-square (45) and sesqui-square (135) are the degrees of 'least
relatedness' from an astronomical point of view (July 1968 "Crashing
the Atmospheric Science Barrier," American Astrology). "It is shown in
tidal theory, for instance, that when the Sun or Moon is directly over
a point on the Earth's surface, and the other luminary is at right
angles to the zenith body, hence overhead at a point 90 degrees away,
the point undergoing the greatest 'horizontal' tidal stress is not
under either of the luminaries but rather halfway between. The two
points under the Sun and Moon are under vertical stress, but the
greatest "side pull" is felt at places 45 degrees between." Garth
Allen intuitively dealt with aspects as part of a cycle, but he did not
look at that directly for many years. His model was more mathematical
than cyclical.
Ironically, what seems to have been missing from understanding
aspects is simply the concept of a CYCLE. In April 1974
"Perspectives" before his death, Allen says, "For years, nay, even
decades, yours truly had labored under the assumption that horoscopic
intensities were basically 'sinusoidal' or rounded-wavelike in nature,
in the familiar manner of sine waves. They aren't, though, and we
should have realized this much earlier than was the case. Astrological
amplitudes, we now know, are 'cycloidal' in action--they build up
increasingly to their peak, which is sharply pointed and not domed. In
mathematics, by the way, a perfect cycloidal curve is etched in space
by a point on the rim of a rotating wheel; a good demonstration of this
effect would be to roll a wheel bearing a tiny point of light across
the floor of a dark room--the movement of the light is cycloidal. Both
aspect and mundane-position amplitudes behave in this same fashion,
reaching their crests as points in space and time."

Another step in my understanding aspect strength came from 'tides'
which are created by the Moon; tides show the most obvious effect in
terms of peaks and troughs. Specifically the question: which were the
strongest aspects among those 3 already reputed to be strongest
(conjunctions, oppositions, and squares)? Generally, new and full
moons are respectively conjunctions and oppositions wherein HIGH tides
occur. And Quarter moons are square aspects wherein LOW tides occur.
Squares, literally a 90 degree geometric relationship, are of a
different effect than the direct alignment of force in Conjunctions and
Oppositions, in that squares pull as far away from the direct alignment
as possible. Even though quarter moons (squares) produce low tides,
the force of tides going out is not less than tides coming in. To
simplify, Sun-Moon squares may be considered equal in strength, but
pulling in another direction. The point of no force, Allen's 'least
relatedness,' where the tides is neither high nor low occurs midway
between the strongest aspects at 45 and 135 degrees.
Of course tides are more complex than just the phases alone would
indicate involving many factors, such as the rotation of the Earth in
relation to the Moon, the (synodic) Moon cycle and phases, the season,
and the orbit distance of the Moon from the Earth. The following is
from Astronomy Made Simple, by Meir H. Degani, the chapter "Ocean Tides
on Earth."
"The surface of the ocean rises and falls at any given place
at more or less regular intervals. On an average, the period
between two successive high tides is 12 hours and 25.5 minutes--
exactly one-half the time it takes the moon to complete the
circuit about the earth, i.e., one-half of 24 hours and 51 minutes.
This is not a a coincidence: the ocean tides are caused primarily
by the moon's gravitational pull, an effect to which the sun
contributes. The tides travel with the apparent motion of the
moon, from the eastern horizon toward the western horizon of the
observer. Except for lags due to secondary effects, HIGH TIDE at
any place on the earth occurs when the moon is at the local meridian
or at the anti-meridian [MC-IC].
The effect of the sun on tides is secondary to that of the
moon--the ratio of the tide-raising force of the sun is only
about 7% that of the moon-due to its much greater distance.
When the tide-raising forces of the moon and the sun
coordinate, the resulting tides are at a maximum--i.e., at NEW
MOON, when the two are at the same side of the earth. MAXIMUM
tides are known as Spring Tides. The other extreme is reached
when the moon is at 90 degrees to the sun--the tides are then at
MINIMUM, and are known as Neap Tides.
The moon's closeness also has an influence on the magnitude of
the tide. When the moon is at perigee, the tide-raising force is
greater than normal by some 20%"

The other half of the problem is the problem of orbs. How do orbs
work? As early as September 1957 in American Astrology, Allen states
that aspects are not linear, that 1d20' is not twice as strong as
2d40'. A practical question: for instance, if there is an opposition
to the SUN of 3 degrees, is that stronger than an exact sextile? Garth
Allen, who had considerable astronomical expertise and astrological
experience in doing statistical studies, flatly said that if an aspect
didn't happen in 2-1/2 degrees, it wasn't happening. Obviously an
exact (partile) orb is the strongest. Thus 2.5 degrees must be
considered as a limit in an inclusive orb. Both Allen's work and
Johndro's orb tables were influential in developing the Orb-Aspects
tables.
Perhaps because some astrologers allowed 10 degree orbs,
siderealists incorporated some necessary mental prohibitions against
too wide and too many aspects. Fagan made a great point of noting that
the diameter of Sun and Moon was about 1/2 degree, so that 10 degrees
would equal 20 full Moon's across the sky. If you were on a rocket to
the Moon and missed by even half a Moon, you'd be way out in space.
Also Fagan worked to eliminate horary methods from genealithical or
natal astrology, to restore basic methods of delineation which we now
take for granted.
While calling for reasonable orbs and aspects, Fagan still continued
his search for that telling aspect under the concept of 'kinds' of
charts as divided into 'accidents' (as theoretically indicated by
return charts) and 'incidents' (acts of self as indicated by various
progressions). Through the years Fagan was continuously experimenting
with various types of progressions and returns, and this is greatly to
his credit. Fagan's thinking revolutionized almost every facet of
astrology.
Fagan has a very interesting essay on a scientific orb of the Sun as
discovered by astronomical work with Radio Stars.

Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," A.A. ll/61
Conjunctions with Radio Stars
"To his surprise the present writer found that if a natal
planet is in conjunction with a radio star, especially if the
latter is near the ecliptic, the natal planet is stimulated into
activity to an extraordinary degree, even it if is situated in the
remote background of the natal theme....For our present purpose,
the most interesting of the radio stars is a nebula in our galaxy
known, because of its appearance, as the "Crab," and which appears
to be identical with the supernova discovered by the Chinese in
A.D. 1054. Since its sidereal longitude is Taurus 29d21' and its
latitude is S. 01d17.5', it is very close to the ecliptic, and
capable of being occulted by the Moon and all the planets....The
Sun forms its conjunction with the "Crab" about June 14th of every
year.
Radio-astronomers have discovered that about June 10th the
radiations from this nebula begin to diminish, disappearing about
June 13th to June 15th and not again attaining maximum intensity
until June 18th. Bearing in mind that the Sun's apparent diameter
is only 1/2 of a degree or one solar radius, this is remarkable,
more especially as the "Crab" can never be occulted (completely
covered) by the Sun, as the former is 1d17.5' below the
ecliptic....This experiment proves that radiations from the "Crab"
got caught and diffused in the Sun's corona, which appears to
extend at least 4 degrees to the west of the Sun itself and about
3 degrees to the east of it....But these estimates are open to
correction as our knowledge increases."

Later, his writing (specifically November 1966 "Solunars"), Fagan
suggested the model of the 5 degree PENTAD for functional orb: "The
classical orb is, or course, the pentade, or a distance of 5 degrees
east and west of exactitude. In Egyptian astronomy the determinative
for a pentade was a simple five-pointed star, and for decan (decanate)
the device of two such stars. As the degree was considered the atom or
unit of astrological measurements, so was the pentade considered its
molecule. In this respect it is worth noting that the Egyptian week
only consisted of five days, conforming to the five digits." With more
accurate present day timing, one can easily consider a 5 degrees total
orb with 2.5 degrees on each side of the aspect, "east and west of
exactitude" although Fagan did not do so.
Fagan took a last ditch chance before he died on the Noviens as a
means to define aspects. Early on Fagan examined the Hindu navamsa
chart, whose purpose he described as only an aspectarian, NOT a micro-
zodiac. He says "the Navamsa longitude is found by multiplying the
sidereal longitude of the Moon or any planet by nine and expunging from
the product 360 degrees and all multiples thereof." In April 1960
"Solunars" Fagan says, "If it [navamsa] is analyzed deeply it will be
found that it is nothing else by an 'aspectarian' where every decanate
forms a major aspect and where major and minor configurations are
glorified into conjunctions, oppositions and squares, allowing even
less than one degree of the natal chart as the 'orb of influence.' Thus
if the Sun and Moon in the natal chart form a partile (exact) trine
aspect they will appear in the navamsa chart as being in precise
conjunction."
In the Noviens, why "9" is significant as a multiplier is not clear.
Nine may have its mystic properties, but it has nothing to do with
astronomical positions and cycles. Also, according to Fagan, this
system would make 10 the basic unit of aspect. Nor is it clear what
benefit there is in the Novien by every aspect being reduced to
conjunctions, oppositions, or squares, except to eliminate thinking
about the other aspects. Further, if the navamsa was only an ecliptic
aspectarian, it could have no relevance to the angles, nor to
interpretation in the constellations. Yet to 'chart it out' one had to
include some kind of framework, and so the Moon was placed on the M.C.
or the ASC, and the rest of the planets followed in an equal house
mode. Toward the end of his life, Fagan decided to begin the Navamsas
with 0 Taurus and call it the Novien and to include it in the book he
was writing. Then, Fagan proceeded to interpret it in terms of the
constellations and/or on angles, which would both be non-existent in a
strictly numerical system no longer related to anything astronomical.
If Fagan had lived longer, he may have had time to research it further.
But there is nothing in the theory to recommend the Novien, no matter
where it begins. Nor are the results consistent in interpretation.

Neither did Garth Allen live long enough to finish presenting the
numerical framework or even work with his system of aspects. In April
1974 "Perspectives in the Sidereal," American Astrology, Allen
presented tables for the "Intensity of Mundane Position (Argument:
Distance in Arc from Angular Cusp)," and for the "Intensity of Aspect
Relationship (Argument: Distance in Arc between Two Points)." The
aspects incorporated every degree from 1 to 180, and these were
assigned a numerical percentage value, but not an orb. Allen says,
"Table 2 has for its argument the distance in arc between any two
planets or points, i.e., their longitudinal differences being anywhere
between 0d00' and 180d00'. In this layout the maximum value is also
3.00, the weakest being 0.00 (in theory but not in actual practice, as
a study of the lowest tablular value 0.25, will make plain). The
multiplication of the two values obtained for each planetary pair, with
a maximum of 27.00 will provide an index figure which gives a
scientifically reasonable rating of the importance of the configuration
being dealt with. All 45 possible planetary pairs can be handled with
relative ease and rapidity using these tables as printed in their
simplified form." In this last, Allen overestimated the ability of
most astrologers. His mathematical formula is listed in his article.
In order to suggest Allen's intent, I quote from Gary Duncan's "Some
Historical Notes" published in The Constellations, August 1975.

"After the conclusion of the 1972 Dallas AFA Convention, this
writer flew to Tucson to meet with Bradley. A backlog of topics had
mounted since our last visit, and telephone conversations simply
were not adequate to resolve certain matters. At my insistance, we
attempted to resolve a matter which had it origins in conversations
dating back to 1951 in Long Beach. The problem was to select
suitable "potential" functions for both propinquity of planets to
angles of a chart and for mutual aspects. Earlier attempts toward
this end include the work of Bradley (Garth Allen) incorporated in
his Stock Market Prediction. At the 1972 meeting, neither of us was
aware of a paper entitled "Johndro's Theory of Planetary Rulerships
of Aspects per se" by Al Morrison, published by the AFA in August
1972, which dealt with this subject in a similar manner. While
eating pizza in a Spanish cafe, we hammered out the basic
mathematical formulation which would serve as the initial model for
this numerical approach to a perplexing problem.
Neither of us could rest with the continued use of the
"foreground-middleground-background" terminology. This
classification was at best qualitative rather than quantitative in
its nature. It provided for a continuation of the absurd use of
"orbs of influence" which neither of us had seriously used since
before 1950. Although the terminology of such "orbs" does not die
easily, and all of us are guilty of an occasional accidental slip--
or the deliberate invocation in order to effect a particular
communication with an audience--it certainly cannot be correct.
Nature simply doesn't operate that way.
We readily submit that our first model may well be in error, but
it is presented as our best guess based on many years of experience.
It was agreed at our meeting that the final presentation of the
model would be scaled so as to vary between 100% and 1%, not zero.
Sometime later, Bradley, knowing that death was near, hastened to
publish a preliminary version of the potential function in tabular
form in American Astrology, the 1974 April issue. Unfortunately,
the final scaling was not included."


Allen's rating for the 15 degree aspects could be listed thus:

0 & 180 = 3.00
15 & 165 = .79
30 & 150 = 1.13
45 & 135 = .29
60 & 120 = 2.13
75 & 105 = .79
90 = 2.00

Thus the differences and similarities with the Quindecimus Orb-Aspects
can be seen in the rating of the power of different aspects. In both,
the 45 & 135 in both are rated lowest. In both, the 15, 165, 75, & 105
are rated the same. However, Allen's mathematical formula gives 90
degrees lesser rating than the 0 & 180 degrees, and also gives the 30 &
150 degrees a lesser rating than the 60 and 120 degrees. The main
difference is that the Quindecimus rates the 0 & 180 equal to the 90
degrees. My understanding of those aspects is not based strictly on a
mathematical formula but comes from where the aspects occur in the
cycle, and additionally, whether that concept works in terms of
describing the strongest qualities in one's psychology.

And so finally, the problem in any orb-aspect system is rating the
combined aspect and orb together. I did not sit down and finalize the
tables until fall of 1987 when I was very ill and had to physically
restrict movement. I had about 70 to 100 charts of folk I have met
through the years, whose data I felt confident of, and for whom I had
notes and delineation. These I used to figure and refigure their
aspects with various rating systems until I developed a rating scale
which was pragmatically descriptive of the persons according to their
own comments and mine. Along the way I experimented with various
rating scales based on different possible weakest and strongest
aspects. That included valuing 90 degrees less than the 0 & 180. And
it may be that 90 degrees could be rated less by one point in the
Quindecimus scale, and I solicit feedback in this regard. Although the
rating scale can be further refined, I submit it as it is, with the
hope of future correction. The proof is in the pudding - in this case,
the delineation, and as shown in Section II, it's a very good guide.
A friend told me that if I could get the idea of the Quindecimus
Orb-Aspects down in print and published, it would likely be an instant
classic. Two recommendations: 1> Take the Quindecimus Orb-Aspect
concept and tables and fly with them. They greatly clarify chart
delineation. 2> Don't get locked into the tables. The concept is the
important thing.

A few more notes on the significance of the 15 degree aspect.
15 degrees is a basic unit in an astromical measure that was important
in ancient astrology\astronomy. Rupert Gleadow in The Origin of the
Zodiac points out that the ancient Babylonians measured time
synodically by the amount of the Moon's light, and that the elongation
of the Moon from the Sun required for the Moon to be visible after the
astronomical conjunction was about 15 DEGREES. And it was the First
Light of the Moon on the horizon after sunset, as well as the other
planets, which were used as the significant markers of cycles. [See
file called FIRSTLIGHT] The appearance and disappearance of the
planets from the night sky as they approached the Sun were called their
heliacal (hypsomatic) positions. This phenomena was invested with
great importance as the planets were considered archetypal gods and
goddesses.
In reference to the heliacal planetary positions, i.e., those rising
and setting near the Sun (Sun=helios=heliacal), Gleadow speaks of the
15 degrees on either side of the Sun as being that area wherein the
planets are invisible, hiding, just like the those 2 to 3 days each
month when the Moon is dark near the astronomical new moon. When any
planet was 15 degrees from the Sun, the planet was likely disappearing
and/or reappearing on the horizon after sunset or before sunrise.
The heliacal phenomena are connected with the Exaltations, which
have come down to us as representing certain areas in the Sidereal
Zodiac where particular planets have a special influence - Sun exalted
in 19 Aries, Moon in 3 Taurus, Mercury in 15 Virgo, Venus in 27 Pisces,
Mars in 28 Capricorn, Jupiter in 15 Cancer, Saturn in 21 Libra. These
Exaltation degrees would certainly require centuries for a even
sophisticated culture to understand and note astronomically. It was
Fagan's greatest discovery to track the only historical source of the
Exaltations. They were celebrated and recorded in 786 B.C., when Nabu,
the great Babylonian god of astrology was installed in his new temple
at Neneveh during the reign of Adad-Nirari III (809-782 B.C.). That
year was significant astronomically because all the planets were at
some time ALL in the exaltation degrees, during their heliacal
disappearance or re-appearance from the night skies. That absolutely
unique and almost impossible phenomena will not, can not be repeated in
millennia.
Fagan's archaeo-astronomical research not only established the year
when the Exaltations were commemorated, and what the Exaltation were
(i.e., that they were heliacal phenomena), but also established that
they were in the sidereal zodiac. This discovery alone should have
established Fagan as the most original and important astrologer of
centuries. Fagan's May 1956 "Solunars" and others give a summary of
the Exaltations (or Hypsomata) discovery, as do his books, Zodiacs old
and New, and Astrological Origins.
* * * * * * *
End of Section III

[Jim Eshelman]

[HOUSES] HOUSES??? by Kay Cavender. An esssential focus: the
angles may be considered analogous to the 4 main times of day, sunrise,
sunset, midday & midnight, and also (under certain conditions)
indicative of the 4 directions, east/west, south/north, and the 4
seasons. Plus an essay on the Foreground, Middleground, & Background
of a chart which may be authored by Garth Allen who was writing for
American Astrology at that time (1972). See also related file
[WATCHES].
* * *

HOUSES ???
...The Sun Also Rises...Or Not!
Kay Cavender

Consider what is being represented, and with a few key definitions,
one can figure "houses" - out. First, look at where the Sun rises on
the eastern horizon, attains maximum altitude at noon, and sets on the
western horizon. Imagine tracing a line behind the Sun's apparent path
in the sky (actually the Earth's orbit around the Sun) and that line
will represent the ecliptic, the backbone of the zodiac. How much of
the ecliptic that is seen above the horizon varies with latitude and
season. Generally, the Sun's path at the equator (0 latitude) is
overhead. But the higher the latitude north or south, the lower the
Sun's path in the sky. In winter also, the Sun's path is lower in the
southern sky if you are in a northern latitude.
To simplify definitions: the east sunrise position can be thought
of as the ASCendant, though the ASC is specifically the eclilptic
intersection of the horizon, likewise, the west sunset position can be
thought of as the DSCendant. South/Noon is the midheaven(MC), and
north/midnight(IC), the lowest point of the Sun relative to observer
(below horizon).
To restate, the power times of day are derived from the Earth's
ROTATION in relation to the Sun giving the cusps or ANGLES: east
horizon-ASC(sunrise), south sky-MC(noon), west horizon-DSC(sunset), and
north sky-IC(midnight), which were anciently and are yet Centers of
day"time". Inconsistent with this time division, "houses" are an
attempt to 'spacially' divide up a 24 hour day's 'time' view of the
ecliptic for 'interpretation.' Furthermore, "house" interpretation
refers more to OTHER persons & situations in one's life rather than
one's OWN energies, or to externals rather than one's own character.
The inappropriate House divisions on paper belie not only the
experienced reality of the sky, but particularly of the self.
In addition to the House interpretation itself, another obvious
problem is in considering cusps/angles as 'boundaries' of house
divisions rather than as centers of a division: noon is not 'Career'
at 11:59am (in the 10th House) and 'Travel & Higher Mind' at l2:01pm
(in the 9th House). Neither is sunrise one's personality below the
horizon (1st House), and death, sorrows & enemies above the horizon 2
minutes later (12th House). Dawn's first light above the horizon is
clearly the time of waking up and coming to life, not to death.
Compounding these problems even more, there are more house
calculation systems (over 50 and counting) than there are ways to leave
a lover. Too many methods produce over-lapping space and leave in
doubt just where a planet is thus confusing interpretation - EVEN if
one could accept that Midnight, when people are generally sleeping and
dreaming, "means" education, communication & neighbors at 12:01 am (3rd
house), and home & mother at 11:59 pm (4th house). And Sunset/DSC, the
twilight time, is not your Lover unless you've had a total eclipse of
your Mercury.
Sidereal (star constellation) founder and pioneer astrologers Fagan
and Firebrace declared themselves agnostic as to what Houses "mean" in
their 1965 PRIMER of SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY. Some years later, Fagan
introduced the ancient 8-fold WATCH division of the day with
CUSPS/angles AS CENTERS. The Watches are NUMBERED CLOCKWISE IN THE
ORDER IN WHICH WE EXPERIENCE A DAY because the angles are derived from
the 24 hour rotation of Earth in a day! The 12-fold division of Houses
numbered counterclockwise is a medieval concept literally; the day was
divided into 12 sectors to coincide with the 12 constellations rather
than the mundane sphere.
But follow further...North by Alaska...to the LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT
SUN! (By now someone should be saying "Uh Oh Ologee!") Certainly
advanced math helps to deal with the 3 interlocking systems in
spherical astronomy, the Ecliptic, Equatorial & Horizon Systems.
But common sense will do. Just consider that 'way up north' (or way
down south) for a good half of the year, the Sun does NOT rise above
the horizon! Therefore, no Sun, hence no ecliptic is visible to
divide, so NO-o-o-o HOUSES of any number are possible! You can't
divide what isn't there. I.E., House divisions do not work as a
mathematical construct in high north or south latitudes; and if they
aren't there, they can't work as an interpretational construct. Yet
people continue to be born in those higher latitudes withhout regard
for house systems... As I have heard even tropical astrologers say
that their interpretation is based on "Houses," they dare not consider
these simple facts or the basis of their astrological understanding
would be demolished.
Yet and still, there is an inner consistency to time division
interpretation of the Earth's day, without particular reference to the
ecliptic. To consider the TIMES OF DAY represented as the
ANGLES/CUSPS, imagine taking a camping trip when no electricity or
modern technology existed, when humankind had to live within the
confines of day and night. An intuitive grasp of dawn(ASC),
midday(MC), dusk(DSC), & midnight(IC) (or generally east, south, west,
& north) can be pursued by considering a day's activities through the
seasons. Dawn's first light warms us to new energy stirring, waking,
moving, preparing oneself to go forth for the day; dusk indicates a
need to summarize, to settle in, to gather food & shelter & protection
for the night's rest. Midday is the peak of all the day's activity -
the externals of work, commerce, communication; midnight is the peak of
internal personal consciousness, sleep, dreams, vision. The archetypes
of Day and Night are so deeply a part of us that we perceive and
respond to them on a cellular level. Allowing our minds the common
sense awareness of that frees us to have a much expanded understanding.
So when opening any astrological text with a section on "Houses,"
save yourself the precious time of day and leave it fast! in any one of
50 ways: Dump it out the back, Jack! Lose it on the bus, Gus! We
don't have to discuss much - just get yourself free! Yes, I do mean
free of the book - and the "houses," the mainstay of tropical astrology
without which there isn't much...
* * * *


P>S> I find much merit in siderealist Kenneth Irving's most
excellent presentation 2/93 American Astrology involving Gauquelin's
research on angles (his essays continue in several issues), wherein
Irving suggests "the east half of chart...more personal or self-
assertive, the western more social or other directed, the upper half
more objective or extraverted, and lower half more subjective or
introverted." This is beautifully consistent with the archetypal times
of day.


P>S> Regarding those excellent tools, locational maps (viz. Jim
Lewis' AstroCartoGraphy) which graph the angularity of the Sun and
planets over the whole Earth at one's birth in terms of position by MC,
IC, ASC and DSC: the many lines at high North and South latitudes are a
problem of the graph. Those lines do NOT represent any of the
ecliptic-plane-Sun and planets seen at those latitudes, since for 6
months, nothing of the ecliptic-plane-Sun is seen! (ACG literature
does say that in the north the effects are lessened: "So many crossings
seem to dilute the effects of any one...")

* * * * * * * *


4/72 "Many Things," American Astrology
(Foreground, Middleground, Background)

The terms foreground, middleground and background are roughly
equivalent to the standard terms angular, succeedent, and cadent which
they often replace in order to prevent confusion. So many students,
owing to the faulty textbooks of the past, think of the 1st house, for
instance, as extending from the ascending degree down to the 2nd-house
cusp, that they might mistake what area is meant if a writer simply
used the word "angular" without qualification. The ascending degree or
1st-house CUSP is, however, the strongest point of a zone called the
1st house. As astrology's foremost authorities from Ptolemy to
Llewellyn George and later, have taught, any planet above the horizon
which is within orb of conjunction with the 1st house cusp is to be
read as a 1st-house occupant. Similarly, with other cusps. This is
because the cups are actually the focal points or centers of the house,
not their outside borders--in fact, the Greek word we translate to mean
"cusp" itself means "center."
Within the frame of reference of the prime vertical (the great East-
West circle engirdling the apparent celestial sphere at the place of
birth), the term foreground refers to the zone that lies 15 degrees
either way from the angular cusps of the Ascendant, Descendant,
Midheaven and Nadir. The smaller zones that lie within the orb of
conjunction with the cusp, say in the order of 5 or 7-1/2 degrees, are
collectively called "the immediate foreground." Naturally, the closer
to the cusp itself, the stronger and more immediate it is. The
middleground is the four 30 degree lunes centering on the 2nd, 5th,
8th, and llth house cusps. The background is made up of the zones
centering on the cadent cusps. The usage of these terms is mainly for
convenience in general description. Planetary influences are at their
peak in the centers of the foreground houses, weakest in the background
houses. The importance of this basic doctrine was generally lost sight
of in modern times when authors of books and articles felt it advisable
to give about the same number of words to each house in their list of
delineative paragraphs, unwittingly misleading students to assume that
each of the houses is equally important, which cannot possibly be the
case. Statistical studies that we and others have published in the
past reveal very clearly that this age-old tenet of the primacy of the
foreground house is astrology's key premise.
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[WATCHES] Excerpts from Cyril Fagan's ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS on the
"Octoscope" (the 8-fold watches) which represent his final research and
years of thinking on the "time" divisions of the 24-hour Earth Day (as
opposed to the spacial division in "Houses"). Plus references to other
articles on HOUSES, WATCHES, and MELOTHESIA by Fagan from the DRIES'
INDEX TO FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS" as published in American Astrology 1953-
1970. See also related file [HOUSES].
* * *

Cyril Fagan, ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS, 1971
THE OCTOSCOPE (OKTOTOPOS)
Every student of astrology knows that the modern horoscope form is
divided into twelve sectors numbered counterclockwise, commencing with
the Ascendant or cusp of the 1st house... on the eastern horizon. The
Greeks called such a scheme to Dodekotopos-dodeko meaning twelve and
topos meaning places. Moreover, the Greeks made it synchronize with
the signs of the zodiac, commencing with Aries 0 degrees,
notwithstanding the fact that the order of the houses runs from west to
east, whereas the signs of the zodiac run from east to west. Hence,
they are incompatible. One cannot pair off twelve signs and twelve
house when they run in opposite directions. Yet, this is precisely
what the tropicalists have attempted to do. Moreover, in the Arctic
and Antarctic circles where certain zodiacal signs never rise above the
horizon, while others never set below it, such a synchronization
collapses completely.
The Dodekotopos, which is the vogue today throughout the whole
astrological world, appears to have been culled from the hermetic
writing of Hermes Trismegitos, literally the "thrice greatest Thoth,"
and is supposed to be of Egyptian origin. But Thoth is the Egyptian
god of the Moon while Hermes is the Greek for Mercury; so the
Dodekotopos is, in fact, a Hellenic rendition of an Egyptian original,
which rendition violates at every point the archetypical fitness of
things. What appears to be the original, and hence authentic, scheme
of houses is described in the Greek Michigan Papyrus No. 149, probably
written by the pseudo-Manetho, born in A.D. 80, of which a translation
by the Greek scholar, Rupert Gleadow, appeared in the September and
October 1950 issues of American Astrology magazine. It is described in
the Astronomicon of Manilius who flourished in Rome during the reigns
of Emperors Augustus and Tiberius. (Manilii Astronomicon,
ed. A.E. Housman, London, Grant 1903-1930). Known as the Oktotopos-
okto meaning eight and topos, places-its comprises only eight houses
and these run clockwise, no attempt being made to make them tally with
the zodiacal signs.
In the original scheme of things, as conceived by the early
Egyptians, these so-called houses or places were not measures of space
at all but measures of time; a fact which modern astrological
mathematicians have utterly failed to grasp. So, instead of calling
them houses or spaces, for want of a better name we shall designate
them "watches." The immortal Imhotep, of Sothic fame, is credited with
having devised the Oktotopos. Naturally the arms of the mundane
crucifix, the framework of the chart, which defines the Ascendant, the
Midheaven, the descendant and the Anti-Midheaven (often erroneously
called the Nadir) is treated, and trigonometrically computed, as being
spacial. The division of the mundane sphere into succedent and cadent
lunes are also spacial. But in the matter of dominion, the Egyptians
treated these watches as measures of time, just conventional time as
ordinary people understand it.
For the sake of convenience and identification we shall synchronize
these eight watches with the local temporal hours of the day which most
people in antiquity were accustomed to using. Everybody knows that
except on the dates of the vernal equinoxes, the length of the day
never equals the length of the night. In summer, it is much longer and
in winter, shorter, so that the Sun rises and sets at different times
during the year. In the temporal scheme of things the length of the
hours and minutes are so proportioned that the Sun always rises at 6
a.m. and sets at 6 p.m., culminating at high noon - 12 p.m. - and
coming to the Anti-Midheaven at midnight - 12 a.m. As stated
elsewhere, these were the smedt, or middle points of their respective
watches, which ran as follows:
1st watch = 4:30 am to 7:30 am
2nd watch = 7:30 am to 10:30 am
3rd watch = 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
4th watch = 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
5th watch = 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm
6th watch = 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm
7th watch = 10:30 pm to 1:30 am
8th watch = 1:30 am to 4:30 am

In those places where the day began with sunset, the 1st watch would
tally with the temporal house of from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm and so on.
According to the custom of ancient times and of a people who inhabited
the sub-tropics, during the 1st watch, which was that of daybreak and
sunrise, all nature awoke to life and the people arose and prepared for
the activities of the coming day--hence they designated this watch
"life." During the hours of the 2nd watch, the people bartered their
ware and otherwise earned a livelihood, so they designated this watch
as that of "money." During the 3rd watch, which embraced midday when
the heat was at its greatest and so too hot to work, the people wended
their way home to rest or often took to their boats to enjoy the cool
or the waters, so this watch was designated that of "travel." During
the 4th watch parents were honored and entertained so this period was
designated that of "parents." During the 5th watch, that of sunset,
work ceased for day and everyone returned home to the family, so this
period was designated that of "children." During the 6th watch, the
aged and ailing were attended to and their needs supplied, so this
period was designated that of "illness." During the 7th watch,
people's homes were closed for the night and husbands and wives betook
themselves to bed so this period was designated that of "wife." The
8th and last watch was that of slumber and death, so it was recognized
as the "death" watch.
In their recent book on Sleep, Julius Segal and Gay Gaer Luce
observed that at 10 am, a man is very different to what he is at 4 pm
or at midnight. One of the obvious reasons is the daily temperature
which with great regularity rises during the day and falls at night,
dropping to its lowest point between the hours of 2 am and 5 am. This
is the time, they state, when nightworkers and railroad people have the
most accidents; the time when doctors receive the highest number of
calls reporting coronaries. In the Oktotopos, the hours from 2 am to 5
am cover the 8th watch--that of death--and so could hardly be more
appropriate. But in the Dodekotopos currently in use, the 8th house
tallies with the afternoon hours from 2 pm to 4 pm which are not
particularly noteworthy for mortality. With their passion for
schematism, the Greeks, in attempting to synchronize their tropical
zodiac with the eight places, or watches, increased their number by
four. This nonsensical brew has been accepted by astrologers both in
the occident and the orient for the past two thousand years or so, and
is reverenced as an article of faith that brooks no contradiction.
They see nothing incongruous in the fact that the 2nd house of the
Dodekotopos, that house holding dominion over the acquisition of money,
tallies with the hours from 2 am to 4 am when the vast majority of
mortals are deep in slumber; nor with the fact that the 7th house, that
of mating, tallies with the hours from 4 pm to 6 pm when most of us are
only finishing work for the day and wending our weary ways toward home.
Incidentally, do all the religious-minded attend church services
between thee hours of noon to 2 pm as the Dodekotopos would have us
believe? Or do some communities attend church early in the morning?
Of course they do, depending on the sect. Hence, it is pure nonsense
to decree that any house or watch is universally that of religion.
Should a community consistently attend religious services, say, between
the hours of 6 am and 7 am, then for them the 1st watch becomes also
that of religion. In short, according to the timing of their daily
customs, each nation, each community and each person decrees their own
watches and their own dominion.

In ancient times before the advent of ephemerides, the ascension of
the degree of the zodiac crossing the eastern horizon at any given
moment (Ascendant or Horoscope) was considered the most personal degree
in every chart and was observed by means of astrolabes or by similar
instruments.
The Foreground, Middleground and Background: When planets are in
close propinquity to the angles of any chart, they are said to be in
the foreground - the angles, hinges, or corners as they are often
called, being the points of the ecliptic that rise, culminate, set, and
also that point at the Anti-Meridian. Some astrologers call the point
that rises the East Point and that which sets the West point but this
is really quite erroneous. The point of the ecliptic that rises is
only due east when in conjunction with the vernal or with the autumnal
equinox, not otherwise; and it is due west when it sets in conjunction
with these equinoctial points.
But the point of the ecliptic that culminates is always due south in
the northern hemisphere while the opposite or midnight point is always
due north. In the southern hemisphere these orientations are reversed.
These angles constitute the middle and the strongest points of their
respective watches....This means that the Ascendant or Horoscope is the
center of the 1st watch of the Octotopos (or of the house); the
Midheaven is the center of the 3rd watch; the Descendant of the 5th
watch; and the Anti-Midheaven of the 7th watch....When planets are so
placed, they are in the foreground and at their maximum potency for
good or evil according to their individual nature. They overrule and
take precedence over all other planets, dominating and coloring the
life and character to the exclusion of all other influences....
Planets near the cusps or centers of the succedent watches are said
to be in the middleground. The succedent houses are those that follow
the angular ones reckoned counterclockwise. So placed, their influence
is less effective and not so obvious as those in the foreground.
Planets situated on the cusps of the cadent watches are said to be
in the background. The cadent watches those which follow the succedent
ones. So placed, their influence is dim, vague, remote, ineffective
and devoid of potency....
* * * *


DREIS' INDEX TO FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS" ("Solunars" as published 1953 to
1970 in American Astrology) references Cyril Fagan's following articles
on the evolution of his thought on HOUSES & WATCHES:

House Meanings: Oct/55 p.3,4,5; Nov/55 p.3,4,5; Jan/62 p.2,3,4,
5,6; Feb/62 whole article; (symbolism) Jun/66 p.5;
Houses: (mundane), Sep/53 p.2; Nov/55 p.4 (ancient horoscope);
Dec/55 p.4 (arrangement by season); Aug/56 p.1,2; Mar/67 p.1,2,3;

See also Jul/57 "Many Things" - More evidence in support of Fagan
from a letter on Irish Zodiac from Colin J. Robb.

Watches: Oct/68 p.5; Dec/69 whole article; Jan/70 whole article;
See also Sep & Oct/50 Translation of manuscripts by Rupert Gleadow as
basis of Fagan's presentation of Octoscope.

Octotopas: Aug/56 p.1,2; Jan/62 p.2.3,4,5,6; Feb/62#; Apr/67 p.5;
Feb/68 p.2.3,4; Jul/69 p.2; Oct/69 p.1; Dec/69 #; Jan/70 #;

A related topic, Melothesia, the correspondence of parts of body to
constellations and/or the mundane (time) sphere is also pertinant:
Melothesia: May/58 whole article: Aug/65 p.4 (achronychal man);
Sep/65 whole article (achronychal man), Mar/67 p.4; Feb/70 p.5,6
(Hindu);
* * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[GAUQUELN] What did Garth Allen and Cyril Fagan think of Michel
Gauquelin? A couple of 'in print' excerpts. Allen's comment on
Gauquelin's early failure to ask the pertinent research question
regarding constellation division. Fagan discusses Gauquelin's
statistical findings in reference to the traditional house meanings.
This was a factor in Fagan's thinking on the way to understanding the
8-fold Watches or Octoscope. Also note Fagan's insistence on
astronomically separating Houses (based on Horizon System parameters)
from the Ecliptic System. See file [WATCHES].
* * * *




Garth Allen, "Your Corner," 3/1960 A.A.
Birthdata Bonanza!

There aren't many things more maddening than to attempt translation
of portions of books printed in a language with which one is not all
acquainted. But bravely, with French-English dictionary in hand, this
yours truly tried with "Influence des Astres" by Paris psychologist
MICHEL GAUQUELIN. Though "The Influence of the Stars" was published in
1955, it was not until recently that we learned of the books' existence
through Rupert Gleadow, whose France-residing sister kindly sent this
department a copy. Purported to be a scientific work which
statistically disproves astrology, the book was something we were quite
naturally eager to inspect. Astro-statistics have long been our
province and we just couldn't believe that such a claim could be
substantiated, if it were genuinely scientific in its proofs.
As things turned out, however, Gauquelin has made some worth-while
contributions to astrological knowledge, partly through his analyses
but mainly through the tremendous catalog of authentic birthdata he
compiled and printed as an appendix to his book. That index of raw
material, giving recorded figures, for no less than 5,756 individuals,
grouped by vocation or behavior class, is a gold mine of possibilities
for the studious astrologer. For instance, of the 570 athletes for
which birthdata were collected, with the array broken down into
specific sports categories (skiing, basketball, billiards, acrobatics,
etc.), the names of most of France's athletic stars famed the world
over are included. There are Marcel Cerdan's and Georges Carpentier's
particulars in the boxing section, and so on--priceless data of
celebrated people. Other inclusions: 676 career militarists, 576
members of the Academy of Medicine, 906 artists, 500 actors, 349
scientists, 884 priests and prelates, and the like--no doubt the most
encompassing collection of reliable birthdata ever published between
two covers. Being a French researcher has it advantages, for France
has long made recording of birth hours mandatory in the public files.
Strangely enough, Gauquelin seems to have paid no attention whatever
to zodiacal distributions--in fact, he doesn't even bother to mention
the "signs" of the zodiac in connection with the vocational arrays.
This is a circumstance worth mulling over. While awaiting delivery of
the book, not knowing its contents, we had visions of tropical-zodiac
distributions used to "disprove astrology" and, quite automatically,
had hoped to use these very facts and figures to prove that it was not
astrology which had been debunked but one of its popularized concepts,
instead. Having been long familiar with "zodiacal distributions" and
knowing that scientific treatment invariably resulted in a triumph for
sidereal theory, we were hoping for such ammunition.
But the French psychologist completely skirted the issue and
restricted his study only to broad mundane distributions--the house and
area positions of the planets at birth rather than their ecliptic
placements and patterns. In a way, this is disappointing, but at least
now it cannot be said by astrologers that science has never fairly
given a study of timed charts adequate objective investigation.
Gauquelin's research has surely been complete enough, despite its many
shortcomings, to establish certain things and dethrone others.
He found, among other things, that there is a slight tendency for
the planets to group in angular houses for certain vocational types of
people--Saturn tends to be ascending at the births of physical
scientists. Mars tends to be rising when professional soldiers are
born, and the like. But on the whole, the distributions appear to be
random. It may sound like heresy to most readers to say this, but this
is good scientific astrology if not good popular astrology. This is
because the profession a man enters if for the most part incidental,
from the logical viewpoint. A birthchart, contrary to widespread
belief generated by fortune-telling frumps to whom logic appears
utterly subversive, cannot possibly point to specific careers. The
horoscope can reveal attitudes but not activities, capacities but not
achievements. It can show manual dexterity and artistic perceptions
but not whether a person is good at painting or sculpture. It can
reveal keen physical intelligence but not whether the native will
express this acumen through mechanics or sport. It can suggest to what
degree an individual is inner- or outer-directed, but never whether he
will become a recluse or a limelight-loving Babbitt.
Not the least of Gauquelin's contributions, then, is making this
unpopular but logical truth glaringly obvious. Those who don't like
facts, of course, will not like his book or the search for knowledge
that it truly represents, just as those to whom statistics is a dirty
word are most apt to uphold perverse magical concepts, and just as
those who carp against psychologists are most in need of therapy.
Human beings are strange creatures, indeed.
As for criticisms of Dr. Gauquelin's report, these occur to us in
such abundant numbers we hardly know where to begin. A good starter
would be to point out the sheer idiocy of his having employed the
layout of the sky in an arbitrary fashion. To confuse matters and
hence cause himself to miss out on something vital his own research had
to tell him, he adopted a silly division of the sky into eighteen
sectors. Consequently, it is hardly possible to discern from his
distribution tallies jut how many times a planet is within orb of at
least wide conjunction with the angular cusps. To protect himself from
appearing pro-astrology to his colleagues, Gauquelin even went so far
as to devise his own sector-numbering system. The first sector, for
example, covers the first twenty degrees above the eastern horizon, and
the numbering runs clockwise from there, toward the Midheaven in
twenty-degree stages, around to the Descendant, and so on. This is
utterly uncalled-for contrariness, not essentially different from the
sillinesses he accuses astrologers of committing.
The saddest shortcoming of all his effort, however, remains the
avoidance of the two issues of the zodiac and of aspects between the
planets. He finds that Mars is angular in abnormal numbers for both
physicians and military men, that there are almost twice as many
Jupiters at the Midheaven for actors than chance would tend to allow,
and that there are overdoses of Saturn (usually rising) for the staid
professions in contrast to the cadency of Saturn for the creative
professions. These findings alone should have spurred him on to
tabulating the differences between the groups in terms of aspect-
participation. Surely there would be a decided contrast between the
aspects involving the strong Saturns of priests and scientists, or
between those stimulating the Mars of doctors and soldiers. But no,
Gauquelin is not at this stage interested in anything save house
placements--and thereby cheats himself out of having authored a
milestone book in the history of scientific literature. The thought
occurs, on reflection, that such a sequel may already be in the making.
* * * *


NOTE: Fagan discusses Gauquelin's statistical findings in reference to
the traditional house meanings. This was a factor in Fagan's thinking
on the way to understanding the 8-fold Watches or Octoscope. See file
[watches].

Cyril Fagan, "Solunars", 5/1962 A.A.
Proof of the Pudding

According to astrological tradition, accepted by astrologers for
thousands of years, next to being precisely on the angular points,
planets in the angular houses exercise their maximum strength. Next in
order of strength were the succeedent houses (although in the middle of
these house were the famous inactive places) that is the 30 degrees
that succeeded the angular houses namely the 11th, 8th, 5th, and 2nd;
while the cadent houses, i.e., those that "fell away" from the angles,
were the 30 degrees of the mundane sphere that followed the succeedent
houses, namely the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12 houses.
In the clockwise enumeration the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses
become the angular houses, while the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses
become the cadent ones....

In his INFLUENCE DES ASTRES; ETUDE CRITIQUE ET EXPERIMENTALE,
Editions du Dauphin, Paris, he examines statistically (a) the transits,
at the time of death over the natal Sun and Moon in 7,482 cases; (b)
astral hereditary with respect to the luminaries in 1,873 cases and (c)
the ecliptical position (tropical, of course) of the planets for
painters, army generals, doctors, sportsmen, actors, criminals,
politicians and priests; the "samples" comprising 500 to 2000 cases.
The results of the investigation were negative and very damaging to the
cause of astrology.
Evidently finding that statistics in the tropical zodiac proved
consistently negative, in his THOSE WHO GUIDE US (Debresse Editions,
1946) the well-known French astrologer, Leon Lasson, approached the
problem from a different angle. Ignoring the zodiac, he decided to
investigate statistically the position of the planets in the mundane
sphere instead. He found Mars rising or culminating for 134
politicians; Venus for 190 artists, and Mercury for 209 actors and
writers, which statistically, was much more rewarding.
Gauquelin then resolved to verify this data and to his surprise they
were confirmed. In a group of medical academicians he found Saturn
present, shortly after the Midheaven and Ascendant in an abnormal way
(48 and 43 positions instead of the expected 32). He had the same
results with Mars for 570 sports champions; with Mars and Jupiter for
676 senior military officers; with Saturn for 349 prominent scientists
and for 884 priests from the same diocese.
As a result of some technical criticism among savants Gauquelin
produced his Method for the Study of the Distribution of the Planets in
the Diurnal Motion, where his previous findings were fully confirmed.
This was followed in 1960 by Les Hommes et les Astres coll. La Tour
Saint-Jacques ed. Denoel. In this work the same statistical approach
was extended to Western Germany, Belgium, Holland and Italy, where
times of birth are officially recorded, and Gauquelin obtained exactly
the same results. J. M. Faverage, Professor of Statistics at the
Sorbonne; E. Tornier, Honorary Professor of Probabilities Calculation
at Berlin University and J. Porte, Administrator at the National
Institute of statistics, Attache to the National Centre of Scientific
Research found it mathematically flawless.
In it Gauquelin examines no less than 25,000 birth dates. For 3142
military chiefs, Mars is found rising or culminating 634 times instead
of the expected frequency of 535. The probability against this being 1
in 100,000; for 993 political chiefs Jupiter rose and culminated 208
times instead of 164 times; probability against this being 1 in 5000
and for 1485 sports champions the rising and culminating of Mars
reached the probability of 1 in 5,000,000 against it happening by
chance!
While French astrologers rejoiced at these results so much in favor
of astrology, they were, nevertheless, deeply disturbed by Gauquelin's
circular graphs (which, unfortunately, cannot be reproduced in this
issue). All of them showed the peak of influence somewhere about the
middle of the 12th and 9th houses, and to a lesser extent, the 6th and
3rd houses, that is in the conventional cadent houses; while the
troughs fell about the middle of the so-called angular houses; namely
the 1st, 10th, 7th, and 4th, which was in flagrant contradiction to one
of their fundamental and most cherished astrological doctrines.
In this TRAITE PRATIQUE D' ASTROLOGIE (Editions du Seuil, 1961)
Andre Barbault suggests that the official time of birth may be later
than the actual time, but in 25,000 cases, this seems most unlikely.
Gauquelin's statistics also destroy the opinion held by Hindu
astrologers, and for many years shared by the present writer, namely
that the cusps of the houses are actually the centers of those houses.
An examination of Gauquelin's graphs dispels this notion immediately,
for the curve of ascent 'begins' at the angular points, reaching its
peak about the middle of the following house, reckoned clockwise.
According to Barbault, the actual statistical result shows that mean
field of strength is two thirds after and one third before the diurnal
passage of the angle. For further information on this subject see
Andre Barbault's article entitled A "Decisive Probability Test in
France" published in the Fall 1960 issue of IN SEARCH and a review of
Gauquelin's LES HOMMES ET LES ASTRES by Brigadier R. C. Firebrace in
THE ASTROLOGICAL JOURNAL, Sept. 1960. ...

Summing Up--
Gauquelin's statistics most admirably support our present thesis,
namely (a) that the zodiac and the mundane houses, which have been
uneasy bedmates for some 2,000 years, must be completely separated and
(b) that the mundane houses, beginning with the Ascendant (or if one
wishes, the Descendant, to bring it into line with the Egypto-
Babylonian astrology) must, as in the Oktotopos, be counted
'clockwise.'
In effect, this means that for every individual there will be two
natal charts, one that is exclusively zodiacal and counted
anticlockwise, and another that is exclusively mundane (in fact, a
revised version of the mundoscope) and reckoned clockwise. Numbered,
thus, the angular houses remain the 1st, 4th (meridian) 7th and 10th
and the cadent houses the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th. Admittedly this is
a complete revolution and a very inconvenient one for all of us,
necessitating that every astrologer must re-educate himself to accept
the change-over, demanded by historical and theoretical considerations
as well as by the hard facts of statistics. But if we are to interpret
our charts aright as well as keep abreast of the times, no other course
is left open to us.

[Jim Eshelman]

[LONGLIFE] Garth Allen's statisitic studies of 7,528 birth-death cases
with the Synodic Cycle (of 29.53 days) applied to an individual's
health and longevity have serious medical warnings for one's 23rd and
8th day. "...there was a mathematically abnormal relationship, in
synodical-month terms, built into the birth-death lunar distribution.
... The actual values, as hoped, sharpened the distribution's key
features and demonstrated that a significant number of eminent people
who died during the eight years 1943-1950 had passed away
preferentially with respect to fractional parts of a lunisolar cycle."
Also birth frequencies of eminent people, and Sun-Moon dexter sextiles
and the following day (75 degree aspect). The Sun's Earth Triplicities
(TAU, MIR, CAP) and the Moon's fixed Quadriplicities (TAU, SCO, LEO,
AQU) are statistically preferred longevity constellations - again (and
again) with peaks in the sidereal framework and not the tropical.
* * * *


Excerpts from Garth Allen's "New Horizons In Health Research,"
American Astrology, 11/1971.

...The work we'll give a rundown on now is, like others we have
publicly discussed of late, several years old. It is far from
completed, which is why we were hesitant to publish the key findings
until the entire project was all wrapped up. But because it looks as
though we'll never find the time to get around to resuming the effort
along this particular line, we decided to disclose the highlights of
results which can be put to immediate practical use by the progressive
student of astrology, despite the incompleteness of this learning
adventure undertaken some ten years ago.
In connection with an old study of correlation between the date of
birth and statistical longevity (length of lifetime, in blunter terms),
we had garnered the birth and death dates of every native American
whose biographical sketch appeared in Volume II of Who Was Who in
America, covering the necrology from 1943 through 1950. The purpose
was to compare the anomalies, if any, with a similar independent
collation of data from the subsequent Volume III, covering eminent
deaths from 1951 through 1960, and with the British equivalent source,
Who Was Who (in England), volume V, 1951-1960. As it happened, though
quite enthused by the discoveries from objective analysis of the first
source, we suspended the project while only one-third of the way
through the British volume, having so many other interesting irons in
the research fire in the meanwhile.
For the first source, upon which the present report is based, there
were just 7,528 entries for which the data were complete and the
birthplace within the United States. We were contrasting lunar and
solar distributions for the 1,500 eminent people who were the youngest
of the 7,528 when they passed away with the same story for the 1,500
who were the oldest of the lot. (In effect, these groups are the lower
and upper quintiles, or youngest 20% versus the oldest 20%, the more
exact number being 1,506 in each group.) The comparisons were
remarkable, of course, the internal variances being entirely a
derivative of divisions within the sidereal zodiac, and some time later
we shall again give our attention to this topic in print.
What was more intriguing and curiosity-tweaking, however, had to do
with the lunar factors involved in the sample as a whole. There was
more than just a Moon-phase association with the distribution of the
births in time; there was a mathematically abnormal relationship, in
synodical-month terms, built into the birth-death lunar distribution.
This had been first discovered in the initial program wherein the
length of each lifetime in civil days, obtained by subtracting the
Julian Day number of each birthday from each deathday, was divided by
23, 28, and 33 to see if the remainders behaved normally in terms of
probability. They did, which was no surprise to us. The November 1963
report to readers of this magazine concerning the theory of
"biorhythms" established the fallacy of that pseudoscientific cult; the
massive statistical assault we made using 7,528 cases merely verified
what we already knew from single-case and small-sample statistical
studies.
The compilation of 7,528 birth-death cases had paid off handsomely
in terms of fundamental truths about the astrology of longevity and the
unreality of a popular belief which was vying with astrology among the
gullible. But the real bonanza was found in the anomalous distribution
of the "remainders" when the length of the lifetime in days, for each
person, was divided by 27.3217 days (for multiples of the sidereal
month) and 29.5306 days (for multiples of the synodical lunar month).
These mean-value results were so fascinatingly different from what
should have been the case in terms of a null hypothesis against the
existence of lunar cycles in the data, we embarked upon an actual-value
treatment of each birth and death date, using the lunar positions in
the zodiac with respect to the Sun's longitude at Greenwich Mean noon
(equating roughly to 6 A.M. at the population center of the continental
U.S.). The actual values, as hoped, sharpened the distribution's key
features and demonstrated that a significant number of eminent people
who died during the eight years 1943-1950 had passed away
preferentially with respect to fractional parts of a lunisolar cycle.
The observed effect is admittedly a weak one, but of its reality
there can be no doubt, as can be so easily proved. But before
describing its nature and measure, let us put first things first and
discuss the lunar-month distribution of eminent births in and of
itself. Figure 1 shows how the 7,528 births were strewn throughout the
lunation.

Moon Phase Versus Birth Date
The fact that human reproductive functions correlate quite
definitely with lunar-time units has been rather well established by
nonastrological scientists. The most noteworthy research projects
along this line were the studies reported on by Walter Menaker, M.D.,
in 1959, and by Drs. J. R. Gibson and T. McKeown in 1952. Those and
other findings have shown the existence of both sidereal month (27.32
days) and synodic-month (29.53 days) periodicities in the phenomena of
menstruation, ovulation and length of pregnancy. For instance, based
on massive statistics culled from both American and British medical
records, the average duration of pregnancy, counting from the last
menstrual period, is 280.54 days--right on the nose, since exactly 9-
1/2 lunar months span the same interval (9.5 X 29.53 = 280.535).
It was Menaker's epic effort, a plotting of the dates of over half a
million births in New York City hospitals in terms of the lunar
calendar, which revealed a faint, though quite distinct, variation in
the frequencies of human births occurring throughout the lunar month.
Such research in the fascinating area of "biological clocks" was long
overdue. Astrologers, of course, were not surprised by the disclosures
themselves, but most of us were a bit disappointed that the magnitude
of the observed effects was not greater than it turned out to be.
After all, lunar periodicities have proved to be highly significant
units of biophysical time in myriads of connections ranging from tomato
plants and snails to oak trees and primates. To learn that the Moon's
pressures alter the overall birth rate by only a few percent at most
was something of a letdown to many devotees of astrology.
Such facts needn't be disappointing, however, when viewed in the
correct way, which is through the awareness that not eventuality or
condition is ever the result of a single influence. It is the
cumulative pressures of many factors, each by themselves quite weak,
which add up to the circumstance or state of affairs in question. In
practical astrology the same condition holds true. Very few of
eventualities of life, as reflected in the horoscope and its
sensitivity to progressions and transits, are the result of a single
configuration.
The Menaker curve for live births generally (irrespective of later
eminence of lack of it) is well enough known that those interested in
this sort of thing will note distinct differences in Figure 1, which
depicts the eminent population's preferred times of arrival. The
Menaker peak just prior to the date of the Full Moon is wholly absent;
instead this lunar date is one of the two abnormally low points on the/
graph. Just what this can mean will have to await comparison with the
British volume, to see if the trough is indeed a real feature
distinguishing superior citizens from the rank and file of the whole
populace. Our guess is that it is.
The second and third days after New Moon, and the first and second
days before Full Moon, are the two zones in which there is a shortage
of the births of eminent people--not a great many, percentagewise, but
enough to prove the presence of a lunisolar inhibiting factor. Do
people who are born at Full Moon or just prior thereto tend to have
lesser creative intellects? We've known too many talented achievers in
this category to allow ourselves to think it is a matter of a lunar-
phase influence on intelligence as such. It probably hs more to do
with either drive or emotional stability or perhaps a combination of
these attributes.
The greatest number of accomplished people were born with the Moon
and Sun in dexter sextile aspect and the day after. Again we do not
know for certain just what the astrological contribution may be, though
of course we all instinctively grasp for the standard "opportunity"
keyword of the sextile aspect, in addition to stereotypes about 3rd
solar houses and innately harmonious aspects, by way of an explanation.
But we look in vain, in the actual record, for evidence that the
sinister sextile is significantly represented. And the trines, alas
are both on the under-represented side. So until there are even more
massively compiled statistics than these, with reliable birth times,
we'll have to let matters stand as this graph indicates them to be.
The fact that Menaker's contrasting halves of the lunar month for the
whole population do not make themselves evident in the case of eminent
people suggests a very real modifying lunar-phase impact on the
distribution that should be taken into account by astrologers
evaluating horoscopes for any potential for worldly success and
recognition. Those Startling Residuals
As with much other research involving the Moon, we make liberal use
of the technique of dividing the lunar month into hundredths, an
especially useful convention for cases where the birth hour is unknown
and one has to assume a Noon value for convenience. Working with
degrees is more tedious and gives a resolution not necessarily superior
to the tactic of using divisions that are 3 degrees 36' wide.
Subtracting the synodic decimal of birth from the synodic decimal of
the date of death instantly provides a "synodic residual" which is a
figure telling what percent of one complete lunar month as elapsed
since the last integral number of whole months lived--in other words,
arriving at virtually the same figure, but a more accurate one, as that
obtained through breakdown of the total number of days lived by the
divisor 29.5306.
The pattern (using the usual ten-unit moving totals) of the 7,528
synodic residuals is shown in Figure 2, wherein a hemispheric or half-
month symmetry is noticeable. One big peak stands out for the three
days centered on the day after 3/4ths or 75% of a lunar cycle has
ensued. The positions are the same but the magnitudes are variant, the
second peak being the one during which an excess number of deaths
occurred. Superimposing these hemispheres and finding the median base-
line by standard procedures, we see the peak to be a singularity, that
is statistically there is no comparable dip or low point to contrast
with the single crest.
To put it into nontechnical terms, it would seem that every 29 1/2
days in everybody's life there are two brief periods lasting from one
to three days, during which the vitality tends to be below par, so that
if one is very ill, the days in question can represent or bring about
the intensification of the physical crisis. The critical periods are
predictable on the basis of knowledge about the relative Moon-Sun angle
prevailing at the time of birth. THE CRITICAL DATES ARE THE 8TH AND
[PARTICULARLY] THE 23RD DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF RECURRENCE OF THE SAME
NATAL MOON-SUN RELATIONSHIP.

...So much new evidence of the importance of this angle between the
luminaries at birth should be opening up a whole new horizon for
intelligent astrologers. (Keeping facts separate from fancies in this
connection is vital, especially now that fabricated, purely-guessed-at
"delineations" for births on each "day" of the lunar month have been
published and worked into the reading repertoire of professional
astrologers who do not question either their origin or correctness.)
....
A Health or Morale Cycle?
We used death data as a statistical device; quite obviously the
cycle itself has nothing very directly to do with the event of terminus
vita. All that the figures show is that a significant excess of people
actually passed away on these critical days rather than, say, a week
before, or maybe two days afterward. Quite clearly, we are dealing
only with some kind of metabolic rhythm or body-tone periodicity in
which the physical efficiency is a bit impaired--such that people who
are already terminally ill tend to give up the ghost during these
temporary periods of impairment. In all likelihood it is a
psychosomatic mechanism which operate through affecting the morale and
the will-to-live.
Spot checks of authentic data in our files concerning the dates of
initial heart attacks, apparently sudden succumbings to influenza and
similar contagions, and migrainelike attacks of pain, show a distinct
preference for the three-day intervals centered at the 8th and 23rd
days after the event of the victim's "lunisolar return" epochs. It is
probably no accident that the most famous coronary of modern times,
President Eisenhower's first cardiac crisis on September 24, 1955, took
place when his synodic residual was 0.26, i.e., on the 8th day of his
personal lunation cycle.
Perhaps the 8th and 23rd days are times of greater emotional strain
or accident proneness, or the junctures in time during which "relapses"
from former ailments and surgical traumas are most likely to take
place. Ever since this situation came to light, we have been calling
the peak areas 'enervating" or "catabolic zones," but a permanent label
should not be adopted until the exact nature of the critical periods
has been established. Ascertaining this is probably best done through
subjective studies of widely varied individual cases.
In any event, check back through your own diaries and records of
your own and others' days of illness or ennui, noting the prevailing
Moon-sun relationship with respect to the natal one. An unusual number
of these blah days will surely mirror this cycle's presence and
effectuality. Chances are, the efficacy of medication can be modified
or enhanced by application during various fractional parts of one's
personal lunation cycle. After all, biophysicists have found that the
effectiveness of medicine and radiological therapy is variable with
respect to the hour of the day they are administered; and lunar as well
as diurnal periodicities are facts of life throughout the biosphere in
which we live. Meanwhile, until further research answers the big
questions, you can still make good use of this new knowledge in your
day to day application of astrological principles. For example, if you
are undergoing one of those transits notorious for synchronizing with
viral attacks or digestive disorders, check to see where you are in
your monthly vitality cycle. It just might mean the difference between
a brief sniffle and a real bout with whatever bug is making the rounds!
* * * *

From Garth Allen's "Perspectives In the Sidereal,"
American Astrology, May 1974

FACTS ABOUT LONGEVITY
In compiling statistical arrays and trying to extract sound
information from them, the bugaboo of seasonal variation does, among
other factors, often serve to discourage the investigator. What is
more, the larger the sample--and it is ideal to have the largest
possible sample--such as of birthdates obtained from catalogues like
WHO'S WHO, the more liable are such secondary influences to assert
themselves in the data to complicate matters. It is well known for
instance, that "physical types" such as athletes and engineers tend to
be born during the autumn months in the north temperature zone, whereas
"artistic types" like actors, poets and artists are born in
significantly greater numbers during the spring months. Politicians
present an even worse situation, their births cresting in late winter
and early spring. These seasonal influences, reversing as they do in
the two hemispheres, are not at all astrological in nature. Rather,
they are akin to the sort of influences meant by biological clocks,
phototropisms and the like and have to do with purely physical and
mechanical forces such as light and gravitation. They are no more
astrological than, say, the solilunar reactions visible as tides in
air, water and rock.
There are many ways in which a scientist can counteract or negate
the impact of these secondary influences in data so that any pure
planetary or zodiacal factors, if they exit, are able to manifest
themselves in the final results. In this article we are aiming to show
the research-minded student at least one bona fide way to handle this
purification process by dealing with one of the simpler sort of
problems one is apt to run across, showing him how to arrive a
reasonable authentic astrological effects with a minimum of blood,
sweat and tears. This technique may be called the sort of problems one
is apt to run across, showing him how to arrive at reasonable authentic
astrological effects with a minimum of blood, sweat and tears. This
technique may be called the intramural or intrasample form of analysis.
Put simply, it pits the data contained within itself against some of
its own related data; this is not doubletalk, strange as it sounds at
first. This method is a godsend tot he research plagued by the demo-
graphic factors of eminence curves, seasonal variances within types,
etc. it is essentially a procedure of suppressing the presence of
factors within a sample in order to uncover the existence of other
factors that may be more responsible for the condition one is hopeful
of understanding.
The subject in which we are immediately interested is longevity--
length of life--as reflected in natal positions in the zodiac of the
Sun and Moon. The source work is a familiar one--volume II of WHO WAS
WHO IN AMERICA covering the necrology of eminent Americans in every
profession who passed away during the 1943-1950 period. Our original
sample is a bit larger than the one, culled from this same source, that
was used to demonstrate the existence of a mild lunisolar cycle in
health tone (as reported in the November 1972 issues of American
Astrology). In that former study a total of 7,528 birthdates were
used. In the present study we are able to take advantage of even more,
a total of 7,809 this time, a difference due to the fact that in the
former study the specific death date was used while in the current
effort only the age is needed (about 3.6% of all entries not giving the
exact date of demise.)
Now all these deceasees were all notable folks and their births will
unavoidably reflect the "eminence curve" typical of American celebrity
registers. So how do we handle the data to eliminate this annoying
eminence factor? The solution is quite easy and forthright. We merely
arrange the 7,809 items from youngest to eldest in terms of age at
death. Then we take the upper decile, i.e., the 10% of them who died
when youngest and the lower decile, the 10% of them who died when
eldest. In other words, we are provided an out by the data themselves,
with two equal-sized samples of 781 cases each--the 781 youngest versus
the 781 eldest. Cause of death is, or course, irrelevant (and a
psychologist or physician would smile approvingly at our assumption
that even accidental death is not wholly bereft of internal or psyche-
based sponsorship). They are solid cross-sections of the same
population and their births are strewn across the year, effectively
abolishing the seasonal as well as other demographic variations that
might be playing down on the entire populace of eminent persons. For
convenience we are called one group the shortlivers and the other group
the longlivers. Since length of life is the only ostensible parameter
distinguishing the two samples.
We can say at this outset that the ploy was highly productive of
results of immense value and interest to all students of astrology,
those of tropical and those of sidereal persuasion alike (though it is
an historical misnomer to use the words persuasion and tropical
together; the poor devils didn't have much of a chance, to begin with,
to be persuaded one way or the other!). There very definitely are
astrological factors differentiating the shortlivers from the
longlivers. These factors, as you will be able to see for yourself,
function strictly through the sidereal zodiac, but the spread in each
case, luckily enough, is wide enough that they may be applied to the
tropical concept with nearly the same adequacy in practice.
Length of life has obviously been one of astrology's traditionally
important subtopics, judging by ancient literature both Oriental and
Occidental; it is rare to encounter an old text that does not proffer
tenets and observations along this line, sometimes whole chapters. The
Hindus in particular give the matter much detailed attention; we more
optimism-slanted Western astrologers tend to duck the issue on
philosophical grounds that horoscopic longevity knowledge can be more
harmful than helpful, not only to a client but to people of all kinds,
including themselves (few of us like to entertain thoughts about our
own possible extinction). Still, it may be noted parenthetically at
this point, judging transits and progressions as matters of life and
death is a persistently popular diversion among astrologers, especially
those on the downhill side of 40.
As a result of such widespread interest, most students of astrology
are aware of the precept that, generally speaking, the fixed signs and
the earthly signs tend to be pro-longlife. In the typical case, the
references are to the sun signs of the tropical zodiac, occasionally to
the ascending and Moon signs as well--and sometimes even to those signs
boasting a stellium or more of birth planets.
Inasmuch as we have for this presort consideration only birth
'dates' with which to work, what we have to say here pertains primarily
to only Sun and Moon signs. In this connection, by the way, don't
number yourself among those idiots who write in, after every published
statistical report, telling us all about what we didn't include in our
study or what we failed to say. We have several hundred octogenarian
birthcharts in our files, incidentally, and will one day tabulate for
publication the Ascendant and house positions, as well as significant
aspects, contained in them. Meanwhile, take the time you would
ordinarily spend gilding the lilies and spend it on some worthwhile
research project of your own.
Now do these popularly held ideas really hold water? For the most
part the answer is yes, but not in the popularly recognized zodiac,
which observation you can make for yourself from the accompanying
graphs. These graphs are basically excess-percentage graphs, showing
30-degree moving totals of solar and lunar longitudes, subtracting the
short-livers' lines from the longlivers' lines. (The Moon positions
used are for zone-time Noon at the birthplace; the margin for possible
error or range of actual Moon placements is at most plus and minus
seven degrees from the Noon longitude. Statistically these margins of
probable-error scatter blend into each other and clearly present no
problem to the investigator if the sample is large enough to allow such
statistical blending to take place.)
In the interest of saving space we are giving only the Sun's
distribution within the elemental triplicities instead of the entire
twelve signs separately considered. That is, the Sun graph here shows
the performance with the zodiacal elements: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
superposed; the earthy signs superposed; the airy signs superposed; and
the watery signs superposed--in effect folding over three 120 degree
arcs of ecliptic longitude. This is done to show how spectacularly
fruitful our youngest-versus-eldest stratagem turns out to be in terms
of usable knowledge. Each point on the graph represents the center of
a 30 degree zone in the style already familiar to veteran readers of
astrological literature of the American Astrology caliber.
[GRAPHS NOT INCLUDED]
Observe that the 'tropical' fire signs traditionally linked with
high vitality are uniformly low in flat contradiction to the
stereotype. The next triplicity, however, and the next one after that,
representing the earthy and airy signs respectively, tell a quite
different story, being substantially above average. The peak of this
plus activity, fittingly enough, falls right at the centers of the
earthy signs of the classical (sidereal) zodiac! The watery signs,
true to expected form, return to the below-average status of what must
be surely called low overall vitality. In short, the graph shows one
thing too clearly to quibble about: there 'is' a distinct zodiacal
influence on length of life, but only through the divisions of the
zodiac as propounded by astrology's founders and not according to the
scheme taught by latter-day corrupters of their concept.
The Moon story is equally fascinating, but where the Moon is
concerned the triplicities show nothing truly unusual enough to remark
about. Instead, the Moon displays an important role in the longevity
drama via the quadruplicities! As the lunar graph shows so lucidly,
with the quadruplicities superposed (four 90 degree arcs of the
ecliptic folded over), cardinal signs are only so-so in their
contribution to vitality, being only slightly above average. The fixed
signs of the tropical zodiac represent, however, utter disaster in
terms of length of life, being far below normal and reaching a low
point at exactly the degree marking the natural lineaments of the
sidereal zodiacs' cardinal signs! The tropical mutable situation is
just the opposite, featuring a peak, all right, but that peak again
falls exactly where it should if the sidereal zodiac is real and the
other one phony. To put it bluntly, this study, like all the others,
behaves just as though the tropical zodiac didn't exist at all.
THE SUN'S POINTING TO SIDEREAL TAURUS, VIRGO AND CAPRICORN as the
solar-sponsored lengtheners of life is no surprise; what surprise there
might be lies in the fact that the solar peak falls where it shouldn't
have, according to every 'tropical' text and published article on the
question of longevity that we have ever inspected. THE MOON'S POINTED
TO SIDEREAL TAURUS, LEO, SCORPIO, AND AQUARIUS AS THE LUNAR-BASED
LENGTHENERS OF LIFE IS NO SURPRISE, EITHER; the only surprise is that
the lunar peak falls where it shouldn't according to the vast consensus
of 'tropical' literature. But ah, the hoary old texts of bygone
ancients are proven to have been correct all along!
Fortunately, as we intimated earlier, the results from these
tabulations are usable in any form, either tropical or sidereal, so
don't get yourself uptight about the fact that for the thousandth or so
time an objective statistical study of 'something real' was made with
the result that the wrong zodiac--wrong according to the popular
tropical stereotype--surfaced instead of the popular (tropical) one.
It seems not to have happened any other way. If you want it otherwise,
you'll just have to do what they've always done when they wanted the
tropical scheme to land upright on its feet: fake the figures. The
'real' figures give a marvelously consistent account of themselves
every time. or you can do what was done by a British astrologer a few
year back, to wit, publish a graph of the real figures and then
blithefully tell the reader that it isn't unusual or significant in any
way--and that such studies always produce such meaningless arrays. The
only thing wrong is that the graph itself virtually screamed about its
unusualness and usefulness. Some astrologers are astrology's worst
enemies.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[SOLAR100] FAGAN'S 100TH SOLAR RETURN YEAR, 1996; and 50 YEARS OF
SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY, 1997. Predictive work with Solar & Lunar Returns
as "corrected for precession" helped crystallize Fagan's realization of
the veracity of the sidereal or star constellational framework of
astrology. R.C. Firebrace's farewell and delineation of Cyril Fagan's
chart.
* * * *


100TH SOLAR RETURN YEAR, REMEMBERING CYRIL FAGAN

May 1996* will mark the occurrence of Cyril Fagan's 100TH SOLAR
RETURN YEAR, his Centennial Solar Year. To Cyril Fagan, the Re-
Discoverer of Sidereal Astrology, as he phrased it, we who love the
truth of the archetypal symbolism of the Star Constellation Zodiac owe
an inexpressible debt. He was born Dublin, Ireland (6w15, 53n21)
22 May 1896. Several birthtimes are in existence: R.C. Firebrace's
4/70 SPICA gives: "12:14:28 PM GMT, born Dunsink, Ireland." His wife
Pauline Fagan after his death said that Fagan used 12:25pm GMT as a
rectified birthtime.
Alexander Marr has released data on Fagan's radix "according to his
[Fagan's] own information" as 1896 May 22nd, 12h 27m 48s UT, in Dublin
Dunsink, with an additional refined rectification. Dunsink Time was
used as LMT until the adoption of GMT and is 25 minutes earlier than
GMT. (Fagan has reported that his mother repeatedly told him he was
born at noon.) He died in Tucson, Arizona, 5 January 1970 between 3
and 5 am.
It is interesting to note that in May 1996, Transiting Pluto at
07 SCO 01'rx is near opposition his natal SUN (and will come to exact
opposition the end of November 1996). Fagan once wrote of that aspect
that it was known to "bring the native out of retirement" and we hope
that this will be true of his work.
Since Fagan's first published notice of his work with the Sidereal
Zodiac was in 1947, 1997 will mark 50 YEARS OF SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY for
the West. Rupert Gleadow mentions 1947 in his ORIGINS OF THE ZODIAC as
Fagan's first published date, and in April 1970 SPICA, Editor R.C.
Firebrace, who as a friend and associate of Fagan's, wrote this after
his passing: "He [Fagan] told me that it was on February 17, 1944 that
he finally accepted the Sidereal Zodiac..." and then was immediately at
work with the Lunars. And by April 30, 1944, Fagan had "finally
accepted the Sidereal Solar Return" and later made his findings public
in a series of articles entitled "Incidents and Accidents of Astrology"
which ran in the A.F.A. Bulletin in 1947. Also in an Afterword to
SOLUNARS HANDBOOK, Fagan writes that it was "1944 when I first glimpsed
the truth of the sidereal system." And May 14, 1949 is the day he
discovered the date and origin of the historical Hypsomata or
Exaltation degrees. He said it came together for him when he was
dancing with his wife Pauline.
Evidently that 'straw' that broke the back of the Tropical Zodiac
for Fagan were the Solar and Lunar Returns as he found that they did
not work for predictive work in the precessing tropical framework and
had fallen into disuse. We have found a May 1950 letter by Fagan in
response to the use of the Solar Returns "corrected for precession,"
which letter very clearly states the implications for the tropical
zodiac. Those early studies with Solar Revolutions, as they were
referred to, indeed started a revolution in thought.
And so something new and very much rooted in the old was reborn into
the world, as all great ideas must be in each age. And this study and
understanding of an astronomically correct archetypal symbolism
implying meaning and connectedness in the universe is still growing.
50 years after the Solar and Lunar "lights" came on, even greatly aided
with recent computer technology, is not long to reshape a cosmic study,
but it's a good start. HAPPY 100TH SOLAR RETURN, CYRIL FAGAN! AND TO
US ALL!
***************



"Many Things," 7/1950 A.A.
Cyril Fagan, Letter May 21, 1950 from Dublin, Ireland
SOLAR REVOLUTION

Readers of your ubiquitous magazine will, I am sure, be deeply
grateful to Mr. C. M. Bellairs for bringing to their notice the
importance of the solar revolution as a prophetic instrument (American
Magazine, May 1950). It is not sufficiently realized that the famous
priests of Nabu, who officiated in the temples of that god in Borsipps,
Calakh and Nineveh, relied almost exclusively on solar and lunar
returns for the success of their astrological forecasts. In his
REVOLUTIONIBUS NATIVITATUM, Hermes says:
"The Babylonians, Persians, Indians and Egyptians, both kings and
private persons, undertook nothing in any year without examining their
solar revolutions; and if they found the year was good they set to
work, otherwise they refrained. The kings examined the nativities of
their generals and observed their solar revolutions and if they found
that one of the returns indicated power and victory, they sent him
against the enemy, otherwise they left him aside. And they observed
the nativities not only of their generals but of ambassadors to see if
their anniversary indicated a successful result. If it signified
prosperity they sent for them, but if not they appointed, instead,
others whose anniversary did presage success. In the same manner kings
and citizens chose food, drink, medicine, bought, sold and did
everything according to their solar revolutions: and they used these
things and left aside those likely to be hurtful that year. They
deduced both from their own nativities and those of others and acted
accordingly. Men wishing to beget a son observed their wife's solar
revolution as well as their own and if both signified procreation they
cohabited with them; otherwise they looked for other women whose
nativities did signify the birth of a son. So the study of solar
revolutions is very useful and expedient."

In view of this it might well be asked why it is that such scant
attention is given nowadays to the solar return. Why was it that the
leading astrologers of the 19th century paid increasingly less
attention to the computation of such charts, many of them dropping them
altogether out of consideration? Obviously they must have found them
valueless. Then what made the ancients put such faith in them; why did
they form the backbone of their vaticinations? Because the ancient
method was fundamentally different from that now commonly employed.
The Hemu-netru of Egypt and the priest of Nabu computed these figures
for the Sun's return to the actual place it occupied among the fixed
stars at birth, whereas modern astrologers calculate the chart for the
Sun's return to its natal tropical longitude. The reader has only to
compute the solar return by both methods to realize how very dissimilar
are the charts. For a middle-aged person there will be a difference of
about 18 hours in time! In effect this implies that the modern method
of calculating these returns is incorrect.
Mr. Bellairs suggests, that the difficulty can be obviated by adding
the amount of precession equivalent to the native's age to the Sun's
longitude at birth, and then computing the solar revolution in the
usual manner. But this compromise omits to take into consideration the
corrections for aberration of light and for solar and lunar nutation.
The corrections for aberration and solar nutation will be reasonably
constant but that for lunar nutation will differ from year to year.
But apart from this there is a fundamental error involved in
applying a correction for precession to the longitude of the sun. Let
us consider the matter a little deeper. Astrologers recognize two
methods of defining celestial positions; (a) the sidereal and (b) the
tropical. In the sidereal method, measurements of time and space are
made from some relatively fixed point in the heavens such as a
convenient fixed star like Spica and Regulus. A sidereal day is the
interval that elapses between two successive transits of the same fixed
star across the midheaven; and a sidereal year is the interval that
elapses between two successive conjunctions of the sun with one fixed
star. The sidereal coordinates are celestial longitude and latitude
which remain constant for thousands of years except for minute changes
of position due to the proper motions of the fixed stars. With the
Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, all longitudes were measured from a
fixed star and not from the so-called "first point of Aries," the
vernal equinox.
In the post-Ptolemaical tropical system, measurements are made from
the every receding equinoctial and tropical points, especially from the
vernal-equinoctial point. These move backwards among the fixed stars
at the approximate rate of one degree in 72 years, for which reason the
"zodiac" now in common use is frequently referred to as the "moving"
(not movable?) "zodiac," because it takes its origin from the shifting
vernal-point. The tropical system expresses time and space in terms of
the seasonal year and its co-ordinates are Right Ascension and
Declination. A tropical day is the time that elapses between two
successive transits of the vernal-point over the midheaven; and the
tropical year is the time that elapses between two successive
conjunctions of the Sun with the vernal point. As the latter recedes
at about 50.26" per annum, the tropical year is some 20 minutes shorter
than the sidereal year.
Now what happens when a correction for precession is applied to the
Sun's longitude at birth, that is, to its position in the tropical
"zodiac."? To suggest such a procedure is tantamount to denying the
validity of the modern zodiac for its "raison d'etre" is in its very
tropicality. BY ADDING PRECESSION, THE MODERN ZODIAC CEASES TO BE
TROPICAL AND BECOMES QUASI-SIDEREAL. Therefore such a procedure is
astronomically and astrologically inadmissible. If--as the ancients
found--it is correct to compute the solar revolution ex-precessionally,
then on astronomical grounds we have no option but to compute it in
terms of the sidereal (fixed) zodiac which for the Egyptians and
Babylonians took its origin from Spica as fiducial in Virgo 29.00
degrees (179 degrees).

[NOTE when Fagan wrote this in early 1950, before he had the benefit
of Garth Allen's SVP correction of 06'05".] The mean tropical
longitude of Spica on January 1, 1950 was Libra 23 degrees 08'36",
giving the mean sidereal longitude of the vernal equinoctial point as
Pisces 5 degrees 51'04" (335 degrees ev' 24").


* * *



From Fagan's ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS bookcover: Born into a well-known
medical family in Dublin, Ireland, Cyril Fagan was educated at
Belvedere and Castleknock Colleges. Prevented from following in the
family tradition through almost totally impaired hearing since
childhood, he turned his acutely enquiring mind to other things, many
and varied, finally deciding to make the betterment of the subject he
loved the most astrology, his life's work.
Dissatisfied with all available material on the subject, he decided
to set out and find the answers for himself. He combed the libraries
of many of the capitals of Europe and soon concluded that a working
knowledge of astronomy and Egyptology was essential if the embryo of
astrology was to be unearthed. These he mastered alone as he had done
everything else. He has lived in many places over the years including
Wales, London, Spain, Morocco, and the USA, and has traveled throughout
most of Europe and some of Canada.
Works include Astrological Origins; Zodiacs, Old and New; A Primer
of Sidereal Astrology; Symbolism of the Constellations; and a monthly
contribution to American Astrology, "Solunars" from July 1953 to March
1970, as well as various ephemerides. See also articles in American
Astrology under his pseudonym, Ian Cowley, on mundane astrology. Also
he made contributions to SPICA and other astrological publications.
Cyril Fagan was President/Founder of the Irish Astrological Society,
and a Fellow of the American Federation of Astrologers; a Fellow of the
Federation of British Astrologers; and a Komandoro of the Universal
Order of Antares (Trieste).
The most momentous and revolutionary astrological discovery of all
time was made in 1949 by Cyril Fagan, the well-known astrologer and
Egyptian scholar. He discovered that the historical exaltation degrees
of the zodiac originated in 786 B.C. and that all these degrees were
expressed in terms of the zodiac of the constellations and not of the
signs. This led him into a whole series of further discoveries which
are equally important to the archeologist, the chronologist, the
historian, and the astrologer.
First and foremost, he found that the so-called Egyptian decans were
in fact PENTADS or 5-day star groups, a discovery that immediately led
to the identification of most of them. He also solved the precise date
of the Inauguration of the famous Sothic Cycle as well as dating the
zodiacs of Esna and Denderah.
...Without his insight, selflessness, application and dedication,
sidereal astrology might not have had its modern renaissance for
centuries to come. And when once more in years to come, this subject
is restored to its rightful place...in its original form, it will be
largely through this one man's crusade. The serious astrological world
owes him a tremendous debt.
* * * *



R.C. FIREBRACE'S HAIL AND FAREWELL TO FAGAN
Delineation has always been a prime strength of the sidereal
framework. Since Brigadier R.C. Firebrace, the Editor of SPICA, A
Review of Sidereal Astrology, was Fagan's friend and colleague and a
siderealist, his "Hail and Farewell to Cyril Fagan" seems most
appropriate to include here. Firebrace's delineation of Fagan's chart
is interesting in many respects. Note that his approach to astrology
is indicated by citing what is astrologically significant as based on
what he knew of Cyril Fagan: "These do seem very apt for the man as I
knew him and are indeed exemplified by his work in life." In this
Firebrace has the great advantage of us in knowing Fagan, but it is an
important orientation. In the delineation of any chart, the ability to
weigh the perceived characteristics of an individual against those set
forth in a chart is a most important consideration, if not the most
important issue. Neither the ability to weigh character by itself nor
the added difficulty of judgement in reconciling character with a chart
is a guarantee of studying astrology. It comes from something deeper.
In the following (also from 4/70 SPICA), Firebrace very simply and
clearly states his basic orientation and philosophy in sidereal
astrology:

"...It raises the point as to whether we can predict exact events or
are we limited to discerning the nature of the influence present, say,
in terms of symbolism. This is a problem which should occupy our
researchers. My opinion for what it is worth is that we cannot
foretell exact events and that the effect of the influence will act in
accordance with the spiritual development of the individual....But I
stick to my long held opinion that the most useful application of
astrology is in consultation with the client. Then we can translate
the influence or the symbolism into possible events in the lives of our
clients. Astrology is most akin to psychology. If we can find out the
psychology of the individual from our map we shall have accomplished
much."

In addition to his wisdom, Firebrace's continual graciousness in
providing a forum for and being open to testing new methods was a great
gift to the development of sidereal astrology. Over the years, he
exemplified an innate dignity and extended his belief in the same
dignity in everyone. The following words from his column "Thoughts on
Astrology" in July 1972 SPICA presents a fuller context of his
philosophical thinking:

"...We cannot maintain that the symbolism in one map will work out
in events in exactly the same way as it will in another map....But in
true astrology, we are dealing with metaphysics, something beyond the
physical life which we necessarily lead on this physical plane. If
there is truth in astrology...it must be a part and concept of the
Supreme Intelligence, call that what you like....
This statement inevitably brings me to a consideration of Free
Will....Many astrologers would doubt that he [man] has free will and
hold that man is controlled by his natal planets. And so indeed it
often appears. But it can be said that the destiny of man is to
control his planets and not the other way round. It may well be true
too that the majority of us do not do this but that does not alter the
statement that we should do so.
So where lies our Free Will? It can only be said that Free Will is
of the Spirit of Man and to the extent that we realize this and bring
it into our being, so shall we attain true free will. A difficult task
I will freely admit but a worthy aim in life. As part of this thinking
I will not admit that any luminary or planet is bad. Every planet is
essentially for our good and can point the way in this life for us to
utilize it for good. It is true that some planets, if at all, do seem
to bring troubles in our humans lives, be they physical, material or
mental. With most of us, for example, Saturn is not popular as it
tends to bring hindrances, frustration, depression and other unpleasant
effects. But on the real side, Saturn is the planet of duty,
perseverance, of 'keeping on keeping on', of serious thought. It is to
this side of Saturn that we should attempt to tune. I speak as one who
natally has Saturn in Leo within 14 minutes of the Sun. There were bad
effects, a delicate childhood and an inferiority complex! I am trying
to 'keep on keeping on' and I am afraid that some would say that the
inferiority complex has changed to one of superiority!"
* * * * *


CYRIL FAGAN'S CHART DATA published in SPICA: May 22, 1896, 12:14:28 PM
GMT, Dublin Ireland (6w15 53n20), SVP 6 42'15.3", ST 3h 51'52",
Campanus House: 6TAU51 MC, 5GEM, 9CAN, 14LEO39 ASC, 16VIR, 12LIB. SUN
8TAU33'10", PLU 18TAU04, NEP 23TAU51, MER 29TAU32, JUP 10CAN40, MOON
8VIR12, SAT 21LIB18rx, URA 28LIB47rx, MARS 7PIS20, VEN 25ARI31.

CYRIL FAGAN, MASTER OF SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY, HAIL AND FAREWELL.
R.C. Firebrace, SPICA April 1970

I deeply regret the passing of my old friend, Cyril Fagan and shall
always remain grateful to him for teaching me Sidereal Astrology.
Cyril died peacefully on January 5, 1970 between 3 and 5 a.m. in
Tucson, Arizona. He had a fall and cut his head but seemed to be
recovering when his weak heart failed. So we have lost the Father of
Sidereal Astrology as I always called him.
He was born on May 22 at Dunsink (Dublin) Ireland 12h 14m 28s PM GMT
according to a map of which I have and which I reproduced on the
following page. I have always felt that the Taurus-Scorpio axis was
that of the researcher and here he had 4 planets and these on the Mid-
Heaven. Here is the down to earth man to be persuaded by facts and
nothing else. Add to that a Taurean obstinacy or determination, if you
prefer that word and it will seem that once his mind was made up
nothing could shake him. But he demolished his opponents with reasoned
argument and woe betide writers in astrological journals who betrayed
their essential ignorance of the facts of astrological or astronomical
life. I think that Cyril enjoyed these controversies. As an Irishman
he enjoyed a good fight. I think that this quality is shewn by both
Sun and Moon being in aspect to Mars. He had lately discovered that
Pluto is the planet of loneliness which I have confirmed in several
cases, and I think that at heart, in spite of a devoted family, that he
was a lonely man. His Pluto is very near the Mid-Heaven.
Some of the interpretations of the mid-points of his map are very
illuminating. As far as I know he did not use them himself. But they
give such readings as untiring creative work, influence on public
through writing, desire to cause changes, obstinate pursuit of a
particular aim. These do seem very apt for the man as I knew him and
are indeed exemplified by his work in life.
Cyril began his astrological studies at the early age of 20 in 1916
and thus had completed his half century of constant work in studying
all the techniques of astrology. He had the advantage of being a good
mathematician and no calculation frightened him. In this field he was
greatly helped by his old friend, James Hynes a real expert in this
difficult subject. Cyril was always ready to spend hours in intricate
work to prove his point. He studied widely and deeply and was not
averse to taking on in argument some of the astrological masters of the
time. I have copies of a lengthy correspondence with Sepharial in
which he certainly held his own. For nearly 30 years he was of course
an adherent of the tropical zodiac.
In the late thirties he added to his repertoire a study of
Egyptology and this enabled him later to study with understanding
ancient Egyptian horoscopes and their symbolism. He was to find later
that all ancient horoscopes, down to the oldest, were drawn in the
sidereal zodiac. That was the discovery which was to change the course
of his astrological life.
He told me that it was on February 17th, 1944, that he finally
accepted the Sidereal Zodiac and within a week 'invented' the Sidereal
Lunar Return. On April 30, 1944 he finally accepted the Sidereal Solar
Return and made these discoveries public in a series of articles
entitled "incidents and Accidents of Astrology' which ran in the A.F.A.
Bulletin in 1947. Since then he added the Anlunar and the Kinetic to
his repertoire.
His main problem had been to discover the ayanamsa or the difference
for any particular date between the two zodiacs. After much work he
found that in a map for the spring of 786 B.C. all the planets as
calculated by him were either in the degree of their heliacal rising or
in the longitude or their exaltation degrees. The odds against this
happening by chance are fantastic. From this map he worked out the
ayanamsa of the date which enables all tropical ephemerides to be
converted t the sidereal. A lengthy statistical study by Garth Allen
altered this ayanamsa by only 6 minutes and this was accepted by Fagan.
At that time he regarded Spica as the marking point of the sidereal
zodiac but lately, on finding that this ayanamsa puts ALDEBARAN in
exactly 15d 0'0" of sidereal Taurus he felt that we should consider
this fixed star as the marking point. Aldebaran is, of course, in very
close opposition to ANTARES, making a very powerful axis.
Through the courtesy of Mr. and later Mrs. Clancy he contributed to
American Astrology Magazine 170 articles on the sidereal entitled
"Solunars" which were widely read all over the world. These contain
much of his wisdom. Must these remain buried in back numbers? I can
only hope that someone will be able to write them up in a book on the
sidereal. This would be a wonderful contribution to sidereal
astrology.
In his book Zodiacs Old and New he gave some details of his
discovery and in "Symbolism of the Star Constellations" which is
unfortunately out of print, he developed the sidereal theme. The
essence of his wisdom in this respect is to be issued shortly in a new
book entitled Astrological Origins. He set so much store by this book
that it is a tragedy the he died before he could see it in print. He
had other books planned including one on the Oktopos, an eightfold
clockwise division of the ecliptic which he claimed was invented by
Imhotep. A life long supporter of the Campanus system, he had finally
abandoned this in favour of the Oktopos which he had already begun to
use in his "Solunars." He also planned a new textbook to replace the
Primer of Sidereal Astrology issued in our joint names. This is now
out off of print but I will do what I can to get it re-issued.
At his death progressed Sun was almost exact square to progressed
Saturn. This seems to have been the fatal aspect.
Cyril was a very human man and a good friend. When he was in
England I was in constant touch with him and from abroad we remained in
constant communication through letters. I shall miss him very much as
a friend and the world will miss him as a great astrologer.
* * * * *


EVENTS in Cyril Fagan's life:
Death of Father - October 11, 1910
Thrombosis - February 19, 1929 Death of Mother - April 28, 1930
Great Discovery - May 14, 1949 (Hypsomata)
Voyage to Morocco for studies - October 10, 1954
Resignation (began full time research) October 2, 1956
Death of sister, considerable inheritance - August 23, 1962
Death - January 5, 1970 between 3 & 5 am, Tucson, Arizona.
* * * * *



OTHER PIONEER SIDEREALISTS:
BRIGADIER ROY C. FIREBRACE (publisher of SPICA, A SIDEREAL JOURNAL)
(sent to me by Brigadier Firebrace): 16 AUG 1889; 5:00 pm InterColonial
or Atlantic time (-4h 14' 20"); Halifax, Nova Scotia 63w35, 44n38';
Died 10 NOV 1974, 10:30 am, London. Rectified time given to James
Eshelman & noted 10/75 SPICA (pub. by Nerak Enterprises, Orange, CA
USA): 21:00:19 UT (4:45:55 PM LMT).

DR. MARY AUSTIN, 27 FEB 1914, 03:39pm, Bournemouth, England 1w53'
50n43' (from April 73 SPICA).

GARTH ALLEN (Donald Bradley): (from American Astrology): 16 MAY
1925; 2:04 am CST; 40n21' 97w35' Nebraska; Died 25 APR 1974, 11:25PM
MST, 110w59 32n14.

RUPERT GLEADOW (data from inside of his book he autographed): 22 NOV
1909, 11:55 am, Leicester, England. Died 30 OCT 1974.

* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[OPINION] A spinoff with stories in stories... Kay Cavender's "On The
Value of Opinion (Be it Mystical or Insurance Reporting). Thanks to
the irritating car salesman who sparked this harrumph by scorning
astrology.
* * * *


ON THE VALUE OF OPINION
(Be It Mystical or Insurance Reporting)
ON ASTROLOGY OR WHATEVER:
(With Reference Also To This Opinion)
BUBBLES INSIDE BUBBLES, SPHERES IN SPHERES,
LUNAR-SENSE ALL! BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

Since my "interpretation" in astrology would follow from my basic
axioms or beliefs about it, it is only fair that I present some
explanation of said basic axioms. Basic #1: I believe that astrology
is a way to wisdom, a means for directing the intuition through complex
symbols, a science for the intuition, in other words, an art. Basic
#2: I believe that at best an interpretation can be suggestive,
provocative, perhaps evocative, but not absolutely "right." The rest of
my basic axioms, in my opinion, are found in the following stories (for
those who have ears). Of course, that will require the reader's
interpretation.
UMPTEENTH ACT: STREET SCENE: At any given point in time and space,
ask any three or four persons on the street to make an observation and
judgement, i.e., a "prediction" about traffic: what will happen in the
street. A small boy yells, "Two cars are going to crash into my ball!"
He notices because his ball just rolled into the street. An ecstatic
mechanic looks and says, "A new blue Caddie is coming." He goes home
and writes an inspired poem about it. Cadallac buys the poem for a
commercial and the mechanic is doubly enriched, and he only noticed one
car. Another man, an insurance man, looks up from a conversation and
says, "Those guys in the Ford and Caddie are going to crash. One looks
like a guy we insured last week. There go our profits." A Communist
theorist full of passionate intensity and much conviction is moved to
deliver a polemic on selfish capitalist imperialists, riding around
one-to-a-car, who will ultimately destroy themselves."
Who is right? I believe them all - each viewpoint in their own
context. None has the ultimate truth. All judgments are ultimately
based FIRST on one's subjective values which focus one's objective
perceptions. A subjective judgment is much like an objective judgment:
it depends on the observer and his viewpoint. And the judgment of the
VALUE of any interpretation is subjective; truth is what we believe it
to be.
To illustrate, let me give the version of another observer from
Indres Shah's The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin, a
legendary wise fool:

"Laws as such do not make people better," said Nasrudin to the King,
"people must practice certain things in order to become attuned to
inner truth. This form of truth resembles apparent truth only
slightly."
The King decided that he could, and WOULD, make people observe the
truth. He could make them practice truthfulness. His city was entered
by a bridge. On this he built a gallows. The following day, when the
gates were opened at dawn, the Captain of the Guard was stationed with
a squad of troops to examine all who entered.
An announcement was made: "Everyone will be questioned. If he
tells the truth, he will be allowed to enter. If he lies, he will be
hanged."
Nasrudin stepped forward.
"Where are you going?" asked the Guard.
"I'm on my way," Nasrudin said slowly, "to be hanged."
"We don't believe you!"
"Very well, if I have told a lie, hang me!"
"But if we hang you for lying, we will have made what you said come
true!"
"That's right; now you know what truth is - your truth!"


And, Mulla's observation (notice he ignores the cars completely and
tells his own story) is no more complete than the Kruschiev fan's. And
this story no more right than either - just another streetwalker's
version. But perhaps, provocative and suggestive. And there's always
more! We have yet to hear from the fairy godmother!
Let us suppose the accident is averted. (Avert! Avert!) The man
in the Ford suddenly steps on his brakes and honks, then the man in the
Caddie does likewise. Does this prove the observers wrong or
fraudulent? No, again their judgments, I believe, were consistent with
their own perception and context; always other factors are at work. A
value of one judgement lies in the fact that the Ford owner heard the
boy yell and noticed his danger. In the meantime, each believes he is
right. Each was - in his own context. This opinion is that no one has
the ultimate truth. Others hold they have. Theoretically in our
country, the majority rules - whether right or wrong. And it might be
remembered, the majority crucified Christ! Another weighty matter.
"There are more things in this world, Horatio, than you or I dream of."

But now, Mulla pulls at my arm with another suggestive story:
"What is Fate?" Nasrudin was asked by a scholar.
"An endless succession of intertwined events, each influencing the
other."
"That is hardly a satisfactory answer. I believe in cause and
effect."
"Very well," said the Mulla, "look at that." He pointed to a
procession passing in the street.
"That man is being taken to be hanged. Is that because someone gave
him a silver piece and enabled him to buy the knife with which he
committed the murder; or because someone saw him do it; or because no
one stopped him, or...?"


There's more! and less...!
And what of the individuals inside the cars? Surely to them who are
the actors, all of this speculation is not as significant as living the
role? Don't they decide the ultimate meaning for themselves? Well,
sometimes. The man in the beautiful blue Caddie had too much to drink
and one arm and half his remaining attention around a woman. He swears
at the idiocy of the Ford driver and shouts the blame at him. He
believes he is right. The driver of the Ford is a student of astrology
and doesn't pay attention to the Caddie driver because he is writing
down the time of his near-accident for study with his Lunar Returns and
his Tarot reader's predictions. Had there been an accident, the
astrologer may also have been interested in the observers' viewpoints
for insurance reports.

But, you say, "Put them together and what have you got?" Well,
"Bippetty Boppetty Boo!" Any magic here? Bugaboos. Bubbles yet.
Predictions, wands, and insurance reports are still the stuff that
dreams are made of. Illusions. Poooph! One no more true than the
other. Don't they exist? Definitely. Fairy godmothers, of both the
good and evil variety, also exist in an imaginary world, and not so far
removed from evil capitalists or communists, depending on one's
viewpoint. Both evil capitalists and even communists are mental
constructs of less quality than fairy godmothers. Here we are, eternal
dreamers dreaming non-eternal dreams.

"Mich-a-ga-roola roo!"
will work magic, believe it or not --"
but only
If one remembers to ask
for the magic words...

"That readiness is all,"
in this opinion.

As for the resolution of these tales, the ultimate pronouncement:
It doesn't make any difference in the long run or the short run, except
for those to whom it does make a difference. They will straighten the
stories out this time, or the next time around, or some other time once
upon a life. Time? Maybe before. Maybe not.

Bippetty Boppetty BE-
Lieve It or Not!
BOO!






March 1969

[Jim Eshelman]

[CHOICE] Choice vs. Determinism in Life, Literature & Astrology:
Philosophic Implications. Kay Cavender. "The study of Sidereal
Astrology contains the connection between character and the mathematic
position of bodies in our solar system and in relation to the universe.
That's an incredible and astonishing idea in itself." "Astrology by
the mere intent and act of attempting to see a person in terms of the
framework of our solar system and cosmos does imply universal
archetypes as a philosophic construct."

* * * *


CHOICE VS. DETERMINISM IN LIFE, LITERATURE & ASTROLOGY:
PHILOSOPHIC IMPLICATIONS.
Kay Cavender

In 1968, I wrote in my beginning astrology notebook: "Be careful
what you look for in astrology as in life; you shall surely find it,
and it will be yourself. As with any philosophical or religious
pursuit, one can only know as much about astrology as one is willing to
know about oneself. Therefore, it behooves all of us to look for the
very best. We see the divinity we are; for we have only the capacity
for the divinity we see--or are willing to admit, not only about
ourselves, but also others. We see ourselves."
This was a statement of what I knew about myself and the world, and
to me even then, one's worldview could only be part of a selfview. In
literature, we can reflect on and ask such questions about human
nature. And in astrology, so must we also, as our interpretation of
depends on our preconceptions about 'life, the universe and
everything.'
Admittedly because of the terminology in astrology, such as
"rulerships," there would appear to be a mechanical, not a purposive
causation implied in astrology's conceptual framework. Unfortunately
such terminology is there from other ages and thought, even though many
psychologically savvy astrologers have rewritten the ideas for our
time. However, there are still preconceptions of our culture which
read determinism into our lives, rather than being open to the
implications that there is meaning in universe, a larger philosophy of
what it is all about. Astrology by the mere intent and act of
attempting to see a person in terms of the framework of our solar
system and cosmos does imply universal archetypes as a philosophic
construct. That's the big picture which is missed by those folk who
determinedly refuse to consider that some 'big hunks of rock out there
have anything to do with us.' And as that is the limited concept, they
rightfully refuse it.
Orson Scott Card in his Introduction to Cruel Miracles, gives a
thrilling and vital moral perspective on religious literature, which
would apply not just to life, but also to astrological thought as a
standard for exploration. Because we bring our understanding of life
to astrology, we must be wary to not ascribe our own understanding and
purposes to the universe. O. S. Card says gives one of the clearest
and most pertinent expositions on determinism in our current thinking
that I have seen:

"The need to discover purpose in our lives is a universal human
hunger....There is a tendency, though, in the "true" stories available
today to explain human behavior, to remove purpose--motive--from
serious consideration. We tend to accept the notion that mechanical,
not purposive, causation accounts for the things people do. Joe
Sinister is a criminal because his parents beat him or because of a
chemical imbalance in his brain or because of a genetic disorder that
removed the function we call conscience. Jane Dexter, on the other
hand, acts altruistically because she is compensating for feelings of
inadequacy or because she has a brain disorder that causes an
overactive sense of responsibility.
These explanations of human behavior may be accurate; I'm interested
in the question, but the issue of accuracy is, in fact, quite
irrelevant to human societies. A human community that uses mechanical
causation to account for human behavior 'cannot survive,' because it
cannot hold its members accountable for their behavior. That is, no
matter how you account for the origin of a human behavior, a community
must continue to judge the perpetrator on the basis of his intent, as
near as that intent can be understood (or guessed, or assumed). That
is why parents inevitably ask their children the unanswerable question:
Why did you do that? Terrible as that question is, it at least puts
the responsibility back on the child's head and forces the child to ask
himself the question that society absolutely requires him to answer:
Why do I do the things I do? And how, by changing my motives, can I
change my behavior? Whereas nothing is more debilitating or enervating
for a child than parents who do not ask why, but rather say. You're
just going through a phase, or, You can't help that, or I understand
that's just the way you are. Such a child, if he believes these
stories, has no hope of getting control of himself and therefore no
hope of becoming an adult, responsible citizen of the community. We
must believe in motives for human behavior, or we cannot maintain
community life.
And once we have embarked on that course--judging each other by
motive, rather than explaining behavior by mechanical causation alone
--the fundamental religious question of the meaning or purpose of life
cannot be avoided."

We must consider directly the issue of purpose versus mechanical
causation in connection with astrology. It is indeed an essential
question in any life philosophy and resulting psychology, and it is
still with us. I always find folk who think that astrology is
ultimately deterministic, that it uses the planets as a kind of
mechanical causation. "How can planets out there affect me here? Does
that means I am to accept I have no control over my life?" And indeed,
much terminology in astrology smacks of determinism. Some folk
dislike, and some folk like astrology for this reason. Often I think,
those who dislike such a concept are thinking and responsible people;
and those who like a deterministic causation, which absolves them of
responsibility, are those who don't want to be responsible for their
choices. "Synchronicity," a concept inherent not in astrology but in
good astrologers, suggests a psychological explanation for ultimately a
metaphysical philosophy. For both those who dislike and those who like
astrology for any reason, I recommend the Karl Jung's concept of
Synchronicity. For if you suspect all astrologers are making excuses,
you don't understand Synchronicity. It's an expansive and enriching
and freeing concept, and it goes with the astrological territory.
Consider the notion that our own energies move according to the same
principles as the planets, that one is born at a particular time
because of the kind of person he is, not that he is the person he
is because of time of birth. The natal is a marker or a description,
NOT a cause. One creates the world as it creates us. Interconnection.
We affect others as they affect us. It is more than a two-way street,
it's a multi-dimensional crossroads. To many but not to all, it is
obvious we are all each subject to our times and our place on earth in
terms of climate & season & political organization & culture & family &
sex, & many other multiples. And within the complexity, there have
always been attempts to discover principles which are universal behind
our mundane experience on Earth, principles which float the solar
system's planets as well as our lives, that we live in harmonic
resonance with. "I miss the meaning of my own part in the play of life
because I know not of the parts that others play," says the Indian poet
& philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.
In this day and age in the free world, we are not tortured and
killed for asking questions about the nature of the universe and
whatever we conceive of as God. Our beliefs which prohibit asking
questions are our major limit. We have an incredible access to ideas
if we are capable of them. For instance, one of the finest historical
models for understanding the complex and ever cycling principles behind
the "uni"(one)verse is the I Ching. (Please see Barbara Walker's
historical research, especially the Introduction to her I Ching of the
Goddess, on the earlier and original FU HSI Arrangement of Hexagrams;
it's a must read.) Cycles are the essence of astrology with its focus
on the changing Earth's day, the Moon's Month, and the Earth's yearly
seasonal cycle around the Sun, as well as the cycles of the other
celestial bodies in our solar system. But it is those quintessential
three--day, month, year--in which we live and have our being. And
these represent are the basic elements in a chart.
How we understand the nature of the world has a direct connection to
how we understand our own behavior. A 'metaphysic' in philosophy means
a notion of the nature of the world, an 'epistemology' - how we know,
and 'ethics' - how we act. All are related to our basic notions about
the world, whether we consider we have a philosophy or not. Admit it
or not, we each choose what we believe on some level. Certainly in
America, we give lip service to that ideal, and that fact that we can
means that it's at least a cultural option, which is a great quality
for a people to have as a group. Without the perception of options,
choice is limited. It's a good time and place to live. We can
understand that it is a perception that there is no choice, and that is
a perception we can choose to change.
In our culture we have literary models of an extended philosophy
which includes both the universe and a focus on choice, from
playwrights, poets, philosophers, and astrologers. Shakespeare: "Our
remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven. The
fated sky gives us free scope..." "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in
our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." And R.E.
Emerson: "Man is his own star, and the soul that can render an honest
and a perfect man, commands all light, all wisdom and all fate." And
British astrologer C.E.O. Carter: "The natus is not, or at least need
not be the Man. It is rather his general life pattern and the
instruments available for his use."
References to this-or-that aspect must sound to the astrological
novice as reasons or excuses why someone does something rather than a
kind of "psychological shorthand" for one's characteristics that
astrology can provide, which such is meant to be. I personally assume
that either a Venusian or a Martian can commit murder: the Venusian may
wrap poison in candy so it tastes sweet and the Martian may just take
up a hatchet and start chopping, but either way it's murder. Now the
characteristic way/s a person moves in his own currents is totally
fascinating; it's always typical of a larger archetype. I have come to
see such archetypal psychological patterns as a given in the same way
that genetic ones give us 5 digits (we devoutly hope) on each limb.
But the characteristic "how" one does something is not an explanation
of 'why' or even 'what' one does. "Whys" are one's own choice, however
fraught with circumstances, whether one chooses to know that or not.
To understand character has been held to be the most important
philosophic end, even if it's only life service, it's been
written, even carved in stone: Know thyself! And I'm sure, even high
school English teachers still introduce the Greek idea that 'character
is fate.' Depending on one's philosophy/values, the character-fate
equation may not be as primary as the admonition of 'loving your
neighbor' (now there's a hard one--what I know about myself is that I
don't love even half of my neighbors), but even much current pop
psychological thinking would have us understand ourselves so we can
then accept ourselves before we can do the same for our neighbor. I'm
OK, you're OK.
Knowing one's character, like knowing the weather forecast, can help
one make better choices. If it is to rain, don't plan a picnic. If
your temperament is stormy, don't set yourself up as a diplomat (or
picnic leader). Self awareness can save days and years of hard knocks.
And being aware that character partakes of larger universal
characteristics, symbols, and/or archetypes is an affirmation in the
universal, (or cosmic, or whatever-biggest-word works here)
interconnectedness of life and consciousness. That 'high' may be an
affirmative religious one, but I absolutely applaud and affirm it.
(And Jupiter-Venus on this writer's M.C. is not a 'reason' for such
sentiment, but a description of a psychological given.) There is a
grand company who through the ages have had similar thoughts.
Hippocrates (4th c. B.C.): "The space between the earth and sky is
filled with spirit. The very movements of the sun, the moon, and the
stars are caused by the blowing of this spirit." Ptolemy: "Mortal as I
am, I know that I am born for a day, but when I follow the serried
multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer
touch the earth; I ascend to Zeus himself to feast me on ambrosia, the
food of the gods." Now that's a High! Hinge of Heaven to tread upon.
With astrology there is that additional dimension; each time one
casts a chart, one can affirm and also explore the nature of the
universe along with the individual, The study of Sidereal Astrology in
particular contains the connection between character and the mathematic
position of bodies in our solar system and in relation to the universe.
That's an incredible and astonishing idea in itself. Astrology was
once called the divine science because it was perceived to reveal
cosmic connections.
Unfortunately, few respectable academics today would even dare
to admit considering astrology for fear of not being accepted as
credible. Certainly very few scientists. People may aspire in
education to be an academic or scientist, but there's no money in
philosophy. Nor as R.C. Firebrace used to say, in good astrology. No
statistics can help us. I remember years ago in my first exposure to
Bertrand Russell, philosopher, sociologist, friend of Einstein,
contributor to symbolic logic, writer of such books as THE ABC'S Of
RELATIVITY, that he observed there is no way to scientifically prove
the Sun will rise tomorrow, that there are some things we just must
assume. I took that to heart. I 'thank the heavens' I have not feared
what others think respectable get in the way of my search for
understandings of inherent divine patterns, the archetypes, known in
other times as the gods and goddesses. Some would say the downside of
that is I'm not a respectable academic. But that's again a matter of
perspective. At this stage of my life, I would not change, nor would I
ever have whatever it has cost me, my pursuit of Sidereal Astrology as
a key to understanding my life.
Here's my bottom line choice perspective which is not statistically
or scientifically validated: I do think ultimately that the "purpose"
of the universe for humans can be and must be found in the purposes of
the human heart. That will be found in the person only. Besides
revealing the psychology with which we pursue our heart's desire, the
study of astrology can help one perceive that there is a kind of
archetypal order if not a purpose, and in so doing, that study can give
a lift to the perspective of the mind and heart. Many know and have
known this. The German poet Schiller wrote, "The stars of your destiny
are within your heart." A similar thought from a different culture is
expressed by Kouan-Tse: "The Tao (way) which is revealed by the sun's
course through the heavens is also revealed inside man's heart... It
is the vital energy which lends existence to being. On earth it makes
the five crops grow; up high, it orders the path of the stars." This
most common, kindred, and divine thought is summarized in a Chinese
saying: "Love everything in the universe because the sun and the earth
are but one body."
Joseph Campbell, one of greatest writers on mythology, in Myths To
Live By, expresses our felt basic oneness with the universe, and brings
us home again, earths us in that heavenly conviction.
"Our mythology now, therefore, is to be of infinite space and its
light, which is without as well as within. Like moths, we are caught
in the spell of its allure, flying to it outward, to the moon and
beyond, and flying to it, also inward."
"We also know that if divinity is to be found anywhere, it will not
be 'out there,' among or beyond the planets. Galileo showed that the
same physical laws that govern the movements of the bodies on earth
apply aloft, to the celestial spheres;... Furthermore we know that the
mathematics of those outermost spaces will already have been computed
here on earth by human minds. There are no laws out there that are not
right here; no gods out there that are not right here, and not only
here, but within us, in our minds."
* * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[SYNCHRON] Simple, lucid excerpts from Rupert Gleadow on
SYNCHRONICITY, Karl Jung's philosophic concept suggesting the
interconnectedness of psychology and the physical universe. In
another time, another version of same philosophy was found in
astrological concept of "correspondences."
See also DREIS' INDEX references to issues of Fagan's "Solunars"
wherein Fagan discusses Karl Jung.
* * * * *



ADDENDUM: Excerpts from
Rupert Gleadow, YOUR CHARACTER IN THE ZODIAC
In scientific work astronomers admit only one principle of
explanation, namely cause and effect. This is not because no other
exists, but only because it is convenient for scientists to limit
themselves to the study of causes and effects. As soon as they begin
to meet human beings outside the laboratory, they have to allow a
second valid principle of explanation, namely purpose. If I suddenly
give a howl, there are two possible explanations you can offer: the
cause may be some pain I suffer, and the purpose may be to call for
help. But both explanations can be valid at the same time. They are
not mutually exclusive. So it is quite conceivable that a third and
fourth principle of explanation may also exist, besides cause and
purpose. And in fact two more have been suggested, both based on the
work of Professor C. G. Jung.
One, called 'SYNCRONICITY,' was put forward by Dr. Jung himself
(and W. Pauli) in a book entitled The Interpretation of Nature and the
Psyche (1955). It means that events which occur at the same moment
have in some way the same implications. The world, after all, is a
coherent structure, for if it were not we should never know what to
expect; a cat could turn into an apply dumpling, or a cow jump over the
moon, at any moment and without asking our permission. But the laws of
nature are not broken.
This means that no part of the universe is ever arbitrarily cut off
from any other part. Everything therefore is to some extent linked
with everything else. The Moon draws an imperceptible tide on every
puddle, and since tiny and trivial events will be most obviously
affected by the forces around them, as the fall of a feather by the
faintest puff of wind, so it is fair to think that the local conditions
of events at any moment reflects to a very small extent the evolution
of the world as a whole.
On this principle DIVINATION would be possible, and also knowledge
of events at a distance, provided always that one's mind were as
perfectly undisturbed as a perfectly smooth mirror or an unruffled
lake--that one did not confuse the picture by one's own expectations,
hopes and guesses. When people try to foretell the future by cards or
crystal they find it much easier to confuse the picture with
expectations than to reflect it clearly.
But the present does contain a good deal of the future to which it
leads--not all, but a good deal. The diver half way between bridge and
water is going to make a splash; the train whizzing towards a station
will enter it unless interfered with; the burglar breaking a pane of
glass has exposed himself to a chance of prison. Yet this is not a
doctrine of determinism, since obviously the different forces already
acting in the present might cancel each other out, and then nothing
happens until you take a decision. So the future depends not on an
irresistible force, but on a small act of freewill.
Granted then that the present contains within it the ingredients of
the future, and is the germ from which the future grows, it is not so
absurd to take it as an emblem from which to prophesy.


Rupert Gleadow's THE ORIGIN OF THE ZODIAC,
"The Naming of the Constellations"
The zodiac grew up, and must have grown up, as a device for
measuring time. Only later did it come to be used for divination, and
later still for the analysis of character. But divination is not and
never has been based on cause and effect. The principle, which has
been best explained by Jung and Pauli, is synchronicity, or the
interpretation of signs occurring simultaneously. Divination is a
matter of signs, not causes, and the ancients did not suppose there to
be any mysterious causative influence of the stars. It is therefore a
waste of time for either astrologers or their enemies to try to
establish or disprove the existence of such an influence.
The Babylonians were deeply addicted to taking omens, and in
particular to observing them in the sky. This is one half of
astrological practice. But their method was basically empirical; they
expected a similar sign in heaven to be followed by a similar event on
earth in virtue of correspondence between heaven and earth, not in
consequence of any cause. And, most important, they did not time their
omens closely. The occurrence of a halo round the moon and enclosing
Venus would have two different significations according as it appeared
in the west or east, and possibly according to the width of the
conjunction; but it was only expected to foretell one event in the near
but not precise future, and it was not taken as a significant moment
from which the future should be counted. This, which is the other half
of astrological practice, was unknown to the Babylonians in the second
millennium.
* * *



NOTE: DREIS' INDEX TO FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS," (as published from
7/53 to 3/70) lists the following issues of American Astrology on Karl
Jung:

Jung, Karl: 11/66 p3 & 4;
Jung and Pauli: 8/56 p3, 4, 5;
Jung Astrological Experiment: 7/61 p3 & 4; 10/61 p4; 1/65 p2;
* * *


On Birthtime & Synchronicity
"Many Things," A.A. 6/41 & 10/65

The time-honored rule is to accept the moment at which a child
utters its first cry as the moment for which the horoscope of that
child should be calculated. The theory is briefly that, with the first
breath, the child, as a psychic entity, establishes a magnetic contact
with his physical environmental and sets into motion the rhythmic
mechanism of his life, both physical and psychic, which thereafter
remains perfectly synchronized with the periodicity that prevails
throughout all nature from that moment until his death.
Karl Jung, commenting on the synchronistic principle of Chinese
science, ancient and modern as distinct from our scientific principle
of causality, has this to say: "I found that there are psychic
parallelisms which cannot be related to each other casually but which
must be connected through another sequence of events. This connection
seemed to be essentially provided in the fact of the relative
simultaneity, therefore the expression synchronistic." ...
"In other words, whatever is born or done at this moment of time has
the qualities of the moment of time."

...From the viewpoint of the astrologer there are no pre-mature
births. We must accept the fact of birth as, and when, it occurs, and
to assume that it should have occurred at any other time is merely
splitting hairs. Jung summed it up neatly in the phrase that will bear
repetition: "Whatever is born or done at this moment of time has the
qualities of the moment of time."
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[VELIKOVS] Evidence from astro-archaeology on Immanuel VELIKOVSKY'S
error in interpreting history, from letters by Cyril Fagan and Garth
Allen, plus excerpt from Peter Lancaster Brown's Megaliths Myths and
Men: An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology. Astrology as well as
astronomy is now "beset with UFOism and Danikenism and several other
pseudological overspills from outer space..." The pearls in this
collection irritated/inspired 'not' by peoples' interest in Velikovskys
Stitchins, or even Easter Death Comets, but from the lack of reliable
comment on same fascinating subjects.
* * * * *


EDITOR'S NOTE: Regarding Velikovsky vs. Venus, which planet he thought
collided with Mars as set forth in his Worlds in Collision, I can't
help wondering about his natal Venus and Mars aspects. His partial
data: June 10 (N.S.) 1895, Vitebsk, Russia, 30E12' 55N12' (-2:00:48).
Star constellation TAU SUN conjunct NEP (loose orb 3 degrees), semi-
square VEN (orb 2 deg), quincunx URA (orb 3 deg), & sesqui-square SAT
(loose orb 3deg). Most ironically amusing: his natal VENUS is
"conjunct" MARS (loose orb 3 deg) and square SAT (orb 1 deg), the two
classical 'malefics.' Just those aspects suggest that when those who
project themselves on events rather than being open to understanding,
they do so characteristically, however great their intellects.
* * * * * *

Cyril Fagan, "Many Things" (On E. Velikovsky)
5/66, American Astrology
From time to time letters are received at the editorial office from
writers who still cleave to the theory seemingly first propounded about
1950 by Immanuel Velikovsky in his Worlds in Collision that there was a
titanic collision between the earth and the head of a comet about the
middle of the first millennium B.C., which so altered the revolution of
the earth on its axis that the Sun, which erstwhile rose in the west
and set in the east, began to rise in the east and set in the west. In
consequence of this terrible impact a new planet was born and added to
our solar system; the planet Venus!
It would appear that the author of Worlds in Collision got his
decision as to the changed orientation of the earth from his perusal of
Professor A. Pogo's description of what he calls "...the astronomical
ceiling decoration..." found in the then newly discovered tomb of
Senmut. Pogo, who admitted he was not an Egyptologist, states inter
alia in his contribution to (14) "...A characteristic feature of the
Senmut ceiling is the astronomically objectionable orientation of the
southern panel. It has to be inspected, like the rest of the ceiling,
by a person facing north, so that Orion appears east of Sirius..." and
seemingly Velikovsky took this statement to mean at the time of Senmut
(c. 1400 B.C.) the sun rose in the west and set in the east.
But if Velikovsky took the trouble to glance at a modern horoscope
diagram, especially the rectangular variety he, too, would find the
orientation astronomically objectionable, for it is identical with that
of Senmut's astronomical ceiling which is nothing else but a copy of a
horoscope (as the legends, indeed, state) for the heliacal rising of
Sirius on New Year's Day of the common Egyptian calendar: an event
which can only recur for a tetraeteris (4 year period) about 1456
years!
Additional copies of the same horoscope were found in the two
temples of Rameses II at Abydos and at Madinat Habu; in the tombs of
Rameses VI, VII, IX at Thebes (c. 1150 B.C.) in the sarcophagus of
Prince Nectanebo, and in the coffin of Hor-nef-tef of the Saite period
(663-420 B.C.) and in the two tombs at Alfih of the Ptolemaic period
(305-30 B.C.) where they acted as talismans promising longevity in the
Elysian Fields.

Sidereal Campanus: OLDEST HOROSCOPE July 16 O.S., 2767 B.C.
M.C. 10ARI37, llth 9TAU00, 12th 18GEM41, ASC 28CAN52, 2nd 26LEO59,
3rd 19VIR00, MARS 19CAN01, JUP 21CAN35, SAT 24CAN53, VEN 25CAN42,
SUN 10LEO34, MER 28LEO54, MOON 19AQU02

These copies show a very rare quadruple conjunction of Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (as Mars was identified with the evil god
Seth, for superstitious reasons in a few copies it was omitted), with
Venus, under its Pyramidic name of the Benu-bird or Bird of the
Inundation risen in the east just above the Ascendant. Retrospective
calculation discloses that such a conjunction actually took place on
July 16 (O.S.) 2767 B.C. which happened to be New Year's Day of the
common Egyptian calendar, and incidentally midsummer day. On this date
Sirius rose heliacally at Heliopolis the Greenwich of Egypt! Note the
accompanying chart which is a copy of the oldest extant horoscope in
existence!

Apart from the above, the 63rd Tablet of the great Babylonian Enuma
Anu Enlil series gives the heliacal rising and settings in Nin-se-an-na
(Venus) in terms of the Babylonian months (not the zodiac, which was
unknown to the Babylonians at this period, not yet being imported from
Egypt) during 22 successive years in the reign of Ammisaduqa of the
First Babylonian Dynasty. There can be no question that Nin-se-an-na
is identical with Venus for the periodicity of its heliacal risings and
settings are the same as those of Venus, and for no other planet.
On the 1st Nisan, the first day of the Hypsomatic lunar year,
commencing April 4, 786 B.C. the triad comprising the Sun, Moon and
Venus were found precisely in their traditional degrees of their
exaltation! Apart from such considerations it is known that Babylonian
and Assyrian sanctuaries, dating from that of Enlil-Assur-Zikurrat in
2931 B.C. to Nabu's Temple in 606 B.C., whose foundation dates were
recorded, were oriented on the 1st Nisan of the foundation year, to the
Pedjeshes (an arc of a circle intersecting Benetnash and Spica), which
has been confirmed by the researches of Gunter-Martiny, P.V.
Neugebauer, Boker and others. But such confirmation would not be
possible had the axes of the earth suffered a somersault as claimed in
Worlds in Collision.
* * * *


Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," AA 2/67
"The Sidereal and Its Detractors"

As with all seemingly new subjects, detractors of the sidereal
version of the zodiac are not a few. For the most part they are
theorists who never really studied the authentic history of the Zodiac,
nor of astronomy and astrology in remote antiquity. What little they
do know has been gleaned from questionable sources, which seem to rely
more on occult information than on sound academic scholarship. Of
course, the older generation of astrologers, who boast of an
astrological library, generally refer, with satisfaction, to the
writings of Sir Isaac Newton, Sayce, and the numerous tracts of the
Hon. Emmiline Plunkett, reprinted from the "Proceedings of the Society
of Biblical Archeology" towards the close of the 19th century, and to
many others, to refute the claims of siderealists; their "bible" being
"Constellations and Calendars" by the Hon. Emmiline Plunkett (1904).
Writing from Vienna several years ago, Weidner, the great
Assyriologist, informed the present writer that the statements, dates,
translations and conclusion about Babylonia and Assyria, published in
books prior to 1920 should be completely discountenanced and were not
longer authoritative or valid. For since that year great headway had
been made by scholars in the correct transcription of cuneiform texts
and in the understanding of ancient texts and in the understanding of
ancient Mesopotamian chronology, rendering worthless all that had been
written about Babylonia and Assyria before 1920. In particular the
charts, dates, theories and conclusions arrived at, in "Calendars and
Constellations," are now known to be completely false, in the light of
the new discoveries. In academic circles the book has, so to speak,
long ago has been consigned to the trash can!

THE TRUTH
Whether we care to believe it or not, it is an incontestable fact,
proved to the hilt by scholars, from the excavated cuneiform tablets of
Babylonia and Assyria, and from the papyri of Egypt that the original,
and hence authentic, version of the zodiac was sidereal. It was in
this version that all the rulerships, exaltations and astrological
aphorisms that have come down to us from hoary antiquity were framed.
They were never intended to apply to the tropical version, where they
are a misfit. The Greeks made the cardinal blunder in believing that
just because the equinoxes perpetually rose due East and set due West
they were fixed point in the ambient for all eternity. Hence they made
them fixed points in their version of the zodiac that originally hailed
from Egypt. About 900 B.C. their zodiac showed the vernal-point fixed
in Aries 15d. Some centuries later they shifted it to Aries 12d and
then to Aries 10d. At the time of the Babylonian astronomer Naburiannu
(500 B.C.), the Greeks fixed the equinox in Aries 8d and about 379 B.C.
they altered it to Aries 4d, to bring it into conformity with Kidinnu's
solilunar tablets. About 139 B.C. the Greek astronomer Hipparchus was
alleged to have discovered the phenomenon known as "The Precession of
the Equinoxes." But he, and Claudius Ptolemy after him, firmly adhered
to the opinion it was the fixed stars that were moving, and that the
equinoxes were fixed. It was not until the medieval ages--the time of
Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo and Copernicus--that it was discovered it
was the equinoxes that were moving and not the fixed stars! Just
because the Greeks hitched the vernal-equinox to their versions of the
zodiac, all of them were tropical. The present version, with the
vernal-equinox fixed in Aries 0d was invented by Posidonius (c 135--50
B.C.) and promulgated by his pupil Geminus, according to Bouche-
Leclercq ("L'Astrologie Greque", Paris, 1899). It had no existence
prior to the second century B.C. So the statements of Emmiline
Plunkett and many others that the tropical version of the zodiac, as is
known to us today, is of immense antiquity and invented by the
Babylonians is just a fairy tale. Incidentally Aries did not exist in
the Babylonian zodiac. Its place was taken by Khun.ga "the hirling"!
In the original Egyptian version Sa the ram, St the ewe and S3 sa the
lamb occupy precisely the place in the zodiac now known as Aries,
provided the so-called "decans" are read as pentades. The Egyptians
and the Babylonians (i.e. the Chaldeans) hitched their zodiac to the
fixed stars; and which has never altered down the long corridors of
time. The Greeks in ignorance hitched it to the retrograding
equinoxes, and in consequence it is altering all the time. These are
the facts of history. They are not theories....

THE SINKING OF ATLANTIS
Notwithstanding the fact that the many "Celestial Diagrams," as they
are called by scholars, found in Egyptian temples and tombs of many
dynasties, prove to be copies of a star chart for the heliacal rising
of Sirius on New Years Day of the common Egyptian calendars, as their
legends in fact state, which retrospective computations demonstrate
conclusively to have occurred on July 16, 2767 B.C. (see The Symbolism
of the Constellations) scholars are not persuaded that astrology
flourished in Egypt at such a remote date because of the complete lack
of collateral records. However, Garth Allen, has now very kindly
brought to our attention an article in the Saturday Review of November
6, 1966 which discusses in some detail, Professor Angelos Galanopoulos,
(the Greek seismologist) apparent discovery that the volcanic island of
Santorini (N 36d 22' 01"; E 25d 28' 33") or what now remains of it, in
the Aegan Sea, was identical with ancient Atlantis which erupted and
almost completely disappeared about 1400 B.C. This tallied with the
Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty. Sacred writing of this period "...tell of
a time of prolonged darkness, thunder, floods, plague and days when the
Sun was 'in the sky like the Moon'... Confusion seized the eyes, there
was not exit from the palace... Now these nine days were in violence
and tempest; none could see the face of his fellow man...O that the
earth would cease from noise. The towns have been destroyed...Upper
Egypt has been wasted..." Is this the real reason there were no
records? Was the land so completely covered with flooding silt that
everything was destroyed? In the light of Galanopoulos's epoch-making
discovery, it seems very like it.
It now appears fairly obvious that in his "Collision of Two Worlds"
Velikovsky has mistaken the disaster caused by the eruption and sinking
of Atlantis as that caused by the highly improbable collision of the
head of a comet with the earth, resulting in the formation of the
planet Venus. Apart from the fact that "The Venus Tablets of
Ammisaduqa," which treat of the heliacal risings and setting of the
planet Venus in terms of the Babylonian lunar calendar (and not in
terms of the constellations or signs of the zodiac, which were unknown
to the Babylonians at this period) during the reign of Hammurapi, a
king of the 1st Babylonian dynasty (18 century B.C.), the celestial
diagrams of Egypt depict the planet Venus as the Benu-bird (pink heron)
which they identified with the fabulous Phoenix, just risen above the
Ascendant. Calculation reveals that at the moment of Sirius' heliacal
rising on July 16, 2767 B.C. at Heliopolis, Venus in 25CAN42' had risen
by 3 degrees above the Ascendant, which was in 28CAN52'.
* * *

Research Dept. (G. Allen?) American Astrology 9/72
Yes, Mr Fagan commented on Velikovsky's opinion (don't misname it
"research") in past "Solunars" easily demonstrating the absurdity of
Velikovsky's theory about the recent origin of Venus. Ephemerides of
Venus compiled by at least three different ancient civilizations show
Venus right where Venus should be, much earlier than its alleged
"origin." The author you so vainly vaunt is obviously inept in
celestial dynamics, just as he was inept in geology, archaeology,
history and ancient literature (especially the Biblical kind), so
calling his work well-documented and convincing just doesn't ring true.
To those who know these subjects well are more amused by, than
contemptuous of his writings, which have staged a come-back in this age
of paperback reprints of interesting rubbish.
But even if Velikovsky's fancies were facts, how could they possibly
impinge upon the historical reconstruction of astrology. Fagan's
studies reveal primarily what was believed and done by astrologers in
antiquity and how these beginnings have affected modern astrological
ideas.... Since the vast majority of astrologers in the history of the
world have been siderealists, and the traditional threads have run
unbroken through some five millennia, the Western popularization of
classical astrology by Cyril Fagan is hardly to be taken as something
worked out from a premise either true or false. The statement in your
letter is surely the non sequitur of the year. We suggest that you dig
just a little deeper into the facts, read just a little more
extensively, and be just a bit less impressed by lurid reading matter.
Reality is more fascinating than fiction.
* * * * * *


Peter Lancaster Brown, MEGALITHS MYTHS AND MEN: AN INTRODUCTION
TO ASTRO-ARCHAEOLOGY - Excerpt regarding I. Velikovsky

But it was not until 1881, when the Jesuit fathers Epping and
Strassmaier recognized sophisticated Babylonian lunar theory in
cuneiform texts, that the real scientific astronomy of the ancient
world came to light.
The interpretation of Babylonian astronomy has its own
controversies. One of the earliest scientific texts concerns the Venus
tablets of Ammizaduga (found in Assurbanipal's library), which are now
counted among the treasured possessions of the British Museum. These
tablets are closely involved with Immanuel Velikovsky's contentious
theories. Among numerous hyperspeculations, Velikovsky proposed that
two major catastrophes occurred sometime in the past owing to the
Earth's dynamic interaction with a comet and then Mars. The comet
encounter with the Earth supposedly took place about -1500, and as a
consequence the comet became transformed into the planet Venus: the
Mars encounter supposedly took place in -687. In both encounters
Velikovsky claimed that the directions of the Earth's axial spin was
switched plus the angle of tilt of the axis itself, resulting in a
major change in the obliquity of the ecliptic.
These catastrophe theories of Velikovsky are in fact an updated
interpretation of a fanciful seventeenth-century idea of Edmond Halley
which he later revoked himself, and it was then taken up and developed
by William Whiston in his New Theory of the Earth (1696).
If Velikovsky's ideas are correct, the proof whould be forth-coming
in Megalithic alignments. It follows that Stonehenge and other
Megalithic monuments constructed before c. -15 -- would now not show
positive alignments to the Sun and Moon. These colourful cataclysms
have enormous dramatic appeal to a lay readership and in particular to
some contemporary student bodies revolting against so-called
traditional scientiful dogmatism and teaching authoritarianism; by
these Velikovsky is now considered something of a guru. In attempts to
counter the daming positive Stonehenge alignment evidence, Velikovsky
claims the monument was erected later than -687; he maintains that the
radiocarbon dates are completely unreliable, the archaeological data
wrong, and he is utterly convinced that artefacts originating from
Stonehenge which had been dated as belonging to the early second
millennium might easily have been placed there afterwards. Perhaps his
views echo the instances of the British penny discovered in the lower
levels of Harappa in the Indus Valley civilization, and the empty soda-
water bottle found in a very ancient South African site!
The Venus tables of Ammizaduga have also been drawn into these
arguments. Several books and many contentious papers have been written
about the Venus tablets. These have argued several premises but in
particular the problem relating to their actual date which is believed
at present to be c.-1645 to -1625; whereas Velikovsky's ideas would
place them about a millennium later. All who have attempted to
decipher the tablets have been faced with the problem of separating out
misleading scribal errors. These errors have been manipulated and
interpreted by Velikovsky and his acolytes in futile attempts to show
that Venus has not always moved in the orbit she moves in today, and
indeed they believe that the tablets justify and support the
catastrophe theory.
The old diffusion-versus-independent-innovation arguments hound
astronomy as much as they do archaeology. Perhaps even more so since
astronomy is now beset with UFOism and Danikenism and several other
pseudological overspills from outer space...

* * * * * * * * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[EXTRACON] From time to time, there are rumors of Extra
Constellations which keep popping up into the skies. This file
includes an explanation of the WHOLE LUNE DIVISION of the celestial
sphere [revised and corrected in 1999] as an introduction to Garth
Allen's book review & comments on those pesky Extra CONS-tellations.
It was after I had recreated this explanation on LUNES already
presented by Garth Allen that I found one of Allen's essays
specifically on Lunes as followup comment on the book ASTROLOGY 14 (on
extra constellations). This is now included at the end of this file
and titled "Getting Things Straight" from "Many Things," 3/71 American
Astrology. At the end of that essay, Allen refers to the "Solar Apex"
as a Fiducial marker for the divisions between the constellations,
whose position was based on research now regarded as incorrect. The
Solar Apex is no longer regarded as a Sidereal Fiducial for the
constellational divisions. See the file [APEX]. However, as in the
file [APEX], I still include Allen's essays as a record of his thinking
and a creative endeavor in understanding the whole, big picture.

[DOOMDATE] is an another 'extra' included in this file. As Garth
Allen points out, the accumulation of many planets in one constellation
has not tipped the balance historically to destruction, nor will the
the upcoming May 2000 Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which
is included in his list. Garth Allen who died untimely in 1974 would
certainly have loved to comment on the current teaser--the Mayan
calendar prediction of world destruction at the end of the Fifth Sun,
23 December AD 2012, which is not so far off geologists' reckonings for
and the famous Edgar Cayce's warnings of earth changes to occur--any
time now. Time will tell soon enough. Earthquakes, shifting icecaps,
widening holes in the Earth's protective atmosphere, all suggest a
brink. "Armegeddonists Take Note !"
As a point of definition, none of the above indicate the changing
of an "Age" indicated by the precession of the equinoxes from its
current position in the constellation Pisces to Aquarius, which is not
to occur for some 376+ years. The spring equinox for the epoch 2000
January 1st occurs at 5 degrees PISCES 15' 49" according to the
Fagan/Allen ayanamsha, and precession occurs at about 71.6 years per
degree.
* * * *



The Zodiacal Star Constellations name and include WHOLE LUNE
DIVISIONS, or orange-shaped sections of the heavens from the north
ecliptic pole to south ecliptic pole; these are 12 longitudinal
sections of the ecliptic plane, at right angles to the plane. The
ecliptic or 'invariable' astronomical plane is defined by the Earth's
yearly path or orbit around the Sun, and this plane is 0 degrees
latitude of the Sidereal Zodiac. The ecliptic plane represents the
backbone of the zodiac because the constellations near it are used to
mark the `apparent' path of the Sun. However, every few years somebody
finds or redraws a star constellation map which connects a zodiacal
star (one near the ecliptic plane) to an extra-zodiacal constellation
(one further away from the ecliptic plane), and Voila! It's announced
that a whole new, EXTRA CONstellation has emerged. The problem is a
lack of understanding of the astronomical concept involved, i.e., the
lunes of the heavens.

It is helpful to visualize the 12 (longitudinal) lunes, so-called
because these sections have an appearance similar to a crescent lunar
phase, as orange-shaped sections. The core of the orange would
represent the pole of the ecliptic plane with the 12 orange sections
around it. If you were to cut open the orange midway at right angles
to its core, you would have the ecliptic plane, and 0 degrees ecliptic
latitude of the Sidereal Zodiac. When inscribed on the 'sphere of the
heavens,' each 30 degree longitudinal lune section from ecliptic north
pole to south pole includes parts of many constellations; however, each
lune was anciently named for a star constellation near the ecliptic
plane. That is, the whole lune section including many constellations
was named a 'zodiacal' constellation near the ecliptic plane.

To restate, it is not merely the plane of the ecliptic that is
being divided, but the entire celestial sphere. Of the many
constellations over the surface of the celestial sphere, the zodiacal
ones give their names to the sectioning of the celestial sphere in the
Sidereal or star constellation measurement of the Zodiac. Thus, all
the other constellations in the heavens are already included in the
twelve 30 degree 'zodiacal' LUNE sections--regardless of how one
connects a stray star. Redrawing lines from stars to constellations
does not revise the 12 zodiacal divisions. In assigning longitude and
latitudes to any constellation in the Sidereal Zodiac, the reference is
from the ecliptic/zodiacal plane and its division into 12 equal
sections of 30 degrees.

Unfortunately, the spurious question of whether or not, for
example, the Serpent Holder/Bearer (Ophuichus) is 'another' zodiacal
constellation does not become clear if one looks at a map of the
ecliptic (zodiacal) constellations, because maps are not standardized
in this day, nor anciently, from culture to culture or even from
century to century. What does become clear from looking at celestial
maps is that constellational boundaries (i.e., which affect the number
of stars therein) have been redrawn and recreated through history and
have varied from culture to culture and are all of various sizes. In
our culture alone, the boundaries vary from starmap to starmap
depending on what the parameters are, i.e., from which discipline one
views them, and the boundaries vary even within the discipline of
astronomy. Thus the argument concerning various sizes of the
constellations gets off the point since all constellations, zodiacal or
otherwise, are of various shapes and sizes. However, the 'zodiacal'
divisions along the ecliptic plane have been of 30 degrees each since
ancient times, and are a heritage from Egyptian and Babylonian
astronomy.

A further complication of this issue is the precession phenomena
which can be explained by the distinction between the ecliptic plane of
the Earth's orbit (the Sidereal framework) and the wobbling equatorial
plane of the Earth's projected longitude and latitude coordinates onto
the celestial sphere (which is the Tropical framework). Although the
Earth circles around the Sun (not vice versa), astronomically the
Earth's inscribed path is referred to as the Sun's "apparent" path in
sky because that's how we see it from Earth. The Sun's "apparent" path
in the heavens as seen from Earth represents the plane of the ecliptic.
The "invariable" ecliptic plane, as it is referred to astronomically,
is constant in reference to the fixed stars, and generally speaking,
the zodiacal stars do not change their relationship to each other or
the ecliptic plane except over very long periods of time. Because of
their great distances, the stars' *proper motion also is for all
practical purposes constant.

(*The stars have their own proper motion which, as Aldebaran,
may only change its sidereal longitude by 3 minutes of arc in
2735 years, or 1 degree in approximately 57,000 years.)

It is otherwise with the Earth's present 23.5 degree axial tilt in
relation to its ecliptic path/plane which causes the seasons (i.e., the
directness of the angle at which the Sun's light strikes the northern
and southern hemispheres). Because the Earth (including its pole and
equator) has a slow gyroscopic wobble, much like a spinning top, over
the centuries it changes its axial orientation and thus its equatorial
indicator of the equinoxes in reference to the backdrop of the fixed
star constellations. This `precession' phenomena is part of the
confusion because it is caused by changes in our Earth's axial
orientation to the heavens. As one system of astronomical coordinates
(the Equatorial System), the Earth's equator is projected onto the
heavens (at an angle of 23.5 degrees in relation to the ecliptic plane)
and intersects the ecliptic plane thereby marking the spring and fall
equinoxes. Again, because the Earth's polar axis wobbles, its axis and
equator move, "precessing backwards through the star constellations
about 1 degree every 71.6 years along the ecliptic plane. Two
intersecting planes--one invariable, the other moving or precessing
backwards in reference to the other. The Tropical (moving) Zodiac
takes the spring equinox (intersection of celestial equator and
ecliptic) as the beginning or 0 degrees of the 'sign' Aries.

The Sidereal measurement of the Zodiac is set in the framework of
the fixed stars behind the ecliptic or invariable plane, and the
brightest marking stars were historically the indicators of the
constellational divisions (such as Aldebaran at 15 Taurus, Regulus at 5
LEO, Spica at 29 Virgo, Antares at 15 Scorpio). The Tropical (moving
and seasonal) framework is dependent on the Earth's projected longitude
and latitude as measured from its axis and equator; because the Earth
wobbles, the celestial equator moves or precesses backward along the
ecliptic plane in reference to the fixed stars because the Earth
wobbles. The precessional equinoxes (where the celestial equator
intersects the ecliptic plane) move generally about one degree every 72
years (more precisely 71.6 years), taking about 2160 years to move
through a constellation (30 degrees x 72 years), and taking 25,920
years to complete a whole precessional cycle (2160 x 12
constellations).

The basics of precession although complicated are not greatly
difficult and are taught in high school astronomy classes. In college
astronomy books, precession gets only two to three paragraphs at the
most. Also it is also well known that Vedic astrology of India, the
one surviving ancient astrology, is sidereally based. Even so, the
conceptual difference between the two ways of measuring the zodiac
(Tropical and Sidereal) has not been widely understood and accepted by
the astrological world even though Cyril Fagan first announced and
explained it to western astrology in 1947 and wrote a monthly column
for 17 consecutive years in American Astrology. The problem is not
in the difficulty of precession... But to restate: the Tropical
framework of the 'Signs' is based on the precessing spring equinox
(mistaking that for the beginning of the zodiac and calling it 0
Aries). The measurement of the equinoxes is based on the gyrating
Earth's projected equatorial plane onto the celestial sphere where it
(as celestial equator) intersects the ecliptic plane and thus marks the
moving equinoxes against the backdrop of the fixed stars.

The confusion historically is due to the Greek error in
misunderstanding the true stellar framework of ancient Egyptian and
Babylonian astrology, and this was compounded in the Middle Ages. The
Tropical `signs' were erroneously named from the constellations through
which they were precessing at a time when the two 'zodiacs' were only a
few degrees apart. However, we have had for several centuries more
clarity of astronomical measurement. Estimates are that in about 221
AD the spring equinox occurred near 0 Aries of the star constellations.
For the epoch January 1, 2000, the position of the spring equinox in
the star constellations is 5 degrees PISCES 15' 49" in terms of the
Fagan/Allen ayanamsha. Time to update!

Primary historical and astronomical questions which should and will
always require clarification are how and why the Sidereal Zodiac was
divided as it was, and the meaning of the mathematical division of the
twelve 30 degree segments. According to Cyril Fagan and other
scholars, ancient Egypt which contained the geographic center of the
world's land mass was a primary source of our zodiacal constellations
and also specifically of the idea of the twelve 30 degree zodiacal
segments of the 360 degree ecliptic circle, which equal segments were
named after zodiacal constellations of various unequal lengths. For
more information on these divisions indicated by KEY MARKING STARS (but
not "caused" by those stars), see Fagan's writing on Astrological
Origins in [ORIGINS1] and [EGYPTIAN].
- Revised March 1999
*******************************




Garth Allen, "Many Things." A.A. 11/70
BOOK REVIEW: Steven Schmidt's Astrology 14
Letter dated 8-21-70, N.Y., N.Y.: Steven Schmidt wrote a book,
"Astrology 14." He believes there are now 14 constellations in the
zodiac. Offhand, I think it's ridiculous. What do you think?
Comment: Anybody who thinks that Cetus and Ophiuchus are planets
unquestionable deserves "Astrology 14," and we are glad they found each
other. That book is surely the lamest offering in the name of
astrology's progress to come along in some time. Though labeled by his
publisher as a technical writer, its author describes himself as "one
who writes fiction and poetry," which somehow seems more to the point.
The intellectual stratum of our profession is always on the lookout
for new researchable ideas and the uncovering of new analytical
techniques, for the studious in our field are well aware that what is
usually passed off as astrology is, for the most part, defective,
incomplete and often irrational. But "Astrology 14" represents nothing
in the way of a remedial contribution for what ails our subject. Its
concept is scientifically as well as historically untenable, but that
this should be the case is no surprise when you read the book and take
note of its lack of technical knowledge and of information-based logic.
An example of scientific error is the repeated statement in the book
and its advertising that two new constellations "have moved into the
zodiac." It author is apparently so inept in astronomy that he doesn't
realize that precession cannot significantly alter any star's latitude
away from the ecliptic. The celestial latitude of Sabik (Eta
Ophiuchi), by way of illustration, has been 7d 13' North throughout all
historical time and it will continue to have this value in the eons
ahead no matter what the precession in longitude amounts to. In the
manner of most sciolists and astrological dilettantes he mixes up the
tropical and sidereal zodiacs; in fact, his choice of words indicates
that he doesn't really know the difference between them--to him the
zodiac is the stellar groups known to cub scouts and school marms.
An example of historical error is the book's ignoring of the fact
that one of the basic branches of practical astrology is siderealism
which has a significant advocacy in the profession and a considerable
literature of its own (as well as continuous representation in this
magazine), about which Mr. Schmidt seems to know nothing at all.
Constellational astrology is the specialty of many astrologers
throughout the world, which fact contrasts comically with Steven
Schmidt's posture that he is presenting a "discovery" that the zodiac
is badly out of whack because it has shifted through precession. When
one writes a book purportedly authoritative, the least the paying
public expects is that the author should be minimally acquainted with
the subject being written about. "Astrology 14" has not brought a
damned thing "up to date" as claimed; it has merely revealed its
author's unfamiliarity with the historical development and scientific
parameters of his chosen topic--which makes him a potential pledgee of
the tropical fraternity he thinks his book will enlighten.
But it was probably bound to happen sooner or later that somebody
would come up with an ersatz sidereal zodiac comprising 14 rather 12
divisions, if only because in this nonsense-saturated subject of ours
every imaginable absurdity is advanced as a "new truth" at least once
per generation. The author of this particular absurdity evinces no
awareness whatever of the great amount of available research material
that has accumulated, primarily though the efforts of those who have a
dissatisfaction with modern astrology coupled with an appreciation of
the scientific method. Nowhere in the book "Astrology 14" is there
knowledgeable reference to any of the many studies which indicate the
areas in which astrology is sorely in need of improvement.
Instead, the few sources cited and quoted from generally represent
some of the trashiest or most superficial works on the market today.
It is amazing that some with even elementary astronomical knowledge
would seriously quote, as justifications for any kind of argument, the
patent ignorances of another writer. They may deserve each other, but
the public for all its academic waywardness is not deserving of either
of them.
How could anybody with even mediocre grasp of astronomy come to
believe, for instance, that "A great Sidereal Year is 25,920 years.
This is how long it takes for all the planets to return to their same
positions and relationships to each other. It has to do with the
precession of the equinoxes" ? A prize example of the blind leading
the blind into a ditch! It would be laughable were it not so sickly to
entertain for a moment the notion that the mythic star assignments of
Hellenic astronomy have anything to do with the discrete zones of
zodiacal influence--even in sidereal astrology (which the author of
"Astrology 14" does not even allude to, no doubt because he didn't know
anything about it when he wrote the book).
If there is one merit of "Astrology 14," albeit one indirectly
earned, it is that its author accidentally "discovered" certain broad
outlines of the sidereal zodiac without realizing it. To a siderealist
his book almost hilariously hits onto little realizations that make
age-old zodiacal symbology come to life. This is owing, of course, to
Mr. Schmidt's estimate of the calendar dates embraced by his 14 signs.
To illustrate, in sidereal astrology the Sun-sign of Libra covers
roughly October 18th to November 16th, whereas Schmidt's "Libra" covers
October 15th to November 9th. Evaluating commonly shared attributes of
his list of notables having birthdays in the interval, he touches upon
one of the most important properties of classical Libra, But just
accidently.
The effort to arrive at new key words and concepts for each of the
14 signs is badly botched, however, by too much use of the tactic of
transliterating standard tropical stereotypes, as penned by other
authors, into the new array of signs and dates. In another form, this
is the old familiar block on which many tropicalists have the habit of
stumbling; falling victim to the homonymous fallacy, they can't seem to
imagine that tropical Aries, say, is something quite different from
sidereal Aries. In this reviewer's opinion, "Astrology 14" is just
another addition to the huge, scrap-pile of sophomoric, pseudo-
scientific, silly books that would not have been written had their
writers spent a few more hours in genuine research and a few more
dollars on reference materials penned by scholars who pursue the truth
more avidly than they do the fast buck.
The ad copywriters at Bobbs-Merrill claim that their new baby is
"shaking the Astrology establishment and making other books on
astrology obsolete." Oh come on, fellows, if there is one thing that
can't be done, that's it! Many of the conventional breed of
astrologers have endlessly proven themselves quite impervious to facts
and figures, science and history, overwhelming evidence and self-
evident truths. Do you actually believe that a fairytale is going to
faze them? There is admittedly an entrenched eagerness in our field to
dismiss what is true and accept what is false, but let's face it,
"Astrology 14" is not a big enough fallacy to attract that sort of
following.
*****************




"Many Things," 3/1971 American Astrology
Getting Things Straight
(ON LUNES)
LETTER 11/25/70, Fort Dodge, Iowa: I found the scathing review of
"ASTROLOGY 14" very interesting. I have not read that book, and Garth
Allen has eliminated both the necessity and the desire to do so.
I am a mere novice at astrology and a tropicalist at that, so I know
you will understand if the question I am about to bring up would be
elementary or obvious to others more advanced in their studies.
I have an old star map printed by the National Geographic magazine,
December 1957. Across the bottom is a map of the ecliptic through the
constellational zodiac, which quite clearly shows the Sun as moving
only through the traditional 12 constellations with Cetus and Ophiuchus
nowhere to be seen.
Mr. Allen, National Geographic and I all agree that the Sun does not
traverse these two constellations. Then I read astronomical
descriptions of the dates when the visible planets moved through
various constellations, and in this the constellation Ophiuchus is
definitely mentioned!
I have always thought that the siderealist viewed the constellations
from the same point of view as the astronomer. If this is true, how
does sidereal astrology deal with, say, Saturn in Ophiuchus? In
anything I've ever read on sidereal astrology I have never seen any
reference to the planets being anywhere but in the traditional
constellations. Please enlighten me and other faithful readers via
your excellent publication.

Garth Allen's COMMENT: You have hit onto the commonest
misunderstanding about the sidereal zodiac. The term 'constellation'
is used by an astrologer only to distinguish the dozen zodiacal zones,
which are exactly 30 degrees of longitude in width, from the word
'sign' which through broad usage has come to be more closely associated
with the tropical scheme (even though the word 'sign' itself is clearly
sidereal in derivation!). Sidereally speaking, a sign is a great lune
representing one-twelfth of the entire celestial sphere, with the horns
of the lune converging at the ecliptic poles--and therefore has nothing
directly to do with the classical star-outlined figure straddling the
ecliptic which gave the zone its name.
Modern astronomers have allocated various areas on the celestial
sphere to "constellations" roughly grouped according to tradition but
using the equatorial system for their boundaries; right ascension and
declination are more convenient coordinates for astronomical purposes.
In this nonastrological set-up, the modern boundaries of Ophiuchus and
Cetus do protrude into what is called the "zodiacal belt" even though,
as far as astrologers are concerned, the zodiac should never be thought
of as a belt or band or discrete width centered on the ecliptic. For
instance, no matter how far from the ecliptic they may be, each of the
stars of the Little Dipper--including Polaris itself--has a zodiacal
longitude and latitude, expressible in either tropical or sidereal
terms.
To repeat for emphasis, the 12 zones of the sidereal zodiac are each
30 degrees in extent and are absolutely independent of individual stars
and the artifices of star lore. The fiducial line, technically
speaking, is determined by a perpendicular drawn to the ecliptic from
the solar apex in absolute space; it is only a welcome happenstance
that certain of the brighter stars have longitudes close to convenient
divisions in the sidereal signs, such Aldebaran at 15 degrees Taurus,
Antares at 15 degrees Scorpio, Alcyone and Regulus at 5 degrees of
Taurus and Leo, respectively, and the traditional "tail stars" in the
last two degrees of the sidereal divisions they belong to.
* * * *




[WORLDEND] or [DOOMDATE] In the universe at large, stars are imploding
and exploding, recreating themselves and dying, as is life on Earth.
Eons eventually, our SunStar will Blow and incinerate a good many of
its planets, but a long, long time after humans have made this Earth
unlivable for all life anyway. Given that; but considering history in
much smaller increments as our species conceives it and without looking
to our own responsibility - When would a more current, external Doom
doom us?
"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from
day to day to the last syllable of recorded time." (Gloom, etc., - S's
Macbeth).
Happily Garth Allen, sidereal astrologer, in 3/62 A.A. contributed
pertinent astronomical info as an answer under the caption
"Armegeddonists Take Note." When discussing 2/1961 septet grouping of
planets within a mere 16 decree ecliptic longitude as only the second
most potent of the millennium, he also cited the tighter 12 degree
cluster of all 7 "visible to the naked eye" bodies of the solar system
in Sept 15, 1186 A.D., Julian Calendar. The downside of this info is
the lack of any significant historical events or disasters for either
date above. The upside is that we can still worry about future dates.
Another previous occasion when the 7 classical planets were in a 30
degree zone occurred twice in April 1821; again no events beyond
workayear happenstance.
Let the words of Garth Allen, that quintessential Aquarian,
introduce his data: "Inasmuch as apocryphal-type predictions are
characteristically more lurid and fearsome the longer the time it takes
to see if the prognoses 'come true,' this far-in-advance astronomical
information will be especially helpful to assorted Armegeddonists,
Calamity Howlers, Continent Sinkers, and Axis Topplers." His future
septet planet cluster dates for the late, great planet Earth are - May
5, 2000; Sep 8, 2040; and Nov 2, 2100. Perhaps three dates in 100
years will be a charm.
* * * * * * *



Garth Allen, "Your Corner," A.A. 3/62
Armegeddonists Take Note !

Just how rare that February concentration of planets actually was
can be judged from the astronomical record of other planetary traffic
jams of the past 1,000 years. The February 4th-5th grouping spread out
over 16 degrees of ecliptic longitude, all against the familiar star
layout of Capricornus, the constellated Goat or Goatfish. This space
in the sky is assigned, for some reason, to a sector bearing the "sign"
name of Waterbearer
An even tighter meeting of the solar clan, spanning only 12 degrees,
occurred in September 1186 A.D., along with a partial eclipse of the
Sun in 28.4 degrees tropical Virgo or 15.0 degrees sidereal Virgo. All
of the seven naked-eye or anciently known bodies of the solar system
were clustered within 12 degrees of the eastward side of the Sun on
September 15, 1186, Julian calendar.
The compactness of that get-together 775 years ago was appreciably
greater than this year's show, making our 1961 septet the second most
potent, spacewise, in the past millennium. Annoyingly little of note
took place in the year 1186. This was three years before the Third
Crusade and, twenty-nine years prior to the momentous signing of the
Magna Carta, an event (bewailable by the latter-day ultra rightists, no
doubt) that is credited with changing the entire course of human
history. Even though we have not personally delved into detailed
chronologies of the period, we are nonetheless disquieted over the lack
of references to the year 1186 as unusual in any sense. In the light
of the zodiacal situation, we would suppose that the conjunction had
something epochal to do with the history of Mariolatry, virgin worship,
but reference material along this line is not accessible at the present
time.
The last previous occasions when all seven classical planets
happened to be placed within a thirty-degree zone was twice in April,
1821, on the 2nd and on the 30th. Anybody have any suggestions as to
what made April 1821 otherwise extraordinary? Lists of memorable dates
show that 1820 and 1822 bristled with important developments, but the
year 1821 is rather workayear--unless we bypassed something significant
in our cursory pourings over the catalogs.
As for future septets, the next two centuries face three of them,
though none will pack the punch of this year's. But because they are
of crucial interest to most students of astrology, here are the
Greenwich Mean Noon positions of the planets calculated to the nearest
tenth of a degree, in both zodiacs.

May 5, 2000 Tropical Sidereal
Sun 14.8 TAU 20.1 ARI
Moon 26.1 TAU 1.4 TAU
Mercury 9.9 TAU 15.2 ARI
Venus 4.8 TAU 10.1 ARI
Mars 0.8 GEM 6.1 TAU
Jupiter 17.1 TAU 22.4 ARI
Saturn 19.6 TAU 24.9 ARI

Sept. 8. 2040
Sun 16.0 VIR 20.7 LEO
Moon 1.7 LIB 6.4 VIR
Mercury 6.5 LIB 11.2 VIR
Venus 12.9 LIB 17.6 VIR
Mars 15.8 LIB 20.5 VIR
Jupiter 10.2 LIB 14.9 VIR
Saturn 11.4 LIB 16.1 VIR

Nov. 2, 2100
Sun 9.7 SCO 13.6 LIB
Moon 7.8 SCO 11.7 LIB
Mercury 14.1 LIB 28.0 VIR
Venus 11.0 LIB 14.9 VIR
Mars 2.6 SCO 6.5 LIB
Jupiter 5.0 SCO 8.9 LIB
Saturn 0.7 SCO 4.6 LIB

Inasmuch as apocryphal-type predictions are characteristically more
lurid and fearsome, the longer the time it takes to see if the
prognoses "come true," this far-in-advance astronomical information
will be especially helpful to assorted Armageddonists, calamity
howlers, continent sinkers and axis topplers.
* * * * * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

AFGHANISTAN RE-EMERGING
by Kay Cavender


THE AFGHAN SIGNING CEREMONY, HOPEFUL OF CHANGE
12-05-2001, Bonn, Germany 7e05 50n44,
10:05am to 10:19am, (GMT=9:05am +1 hr)

This event, the agreement as to Afghanistan's interim government,
took considerable international support and pressure to direct Afghan
conflicting factions. The last to sign was U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi who had long worked for such an event. There were 30 seats
agreed upon for the interim Afghan government with 2 filled by women;
16 seats went to the Northern Alliance including 3 of the strongest
offices. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah of the Northern Alliance remained as
Foreign Affairs Minister, and Hamid Karzai of the southern Pastuns was
chosen as Interim Prime Minister. The same day in Afghanistan, U.S.
"friendly fire" killed 5 Afghans and 3 American Special Operations
members, with an unspecificed number of Afghans and 19 Americans
injured. With them at that time, Hamid Karzai was said to be wounded
although not seriously. Nevertheless, a consecration in blood.
One Afghan was quoted on TV coverage as saying that at best,
"Afghan politics is an agony." And yet, this unique event indicating
an abundance of hope! It was said there was "exuberance" among the
delegates, a collective high, even knowing they are supposed to
accomplish the absolutely impossible in 6 months, at which time a loya
jirga, a Council of Elders, is called to sit and choose a permanent and
stable government to assume office in about 2 years. Literally an
impossible dream. Camelot in Xanadu glimpsed behind opium smoke, which
crop, as broadcast on TV the last week of December, some Afghans still
insist they want to grow. This unawareness after the fall of the
Taliban which was the biggest heroine cartel on earth! "A savage
place! as holy and enchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was
haunted..." (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
In a December 12th interview, Hamid Karzai spoke of the event as a
"new opportunity," one that they must grasp. He said they feel that
this is their moment. In these words, an astrologer hears a sense of
Uranus for that crucial moment of change. When asked how he ever
thought he could oppose the Taliban with no army, Karzai replied that
it was patriotism (a Jupiter theme) that motivated him. He said he had
only the knowledge that the Afghan people wanted the Taliban gone.
The angular planets tell a good part of the story: NEPtune, the
epitome of impossible ideals, is on the East Point, and URAnus, the
indicator of all that is new and unique, is on the Anti-Vertex.
JUPiter is DSCending (4+ degrees above the horizon), aspected by both
Sun and Moon for a triple emphasis on hope and optimism and patriotism.
Truly this agreement was an accomplishment. At the same time at Kabul
(69E13), JUPITER aspected by both lights was about 4-5 degrees west of
the IC, and approaching the IC. Thus that indication of hope runs
directly through Afghanistan.

Astrologers have noted for several decades that a President's natal
Venus can often be found where he makes peace and his natal Mars can
be found where he makes war. President G.W. Bush's natal Mars runs
locationally as Midheaven (M.C., Latin Medium Coeli) through
Afghanistan. And yet while taking Afghanistan apart to find Al Qaeda
terrorists, he has at the same time chosen to be putting it back
together. [GWB: July 6, 1946, 7:26am dest, New Haven, Conn 72w56
41n18]
Whatever one's political affiliation, it is fitting astrologically
to note that some of President G.W. Bush's natal planets are
significantly configured in the Afghan Signing Ceremony. Certainly
that event would not have been possible without the support of the
President of the U.S.A. In Germany, the event JUP 19GEMll is near the
event DSC, as well as near Kabul's IC. Because the same event JUP is
transiting conjunct GWB's natal SUN 19GEM47, GWB's natal SUN is also
angular in both the event chart and the Kabul locality chart. Moreover
at Kabul [2:05pm, or GMT+5 hrs], the DSC is 22VIR05 which is near GWB's
natal MOON 22VIR43 and natal JUP 24VIR09. Astrologically, where the
GWB's emotions are involved, there also is his sense of good will. The
event Moon 16CAN17 is near GWN's nMER 15CAN51 and nPLUTO 16CAN36, thus
focusing his mental attention as well. The President has personally
and politically extended considerable national help to Afghanistan,
acccording to his own lights. By Sun and Moon and Mercury--spiritual
center, soul, and mind, G.W. Bush has been involved. Call him a God
Father of that country's re-emergence.
Additionally, GWB has also brought to Afghan's plight his sense of
liberty and liberation, astrologically indicated by Uranus. Before
September 11th, the USA was already the primary contributor of food aid
to Afghanistan, giving some 80%! In addition to being the President of
the U.S.A. and thus Commander of the military which has liberated
Afghanistan from its Taliban government, G.W. Bush has helped bring
forth conditions through projects, legislation, and budgeting of
considerable, additional humanitarian aid, whereby there could be not
only a chance for survival for millions, but a true chance for change
in Afghanistan. Not the least of these is his emphasis on the rights
of women there. Uranus that planetary significator of revolution and
freedom which found prominence in the Afghan Signing Ceremony by
position on the (eastern) Anti-Vertex is interwoven through several key
events which Bush has promoted for Afghans.
Some examples which show URA either angular or significantly
aspected are as follows. GWB sponsored his wife Laura giving a
presidential radio address on the subject of women's treatment by the
Taliban, which was touted as being the first time a First Lady gave the
radio address, and therefore unique. In this November 17, 2001 radio
address from Crawford, TX @ 9:00am CST, "both" GWB's & Laura's natal
URANUS were angular on the event M.C. The radio address was followed
the day after and coordinated with British Prime Minister Tony Blair's
wife speaking on the same subject.
GWB has sponsored several programs for Afghans specifically
involving children In a speech beginning at 11:57am DEST on 10-12-2001
in D.C., he announced the American (Children's) Fund for Afghan
Children, whereby children were to raise or give $1 for the children of
Afghanistan; this event showed the TRansiting SUN, MOON & URA all
aspecting GWB's natal URA as well as his natal MOON & JUP (all aspects
within 3 degrees orb). Additionally, this event Moon 27CAN18 was
opposite the event URA 26CAP17.
In a speech beginning at 11:10am DEST on 10-25-2001 in D.C., he
announced the Friendship Through Education program accessible on the
internet. The event MOON was conjunct URANUS with both planets also
parallel in Altitude, thus doubling their potency.

At 11:45am EST on 12-12-2001 in D.C., GWB signed the Afghan Women
and Children Relief Act, which time showed his natal URANUS 25TAU10
near the event IC 22TAU04.

Even though liberated from the Taliban called the most oppressive
and brutal political regime on earth, the Afghans will not soon recover
internally, nor soon begin to comprehend or respond to the gift of
liberty. They have more urgent needs--survival. In order for the
several millions starving and mal-nourished Afghans to continue to
receive international aid even before reconstruction can begin, they
must have peace and a stable government to provide that.
*********************************************************************



THE AFGHAN INAUGURATION CEREMONY, STANDSTILL OF THE SPIRIT
AN INTERIM GOVERNMENT AND INTERIM PEACE
VENUS ON THE MIDHEAVEN

Mid-winter--the Solstice 12-22-2001; Kabul, Afghanistan 34n30
69e10; @ 11:50 am (GMT=6:50am +5hrs). Due to differences in
computer programs in calculating time zones, it may be easiest
to assume Kabul in the 5th time zone east (75e00) ahead of GMT.


You are the people.
You are this season's people--
There are no other people this season.
If you blow it, it's blown.

Stephen Gaskin, This Season's People


OF PEACE
CNN covered the Afghan Inauguration Ceremony which was scheduled to
begin at 11:30 am in Kabul, (GMT+5hrs). Astrologically at that time
the close angularity of Pluto on the MC and Mars ASCending would have
indicated a continuing disaster. It is against most imagining that
with such a devastatingly bloody history, the Afghans could have
started at any other time. I watched the proceedings saying, Wait!
Wait! Wait! Quite amazingly, they did. Only divine intervention
could explain it. An Angel of uncommon compassion must have heard,
intervened, and nudged the Wheel of Time. They delayed 20 minutes, and
VENUS came to the pinnacle of the day, the Midheaven. Less than 6
degrees away was the Sun at its standstill, a solstice of spirit, the
year's shortest day in the northern hemisphere. I marked the time the
meeting was begun with the chanting of a prayer from the Koran--at
11:50 am (GMT+5hrs for standard time).
While waiting, commentators said with trepidation that the Afghans
"must" get their tribes together, that they "must" cooperate, that they
"must" work together, knowing that any precedent the Afghans may have
had for peace has long been obliterated with violence and death.
Looming over the seated new representatives was an at least 8 foot
picture of their much revered Masud, the Northern Alliance leader who
was assassinated by Al Qaeda two days before September 11th under the
pretense of taking his picture.
The Afghan Inauguration Ceremony was, quite extraordinarily, a
peaceful passage of power, the first in 28 years, and the first in 23
terrible, interminable years of war--international and civil. There
were to be no guns (contradicting that, the necessity, the terrible
necessity, of armed security agents for persons such as American
General Tommy Franks and other national and international government
representatives). After Hamid Karzai spoke and took his oath of
office, he went to shake the hand of former Afghan President Rabinni,
who in turn embraced and kissed the new Interim Prime Minister Hamid
Karzai. A perfect gesture for Venus holding sway from the Midheaven.
Likely an extraordinary image for Afghans. I hoped mightily that they
really and truly want and choose peace, and that their purpose would
lead them to the right time.
As an entity--at that time, the Afghan representatives selected at
the Bonn Agreement were able to begin under the auspices of VENUS
coming to the MC within 2 degrees! That fact is hopeful and most
significant as an indication of their essential purpose. Further
increasing its potency, Venus (0SAG11), the significator of peace,
cooperation, art and beauty, is approaching the Moon's South Node
2SAG22'. And Venus is square the AQUarius Moon (29AQU20) and is the
strongest aspect to the Moon by aspect and orb. The heavens reflect
the Afghan accomplishment in holding their Inaugural Ceremony at that
moment.
The ASCendant is also in Aquarius, 23AQU49', giving a double
emphasis of Aquarius with intimations of universality, perfect
symbolism as a guide for the fiercely independent multi-tribal and
multi-ethnic entities which must work together. Aquarius has long
been reputed to give a sense of altruism, a sense of humanity's unity
without barrers of race or class, as well as being known for its
inventive and scientific thought. I quite believe that the Afghans
could not have begun at this time if they did not truly want peace,
and I extend to them as many have, sincere best wishes for that peace.
Equally, I do not believe that such an event means that cooperation
will persist. It could be shattered at any moment. A miraculous and
fragile peace. A shining event, perhaps only an interim event, but
miraculous in its calm. Among the over 2500 men seated in audience
there, tribal members who in the last month had been literally killing
each other sat together with tears streaming down their faces when
their national anthem was played. But yet, even with Venus presiding,
so few women were there; the cameras showed seats with only perhaps 10
to 20 women.
In this country where the men have killed their fellow men and
brutalized and killed their women, the men now resume playing their
bloody, `national' game played for 500 years--fighting on horseback for
the headless body of a goat or calf, all others beating the carrier of
the corpse back from the goal post, literally all against one--a
literal metaphor for their notion of cooperation. This sport is as
close to unity as they have come--all against one. This while the
women who have literally risked their lives to secretly educate their
daughters now rejoice that they may do so without pain of death.
VENUS's aspects, in addition to the square to the Moon--the strongest
or 1st level aspect, are 2nd level aspects to MARS/ASC & SATURN: post-
sextile (75d) MARS/ASC & post-quincunx (165d) SATURN; a euphemistic way
to state the negative expression of that combination is forced
conquest. Therefore the women still hidden under burkas fear exposure.
In search of a positive spin, speculatively VEN-MARS-SAT could
represent the forced stabilization of peace. (For the whole string of
planets with the Moon, see below under Quindecimus Orbs & Aspects.)
Hopeful little everyday events are reported, even of the Venusian
province of music, like one the last week of December in downtown Kabul
from a cassette store. It seems that hardly a month before under the
Taliban which banned music as well as any representation of the human
figure, the store owner sold only about 40 cassettes a week of the
Taliban's specified religious doctrine and Koranic verses. Now that
the `Taliban is out of the top 40,' the same owner says he is selling
from 5000 to 10,000 musical tapes a week. Their favorite--an Afghan
artist Farhad Daria, a man. May there be music in the air and dancing
in the streets!
Would it that Venus MC square the AQU MOON just beneath an AQU
ASCendant was all the story. It's not. There are other, very
powerful, conflicting configurations.


OF A STABLE PEACE AMIDST CONFLICT
One could hardly reckon this a true chart for this event unless
the considerable brutality and violence of various tribal groups is
astrologically represented. MARS ASCends, and it is quarti-sextile to
the AQU Moon, and further linked to the Moon by a parallel in
Declination (of about 1.5 degrees orb). But Mars is nearly 4 degrees
above the ASC, separating from the ASC, and therefore not as powerful
as Venus which is stronger, being only 2 degrees from the M.C. and by
an (eastern) approach to the M.C. (Pluto is about 7 degrees in R.A.
west of and separating from the M.C., and the Moon is mundanely about
7.5 degrees in Altitude below the ASC.)
The night before the Inauguration, the U.S. bombed about 13
vehicles carrying 50 to 65 `Taliban', which some Afghans later
protested were tribal elders, in all likelihood `Taliban & Elders' were
one and the same--traveling at night, on a back road, and shooting a
land-to-air missile at U.S. planes. Mars is not out of the picture.
At least 2 to 3 million are estimated still armed and dangerous;
banditry is the quickest means of earning a living in this totally
stricken country, for those who are trapped or for those who are in
their own country.
And so a peaceful passage of power and an interim government
protected from the surrounding fighting. But can power be stabilized
for the protection of the Afghans? Can the Afghans whose allegiances
are to warlords in the mode of the 12th century change to the 21st
century? These Afghans will not easily be separated from their guns
which are part of their manhood. Change versus necessity, or change as
necessity? Astrologically those issues could be conceptualized as
Uranus versus Saturn. Uranus itself, although semi-sextile the AQU
MOON, is not prominent in this chart, and even a double emphasis of
Aquarius in this event is not Uranus.
The needs of much of Afghanistan's people are starkly crucial in
terms of survival--unpolluted water and food and shelter. Those needs
can only be begin to be met by enormous international help for the next
decade, and that absolutely depends on a stable government, now still
threatened by--the armed ex-Taliban Afghans and the Anti-Taliban
Afghans, even presuming thousands of Al Qaeda terrorists will be dealt
with. Realistically, basic necessities represent the most significant
change they can accomplish in the next decade, if they can do that.
Astrologically, issues of survival and basic necessities have long been
understood as Saturn's province, and Saturn is not a strong theme. As
noted above, Saturn is in the string of planets aspecting both the MC
VENUS and the MOON, but SAT itself is not prominent otherwise.
The most stressful energy to the impossible task of the new Afghan
government is indicated by the Winter Solstice SUN and its aspect/s.
Solstice of course means standstill, and the Sun signifies one's
essence or character. The Solstice SUN 5SAG43 is near two other cosmic
angles: separating from the Galactic Equator 5SAG16 (intersection of
the Ecliptic), and approaching the SOLAR APEX 7SAG24 (intersection of
the Ecliptic). As can be seen on the computer planetarium SKYGLOBE,
the SUN is in a minefield of Messier Objects*: M20 Triffid Nebula
(29'x27' of arc), M21 Open Galactic Cluster (12' of arc), and M8 Lagoon
Nebula (90'x40' of arc). In this most potent area of Sagittarius, the
Sun indicates an overwhelming inclination for extreme autonomy and
self-determination. In the constellation Sagittarius, the Sun tends to
think oneself right and justified in whatever endeavor, even personally
mandated by God.
[*MESSIER numbers were assigned to various nebulous
celestial objects by 18th c. French astronomer Messier
in his catalog, including open & globular star clusters,
gaseous nebula, and galaxies. These numbers are still
used. Open star clusters are a type of galactic star
cluster confined to or near the plane of the Milky Way.
Globular star clusters are found in the halo surrounding
the nucleus of the Milky Way. Nebula, clouds of gases
and particles, are nurseries for stars being formed out
of the stuff of interstellar space. Galaxies are star
systems of various shapes, some analogous to the Milky
Way, to which our Sun belongs.]

Compounded with the Sun's overweening power is its aspect to
Pluto 20SCO56, itself on another cosmic angle, the SOLAR EQUATOR
(intersection with the Ecliptic at about 21 TAU & SCO). Pluto is
domineering and dictatorial and often takes whatever it is aspected
with `beyond beyond'. The Sagittarius Sun and Pluto linked by aspect
in no wise speak of cooperation, but are exquisitely appropriate for
the fierce competition of the Islamic tribal entities and ethnicities
which prefer to stand alone rather than together. It is one of the
most radical configurations. I fear that Gaskin's above admonition,
reminiscent of Pluto's singular focus, may reflect the keynote for this
interim government rather than Venus. Time will tell. Rather, the
Afghan's penchant for peace will be revealed in time. They who are the
people there.


QUINDECIMUS ORBS & ASPECTS
According to Quindecimus Orb&Aspects rating system, the strongest
aspects to the Moon and Sun are as follows below. As most agree, the
most powerful aspects are the conjunction, opposition and square. This
system for evaluating aspects considers all aspects within 15 degree
arcs including four formerly ignored aspects which are significantly of
second level power. These four occur on each side of the strongest
aspects: 15 degrees or quarti-sextile & 165 degrees or post-quincunx;
75 degrees or post-sextile and 105 degrees or pre-trine. The maximum
points in the rating system are 15 points. Aspects and orbs with
points less than 7 points tend to be marginal unless a planet is
angular. Usually I detail any angular planets before the aspects to
the lights, but below that is included in the summation.

AQU MOON -- square VEN/MC (13.3 pts); quarti-sextile MARS/ASC (12.6
pts); post-sextile SAT (12.1 pts); post-sextile MER (ll.7 pts); semi-
sextile URA (8.9 pts); pre-trine JUP (8.3 pts); & semi-square NEP (8.0
pts). The Moon is in the vicinity of the East Point and the Anti-
Vertex although not within 3 degrees orb of either.

SAG SUN/SOLSTICE/GALACTIC EQUATOR/SOLAR APEX -- quarti-sextile
PLU/SOLAR EQUATOR (13.5 pts); with a loose (3.5d orb) post-quincunx
aspect (or 165 degrees) to JUP.

This event will be an interesting astrological study regarding
which might be the most significant forces--planets on the MUNDANE
ANGLES VERSUS planets on the COSMIC ANGLES. Indeed this is the
essential question in interpretation posed by this chart and this
event. On the mundane angles are VENus MC & MARS ASC, both aspected by
the Moon, versus those on "cosmic" angles--the Sun and Pluto
(themselves in aspect in Celestial Longitude). The cosmic angles
(Great Circles intersecting the Ecliptic plane--itself a Great Circle)
include the Sun 5SAG44 on the Winter Solstice 5SAG16, on the Galactic
Equator 5SAG16, and near the Solar Apex 7SAG24, and at the same time in
aspect to PLUto on the Solar Equator intersection with the Ecliptic.


THE INTERIM DAMOCLES UNDER A SWORD SUSPENDED BY A HAIR
The legend of Damocles, perhaps from about 4th century B.C.,
illustrates the precariousness of royal or ruling rank, preserved only
by constant risk, as in a juggler's performance. Damocles was willing
to be chosen by the god-king as that king's surrogate as a sacrificial
victim. The name Damocles like that of Heracles meant either "glory of
the Lady" or "glory of the blood." (B.G. Walker, The Woman's Dictionary
of Symbols & Sacred Objects).
It is said that in Afghanistan the only person who doesn't want to
be king is the king. Interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai, blood
relative to the exiled king of Afghanistan in Italy, said that "If they
can deliver what they hope to, it would be a great day, but if not, it
will be oblivion." Simplicity, directness, and bravery. What a
razor's edge he knowingly walks. He could be killed at any time. He
must juggle the demands of his own countrymen against those of
international interests and particularly those of the United States.
The Afghans are not likely to betray to another nation the Taliban many
of whom are Pastun Afghans, and so they nestle the vipers to their own
breast.
Karzai's birthday will likely show that some of his planets are
significantly aspected and/or angular in these events. He is said to
be ideal for this time and office, having worked on ways to cooperate,
kindly and moderate in all his views, effective at expressing national
ideals, well educated and sophisticated, speaking excellent English, as
well as being a patriotic man of his own country. At the same time, he
comes across as decidedly resolute, perhaps natally Saturnine and/or
Plutonian. Nor would I be surprised to find Scorpio as his Sun or
Ascendant.
CNN cut into KARZAI'S SPEECH AT 1:26 PM while in progress (which
may not have been exactly the beginning, but likely within a minute or
so). This time gives MERcury about 5+ degrees past the MC, and JUPiter
about 3+ degrees past the IC. The MOON has moved just into Pisces.
This configuration is reminiscent of a key one in the Signing Ceremony
in Bonn, Germany (above) wherein JUP & MER were prominant: the angular
JUP was also angular (4+ degrees above the DSC), and the SUN (conjunct
MER) with both quincunx (150d) the DSC JUP.
Karzai is invited to Washington D.C. in February 2002. Can Karzai
convince G.W. Bush of his ability to lead? Hopefully Bush can impress
and direct him; the IC for Karzai's speech is about 20GEM and Bush's
natal Sun is 19GEM. Upon their working relationship depends the fate
of Karzai's country.
At the end of his speech Hamid KARZAI took his OATH AT 1:41 PM as
Interim Prime Minister (the ceremony lasted about 2 hours). At
Karzai's oath, no event planet is angular, although one of his natal
planets may be. Karzai swore in his CABINET AT 1:46 PM.
Karzai's speech was impressive. In previous times he had already
spoken of the primary need of Afghanistan for "peace and stability,"
which realization may also reflect his own astrological characteristics
as well as an acute awareness and assessment of Afghanistan. He faces
very difficult issues directly. He said, "Healing this war-torn
country will be a long journey." Karzai says they must open schools
and begin educating their young by spring which is their New Year. May
it be so! Another of his beginning announcements was that warlordism
must go, that it goes hand in hand with terrorism. With those words,
he's signed his death warrant. It will take a flock of angels to keep
him alive even until spring. In this case, the American Military may
be Karzai's best angel, Arch-angel Madimiel of the Celestial Sphere of
Mars in Marine garb, which all too many Afghan officials want out of
the country. Long may Karzai live long so the Afghans may prosper!

Disregarding the political reality, I refer to the Selected Poems
Of Thomas Merton for a poet's vision and prayer to express a wish for
Afghanistan. Merton, a Trappist Monk, could be in a cemetery and see
resurrection. Because of its history, too much of Afghanistan has been
made a cemetary, a burial of human lives, hopes, and spirit. What I
with my Moon and Neptune aligned with Afghan's borders really wish for
Afghanistan is that resurrection that the dedicated monk Merton saw.
From the end of Thomas Merton's "The Trappist Cemetery--Gethsemani":

Pray us a torrent of the seven spirits
That are our wine and stamina:
Because your work is not yet done.
But look: the valleys shine with promises
And every burning morning is a prophecy of Christ
Coming to raise and vindicate
Even our sorry flesh.

Then will your graves, Gethsemani, give up their angels,
Return them to their souls to learn
The songs and attitudes of glory.
Then will creation rise again like gold
Clean, from the furnace of your litanies:
The beasts and trees shall share your resurrection,
And a new world be born from these green tombs.


OF THE HORIZON AND MERIDIAN STARS
As a preface to this section, I strongly recommend that readers
will find and download the computer planetarium SKYGLOBE in order to
view this chart and others, thereby exponentially increasing one's
astronomical and astrological savvy. SKYGLOBE's cursor when placed on
stars gives the English spelling of Greek alphabet letters designating
the stars. For that reason, this paper's ascii format which requires
spelling out the Greek letters in English is not a limitation, but a
facilitation.

In Greek literature Aquarius was the Water-pourer. A Stream of
stars from AQUARIUS' URN flows out on the eastern Horizon in the
horoscope of the Afghan Inauguration Ceremony. The Urn is chiefly
marked by the familiar "Y" formation of four stars--Gamma, Zeta (at the
the center of the "Y" at 14AQU09 8n47), Eta, and Pi. These four stars
are located at the center of Aquarius and are its essence. Aquarius is
located in the area including zodiacal Capricorn to Aries and extra-
zodiacal constellations which to ancient Egyptians was `the WATER' and
to Euphratean astronomy was `the Sea.'
R.H. Allen's Star Names cites many sources in various times and
cultures for constellations, such as Kircher who said Aquarius was the
Brachium beneficium, the Place of Good Fortune. Aquarius itself was
referred to as Water or as the Urn: the Egyptian Monius, Water; the
Akkadian Ku-ur-ku, the Seat of the Flowing Waters; the Babylonian Gu, a
Water-jar overflowing; the Roman Situla, a Well-bucket; the Arabian Al
Dalw, Well-bucket, and Al Biruni's Amphora, a Two-handled Wine-jar.
B.G. Walker's The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols & Sacred Objects
(p288) briefly summarizes Aquarius, partly as follows: "To the Greeks
...Aquarius was Hydrokhoos, the Water Pot. The Persians called it Dul,
the Water Pot. In Sanskrit it was Khumba, the Pot. But the Babylonians
named it Gula, the Goddess; and the Romans followed them by naming it
Juno. The traditional sign, however, signifies waves of water."
One school of ancient Stoic thought considered Water the Mother of
Elements, "especially the waters of the sea womb that was supposed to
have given birth to the earth and all that lived on it." (p.134,
Walker, ibid) "The 'Water of Life' was once identified with the cosmic
womb, 'the Deep' of many different creation myths. To Thales of
Miletus, water was the arche, the First Cause at the beginning of all
things....Water flowing in two--or sometimes in four--streams from the
Goddess at the time of creation was a common version of the Rivers of
Paradise symbol. The Goddess was shown holding either her own breasts,
or a jar with two streams." (p.356-7, Walker, ibid.)
Of course fish and any manner of sea creatures such as the
constellations Pisces, Pisces Australis--the Southern Fish, and Cetus--
the Sea Monster represent symbolic totems of Water, the Deep before
Time in the Water or Sea of Space, the creative matrix or womb of
celestial space and earth. The Sea is still She from which life is
thought to have come. Likewise a cup, vase, jar, or urn came to be
almost universally the symbol of water, an element of birth and
rebirth.
It is instructive to recall that for the ancient Egyptians whose
roots were matriarchal, all of the stars and constellations in the
Night Sky were incorporated into the celestial body of the Goddess Nut.
She was shown arched over the earth and touching the "ends of the
earth" with her toes and fingertips, and with her head toward the west.
At sunset the Sky Goddess Nut swallowed up the Sun on the western
horizon, the very Sun to which she gave birth at dawn. When the
patriarchal Greeks translated what they could learn of astronomy and
mythology from Egypt into their own mythology, there were only three
separate constellations left representing the unity of cosmic, creative
Nature--Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and Virgo. In number, only one more
than the Afghans were forced by international pressure to include in
their government.

The STREAM OF THE URN or the Pouring Forth of Water was considered
by some as a separate constellation in antiquity. (p.51, Allen, ibid)
The Stream was also similarly called the River of Aquarius and Cascade.
The Stream was sometimes represented as branching into two streams.
Lambda (16AQU50) the most prominent of the first stars in the Stream
and located about 1 degree from the ecliptic, is the ecliptic point of
divergence into 2 streams. Lambda was also called the Water or the
Outpouring, signifying that it was conceived of as a kind of creative
point within the constellation of the Water-pourer, and within the
whole area of the Water. "Upwelling or Outpouring" Water, and there
are several stars so named in the area of the Water, indicates a
creative source. The Deep (of the Water), another title indicating the
source, was existent before the Upwelling or Outpouring.
There are similar titles for Kappa Aquarius. It should be noted
that the star Kappa (14AQU41 4n06) marks the actual beginning of the
outflow since it is located the southern edge of the Urn near the
outflow. Kappa is Situla, and was also named the Outpouring of Wine,
and Urna; it is located above Lambda between the ecliptic and the Urn.
I specify that "Kappa" is Situla (p.54, Allen, ibid) because Cyril
Fagan's reference in The Symbolism of the Star Constellations to
Situla's longitude as that of Zeta (at the center of the "Y") was
incorrect.
From the ecliptically located Lambda--the Outpouring, one Stream
poured down through Tau1,2, Delta, and others into Fomalhaut, the Mouth
of the Southern Fish located below Aquarius. The second Stream
diverging from Lambda was shown pouring along the Ecliptic to Phi,
another ecliptic star, from where the Stream then turned downwards
through Chi, Psi1,2,3, Omega1,2, and others into the constellation the
River Eridanus, which constellation flows down to the Southern part of
the Celestial Sphere seeking the Southern Celestial Pole, and
ultimately the Southern Ecliptic Pole.
Time was a facet of the Flow of Creation, and so the Stream was
also the source of the River of Time, a very ancient metaphor. R.H.
Allen's Star Names (p.50) cites Manilius' ending lines (of about 2000
years ago) on Aquarius as "Sic profluit urna" which Spence translated,
"And so the urn flows on," adding, "...which seems to have been a
proverbial expression among the ancients taken from the ceaseless
flowing of this urn." This sounds similar to the saying, `and so it
goes,' but anciently this was in a definite context of the repeating,
eternal cycles in which the River ran.
Notably, the star Phi Aquarius, about 22 AQU & 1 south ecliptic
latitude, is rising on the horizon of the Afghan Inauguration Ceremony
whose purpose was its oaths of office. Between the stars Lambda and
Phi the Stream of the Urn flows along the plane of the Ecliptic, which
is at once the Earth's orbit and the "apparent" celestial path of the
Sun near which the other planets can be seen to move. That length of
the Ecliptic between Lambda and Phi, about 6 degrees, can be and is
represented astronomically also as a length of time. Aligned on the
eastern Horizon of this horoscope are Lambda and Phi, the latter
marking the Stream's pouring down from the Ecliptic past Cetus the Sea
Monster into the River Eridanus. Water poured out! May the waters of
heaven rain down the mountains of Afghanistan and fill its rivers.
Water raised in a cup "became the standard way of calling upon
deities to witness an oath, to hold the parties responsible for their
word. When two drank together from the cup first offered to heaven,
they became as one blood in the sight of God." (p.133, Walker, ibid.)
Similarly, water poured out after an oath for the deities in
acknowledgment of divinity and commitment was at the same time a
blessing to the Earth. For ancient Egypt, the full moon in Aquarius
marked the increased flow and innundation of the Nile, upon which event
was based the agricultural and economic life of Egypt, as well as its
religious mythology. Aquarius then and now pours forth the blessings
of heaven onto the earth, saying, `I am the River of your Soul carried
through Time.'
As Water represented the creative essence and source of life, it
was fitting to partake of that to affirm its essence in oneself in
communion as well as an oath to bind oneself to divine purpose. In
modern times, when several are gathered together, we still raise a
glass of wine as a toast, usually to indicate and consecrate well
wishes upon a special occasion. It has been said the Cup is offered
many times in one's life, but it is not always accepted. A horoscope
shows no mandate of heaven, but potential, archetypal energy with an
array of related characteristics, expressed according to individual
choice which may be perceived as vice or virtue, or both, according to
the context.

What Afghan Angel showed the way to Venus, I wondered? Is there a
star of its manifestation other than Venus? The following is not taken
from any specific astronomical measurement, but is a kind of intuitive
association, offered positively. The computer planetarium SKYGLOBE
shows the Celestial Sphere with the planets, stars, and constellations
on the mundane angles at any time and a several hundred places, and
therefore one can look at a particular chart on Skyglobe. I can
sometimes find a particular star for a particular person on the Great
Circles of the Meridian and Horizon which compose the mundane angles.
(Ortho-Bionomists call the "finding or focusing" technique Phase 7, or
"phasing it." In this, nothing astronomical is indicated.)
In the horoscope of the Afghan Inauguration, from the horizon due
south and looking upwards are constellations arrayed on the Great
Circle of the Meridian, overhead, and continuing to the northern
horizon: the Altar, the tail end of Scorpio, Ophiuchus-(Asclepios),
Hercules-(Heracles) directly overhead, Draco the Dragon, and the Little
Dipper or Lesser Bear.
It struck me that two constellations, the Altar and Scorpio,
between the southern horizon and the Midheaven at 28SCO27' provide an
ironic metaphor for the Afghan interim government. The top of Ara--the
Altar, as the Greek Aratos called it, or a Censer as indicated by
Proclus and Ptolemy, is nearly level with the horizon due south. The
wild and soaring beauty of the Afghan mountains have provided an altar
for tales of gods, even of flying Buddhas. The Altar's alpha & beta
stars outline one Flame on the Altar, the highest of which is Alpha @
00SAG12 nearly the same longitude as Venus 00SAG11; both stars are both
aligned very near the Meridian. [SKYGLOBE shows Alpha ARA's Right
Ascension as 17h 31' and Beta's R.A. as 17h 25']
There is an old Greek story about the Altar, that the smoke rising
from its two flames offered as incense to the deities rose up and
created the Milky Way. Another star (epsilon Al Bali in AQU) has a
name which is a variant of the name Flame, called the Swallower (as of
the Sacrifice) which indicates the divinity of the sacred Flame
swallowing up or consuming the sacrifice. Similarly there is the
"Sanskrit Agni, the god of fire....The most important of the [Hindu]
Vedic gods. Primarily the god of the altar fire, he yet represents a
trinity in which to earthly fire are joined the lightning and the sun.
As the altar fire, consuming the sacrifice, he is the mediator between
the gods and men among whom he dwells." (Webster's II)
Above the longest Flame of the Altar indicated by Ara's stars Alpha
and Beta, and also near the meridian are the stars in the Tail of
Scorpio, Lesath--the Sting and Shaula--Raised, referring to the
position of the Sting ready to strike. [Lesath's R.A. 17h 31' and
Shaula's R.A. 17h 33'] In many cultures of the old and new worlds,
Mother Scorpio was held to be the constellation that was the doorway of
death, the doorway by which souls left this plane and rose up through
the sky on the bridge of the Milky Way to be reborn in Taurus, the
constellation of fertility. This country's people have known death
more than most. The Sting above the Altar's Flame, both of which are
bridges to another sphere, echos the recent history of Afghanistan in
an image--an altar, not for the mediation of deity, but despoiled by
war and unholy carnage.
Yet, my attention was more drawn to the constellation Ophiuchus,
the Serpent-Holder, specifically to its alpha star RAS ALHAGUE 27SCO42
35n50, the Head of the Serpent-Holder, above the Midheaven near the
Meridian Circle. Ras alhague's Right Ascension is 17h 34' and Venus'
R.A. is 17h 37', indicating both culminate on the Meridian within 3
minutes of each other. The alpha star in some cultures epitomized the
constellation as a whole. Of Ophiuchus, R.H. Allen's STAR NAMES says,
"...the Serpent-holder generally was identified with [the Greek]
Asclepios, or Aesculapius, whom King James I described as 'a mediciner
after made a god,' with whose worship serpents were always associated
as symbols of prudence, renovation, wisdom and the power of discovering
healing herbs. Educated by his father Apollo [and therefore Ophiuchus-
Aeclepios is the son of a Sun God], or by the Centaur Chiron, Aeclepios
was the earliest of his profession [i.e., healing]."
Robert Graves's The Greek Myths, an excellent authority on
mythology, tells that the legendary Asclepios was so skilled in surgery
and the use of drugs, he was revered as the founder of medicine. He
was even supposed to have raised the dead, for which impiety Zeus
struck him dead, and later set his image holding a curative serpent in
the heavens where it is known to us as Ophiuchus. How the Afghans
need a healing savior, with literally millions dead from years of war
and poverty, and millions in refugee camps.
Regarding Ophiuchus' Alpha star, I believe the sapphire star
RAS ALHAGUE radiates a color and sense of spiritual transformation,
of the energetic hue to help unite disparate elements or entities, but
expressed through time and the working out of karma. Ultimately, the
quality of involvement in that karmic process is the measure of one's
reward. A good image which came to me for Ras alhague is the (Solar)
Wheel of Time with a sapphire star above it, pouring out its blue light
into the turning wheel below. This star indicates not just guidance
but also the power of transformation -- "if" that is sought.
*********************************************


Kay Cavender
File: Afghanistan Re-emerging
End of 2001
California, U.S.A.
********************************************

[Jim Eshelman]

[HELIACAL] Cyril Fagan. On Heliacal Phenomena ("First Light"
Appearances and Disappearances of Planets) in ancient Babylon & Egypt,
especially with regard to the First Crescent Moon, its primary
importance, & how to calculate it. Never before published FLIGHT OF
THE PHOENIX Tables for dating Distant Eras (revised Egyptian
Chronology); excerpts from 9/1958 "Solunars," A.A. On Heliacal
Phenomena and the Origin of the Exaltations or Hypsomata; excerpts from
6/1969 "Solunars." On the Origin of the Horoscope Form from the
Heliacal Rising of Sirius at Heliopolis in 2767 B.C., the inauguration
of Sothic Era as the earliest known horoscope; excerpts from 12/1961
"Solunars" and letter of 5/1966.


Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," A.A. (9/1958)
[HELIACAL PHENOMENA]

Babylonian Accuracy
If reference is made to the Egyptian Sothic Calendar for 2767 B.C.,
it will be found that the Greek name for the first month of the season
Shemu was Kaphon (Copic=Pachons). This was because the festival of Pa
Chons or Chronsu ("The New Moon") was celebrated during this month,
which tallied with the Julian year commencing March 13th. Pa Chons was
the god of the New Moon and in the monuments he was represented as
either a falcon-headed man wearing the solar disc and lunar crescent on
his head, or as a naked boy similarly crowned. This seems to prove
convincingly that the Egyptians celebrated the Neomenia or 1st New Moon
of the lunar year, which tallied with the Babylonian 1st Nisan, long
before the institution of their calendar of 360 days, plus 5 epagomenal
days, especially as their ideogram for a month was a representation of
a crescent moon!
Many hundreds of Babylonian cuneiform tablets of baked clay have
been excavated, which gave the dates of the first appearance of the
lunar crescent. Referring to these, Dr. J. K. Fotheringham of Oxford
University says "...Elaborate computations of the date of this
appearance have come down to us, and we are able to check Babylonian
lunar dates for predicted phenomena with sufficient frequency to know
the high accuracy with which the late Babylonians were able to predict
this phenomena. The late Babylonian ephemerides must in the nature of
the case have been regulated by predicted appearances..." And Karl
Schock declares "...I can say of the Babylonians, who were persistent
observers of the crescent during 3000 years, that not only their
observations but their computations for ephemerides are admirable...."
But while the Babylonians were able to predict with such marvelous
accuracy the dates on which the crescent moon would first become
visible in Babylon, the problem, even to this day, is one of the most
intricate exercises of positional astronomy, notwithstanding our
advanced mathematical technique. It is first essential to know the
precise time of the syzygies and in the Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga
(Oxford University Press, 1928) Schoch has published simple tables for
the computation, accurate to within five minutes of time, from 3508
B.C. to 1992 A.D. Before his lamentable death in 1929, Schock issued
privately even more accurate elements of the luminaries, and with these
James Hynes of Dublin has compiled more precise tables, permitting the
accurate calculation of the longitude and time of the conjunctions and
oppositions of the Sun and Moon for any date between 4000 B.C. and 2000
A.D.

Sighting Problems
To ascertain the date on which the crescent will become visible to
the sharp-sighted observer (weather permitting), it is necessary to
know the Altitude of the Moon over the western horizon at the moment of
sunset, for the 2nd day after the syzygy. This is dependent on the
season of year, the age of the Moon, and the azimuth difference between
the Sun and Moon. In the latitude of Babylon (N 32.30') if the azimuth
difference is zero, the Moon will need to have an altitude of 10.7
degrees before it can be spotted, but should the azimuth difference
amount to 19 degrees it can be seen when it is only 6.3 degrees above
the western horizon. But these values will differ for every degree of
geographical latitude. If the altitude is less than tabular
requirements, the Moon will not be seen until after sunset of the 3rd
day after the syzygy.
Given a set of heliacal table for the required latitude and a Sun-
date table, such as those compiled by Hynes, it is a very simple matter
to ascertain the date of the heliacal rising or setting of a planet or
fixed star, or the date of its acronychal rising or cosmic setting,
provided the arcus visionis is known. Or vice versa, if the date is
known to determine the value of the gamma. Since the time when Ptolemy
penned his famous ALMAGEST or "Great Work" it has been customary to
regard the visibility of a planet or fixed star as dependent on the
angular distance of the Sun below the horizon at the time of the rising
or setting of that planet or fixed star, and this angular distance is
known among astronomers by the Greek letter gamma. The minimum value
of gamma which will render a star visible is known as the arcus
visionis ("arc of vision").
The value of the 'arcus visionis' is in the first instance
determined empirically, that is, through direct observation by a team
of trained observers, for it is not only dependent on the magnitude of
the star or planet, the season, the azimuth difference of the Sun and
star, but on such local conditions as the terrain--whether hilly or
flat country, whether inland or on the coast, conditions of visibility
and the like. It may happen that two places may be situated on the
same parallel of geographical latitude but while the prevailing
conditions in respect of visibility in one may be excellent, in the
other they may be very poor indeed, and the values of the 'arcus
visionis' for both will be affected accordingly.
From the dates of heliacal risings, given on ancient monumental and
cuneiform inscriptions, Schock found that the mean gamma for Sirius at
heliacal rising at Babylon was 7.7 degrees and at Memphis in Egypt 8.8
degrees. At heliacal setting it was one degree less. This means that
the Sun must be approximately 44 degrees separated from the conjunction
of Sirius for the latter to be seen on the horizon at Babylon
immediately before sunrise. But once the 'arcus visionis' of a star is
known, magnitude and azimuth distance from the Sun is determined
empirically for any given place, then the 'arcus visionis' of all other
fixed stars and planets can be determined form the appropriate
trigonometical formulae.
Most of the great epochs and eras of antiquity were dated from the
heliacal rising of one or other of the fixed stars. The Harakhte era
began with the heliacal rising of Spica at Heliopolis on September 15,
3130 B.C. and the Sothic era with the heliacal rising of Sirius at
Heliopolis on July 16, 2767 B.C. The rainy season was ushered in at
the heliacal rising of the Hyades and the vine harvest at that of Tsha
Nefre, the "beautiful boy" or Bacchus, identified with Vindemiatrix in
Virgo 15 degrees 12'. The zodiacal exaltation degrees o the planets
(except Venus were the degrees of the zodiac in which they heliacally
rose or set during the lunar year 786-785 B.C. Thus, in that year
Jupiter set heliacally on June 22, 786 B.C. in Cancer 15d. Mercury set
heliacally in the east in Virgo 15d on September 13, 786 B.C., Saturn
set heliacally in the west on September 23, 786 B.C. in Libra 21d and
Mars rose heliacally in the east on January 30, 785 B.C. in Capricorn
28d. On New Year's Day of that year (1st Nisan) April 3, 786 B.C. at
midnight (because the Babylonian ephemerides were always computed for
this time) the Sun was in Aries 19d, the Moon in Taurus 3d and Venus in
Pisces 27d, which are their traditional exaltation degrees. This alone
demonstrates the immense importance that the ancient astrologers gave
to heliacal phenomena. All these longitudes are, of course, in terms
of the sidereal zodiac computed from Spica in Virgo 29d06'.

Dating Distant Eras
The omission of any reference to heliacal phenomena in any
astrological textbook suggests that it is of modern vintage. it is
true that Ptolemy does not specifically refer to such in his
TETRABIBLOS, although he dilates at length upon the subject in his
ALMAGEST. But Schock has demonstrated that Ptolemy's values for the
'arcus visionis' are impossible, even for Alexandria where visibility
is said to be very poor. Unfortunately these values appear to have
been translated to India and will be found in the Surya-Siddhanta, but
they are equally inapplicable to that continent....
To determine the 'arcus visionis' for a fixed star for any other
place it is necessary to have a team of sharp-eyed observers, capable
of recognizing the star, watching the unobstructed eastern horizon and
a locality where the darkness of the night sky is not destroyed by the
glow of neon lights or the like. From about a week or so before the
calculated time of heliacal rising at Babylon, the vigil should
commence, and the date noted on which the star is seen for a fleeting
moment in the early morning skies on the eastern horizon before
sunrise. Knowing the star's right ascension and declination, the
geographical latitude of the place and the longitude of the Sun, it is
a simple matter to compute the value of the gamma. This should be
repeated with other fixed stars of known magnitude, and from the data
so obtained the value of the 'arcus visionis' for a given magnitude and
azimuth distance, in respect of that locality, can be determined. As
conditions of visibility vary from day to day, these determinations
should be checked in the following year or two.
Knowing the Egyptian date for the heliacal rising of Sothis (Sirius)
the approximate Julian year can be determined almost at sight from the
following table, which has never been published before in any magazine
or textbook, academic or otherwise.

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

The approximate Julian years (1st of the tetraeteris) for the 1st
of each Egyptian month when Sirius rose heliacally at Heliopolis.

Season Month Coptic Name Cycles
1 Achet 1 Thoth 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
2 Achet 2 Phaophi -4224 -2768 -1312 + 144
3 Achet 3 Athyr -4104 -2648 -1192 + 264
4 Achet 4 Khoiak -3984 -2528 -1072 + 384
5 Pert 1 Tybi -3864 -2408 - 952 + 504
6 Pert 2 Mekhir -3748 -2288 - 832 + 620
7 Pert 3 Phamenoth -3628 -2168 - 712 + 740
8 Pert 4 Pharmouthi -3508 -2048 - 592 + 860
9 Shemu 1 Pachons -3388 -1932 - 476 + 980
10 Shemu 2 Payni -3268 -1812 - 354 +1096
11 Shemu 3 Epiphi -3148 -1692 - 236 +1216
12 Shemu 4 Mesore -3028 -1572 - 116 +1336
1st Epapomenal Day -2908 -1452 + 4 +1456
2nd Epagomenal Day -2788 -1332 + 124 +1576
3rd Epagomenal Day -2784 -1328 + 128 +1580
4th Epagomenal Day -2780 -1324 + 132 +1584
5th Epagomenal Day -2776 -1320 + 136 +1588
-2772 -1316 + 140 +1592

In the Ebers Papyrus it is recorded that in the 9th year of
Amenophis (Amenhotep) I, the "Festival of New Year's Day" was
celebrated in the 3rd month of Shemu, day 9, with the rising of Sirius.
What was the approximate year of rising, and the first year of
Amenophis I's reign? From general historical considerations it is
known that Amenophis I (18th dynasty) flourished during the 2nd
millennium B.C., so we enter the 2nd column of the above table and find
that Sirius rose heliacally in the tetraeteris (four-year period)
commencing -1572 (1573 B.C.) on the 1st of the 3rd Month of Shemu, (1st
Epiphi). Then:

Month Year
Shemu 3rd 1st day = -1572
Shemu 3rd 8x4 (tetraeteris) = + 32
-----
Shemu 3rd 9th day = -1540

Hence the rising of Sirius took place in one of the four years
commencing -1540 (1541 B.C.), so Amenophis I began his reign in one of
the four years beginning -1548 (1549 B.C.). To the Egyptologist and
historian this handy table should prove invaluable in accurately fixing
the chronology of Egypt. From it also can be obtained for any year
during the dynastic period, the Egyptian date on which Sirius rose.
In his chronology, Meyer gives Amenophis (or Amenhotep) I's first
year as 1557 B.C. Meyer based his well-known chronology of Egypt on
the recorded heliacal risings of Sirius. But at the time he compiled
it, the value of Sirius' 'arcus visionis' and the elements of the Sun
and Moon, in respect of ancient times, were inaccurate, so that his
chronology suffered in consequence. The following is Sewell's
amendment of Meyer's chronology which is now accepted as orthodox by
Egyptologists:

Dynasty Approx. year
Old Egyptian Archaic Period I 3188 B.C.
II "
Old Kingdom III 2815 "
(Pyramidic Period) IV 2690 "
V 2560 "
VI 2420 "
1st Intermediate Period VII 2394 "
VIII
IX 2240 "
X
Middle Kingdom XI 2132 "
XII 1990 "
2nd Intermediate Period XIII 1777 "
XIV 1740 "
XV
XVI
XVII
Late Egyptian New Kingdom XVIII 1573 "
XIX
XX 1220 "
Late Kingdom XXI 1090 "
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV 715 "
Saite Period XXVI 663 "
Late Period XXVII 525 "
XXVIII
XXIX
XXX
XXXI

The accuracy of this and other Egyptian chronologies can now be
easily tested by the reader by means of "THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX'
TABLE, for all recorded Egyptian dates of the heliacal risings of
Sirius.
************



From DREIS' INDEX OF FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS," published 7/1953 to 3/1970 in
American Astrology, the following dates are given for discussion of
HELIACAL PHENOMENA. The pages listed are not the magazine pages, but
the pages of the article itself. 8/1958, p3,4,5,6; 6/1961, p3;
2/1964, p4; 3/1964, p1 (rising); 9/1967, p4; 10/1968, p3;
6/1969, p1;
*************




Cyril Fagan's "SOLUNARS...A STUDY OF THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC"
June 1969
[HELIACAL PHENOMENA & HYPSOMATA, THE EXALTATION ORIGINS]

Has the reader ever seen the ever-so-thin crescent of the Moon lying
close to the western horizon just after sunset? If so, he has
witnessed what was the most important celestial phenomenon in all
antiquity, namely the heliacal rising of the Moon in the west? The
chronology of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and other great nations of
remote antiquity were timed by such mensal recurring phenomena. What
modern calendars, almanacs and ephemerides style the New Moon is not
really such at all but is the syzygy or conjunction of the Sun and Moon
in the ecliptic, which always is invisible and usually occurs on the
penultimate day of the previous lunar month. Incidentally, this was
reckoned to be the most unlucky day of the month because on that day
eclipses of the Sun and Moon took place.
As the first day of the month began at sunset when the New Moon was
spotted, it was of the utmost importance that the phenomenon should not
be missed, so scribes would keep watch from the hilltops, the roofs of
temples and similar points of vantage, and would signal when the
crescent was seen. When the weather was adverse the date was
estimated. The lunar year began when the crescent was seen during the
month of Pakhon (Egyptian) or Nissanu (Babylonian).
To calculate the date of the true New Moon was at one time
considered quite a difficult feat. Very precise and accurate tables of
the syzygies are required, and up to the time of Karl Schoch (1873-
1929) of the Heidelberg University the existing table were only
accurate to the nearest hour. Tackling the problem Schoch produced
syzygy tables that were accurate to less than five minutes of time even
in remote antiquity. Then by auxiliary tables also produced by Schoch
it was possible to determine the date of the true New Moon for any date
in antiquity provided the 'Arcus Visionis' of the crescent was first
determined empirically because this differs according to the visibility
and other factors of the locality. Schoch's syzygy and auxiliary
tables for the latitude and climate of Babylon first appeared in The
Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga (Oxford University Press, 1928). Since
then they have been very much refined by means of Schoch's own
corrections by James Hynes of Dublin, Ireland. By means of Schoch's
tables it was possible to restore precisely much of the chronology of
the great nations of antiquity.
How many astrologers of today can precisely determine the date of
the true New Moon at their home towns? Have they ever tried? Have
they every attempted to determine, say, when Jupiter will first be seen
in the skies just before sunrise or when Venus will last be visible
just after sunset at their places of residence? Is there an astrologer
living other than James Hynes, an authority on such subjects, who is
prepared to deliver a well informed lecture on heliacal phenomena? Any
astrologer who is not familiar with heliacal and acronychal phenomena
is completely ignorant of astrology in remove antiquity which consisted
of nothing else. The most important annual events were linked with
heliacal phenomena. For instance, the Greeks saw in the heliacal
rising of the Hyades the beginning of the rainy season; the acronychal
rising of the Pleiades was synchronized with the Deluge and the true
All Soul's Day; the heliacal rising of Vindemiatrix ushered in the
grape harvest, while most important of all, the heliacal rising of
Sirius synchronized with the commencement of the Inundation.

RESOLUTION OF THE HYPSOMATA

Every student of astrology is familiar with the exaltation degrees
of the planets. They are given in almost every textbook and they
represent the oldest traditions in astrology. For the benefit of newer
readers they are herewith given once more and are as follows: Sun in
Aries 19 degrees; Moon in Taurus 3 degrees; Mercury in Virgo 15
degrees; Venus in Pisces 27 degrees; Mars in Capricorn 28 degrees;
Jupiter in Cancer 15 degrees; Saturn in Libra 21 degrees. The Greeks
called an exaltation degree 'hypsoma,' plural 'hypsomata.'
In the British Museum, London, there is a fragment from a large
cuneiform tablet written about the time of Nebuchadnezzar (747-434
B.C.). Here the legends of the twelve lunar months are rehearsed. The
commentary on the month Tammuz gives the valuable information that
Perseus and the Pleiades were the hypsoma of the Moon, Aries of the
Sun, Capricorn of Mars and Cancer of Jupiter. (Babylonian Menologies:
S. Langdon, London 1935). How did these exaltation degrees originate?
What do they represent? As Mercury's elongation from the Sun cannot
exceed 28 degrees (here it is 146 degrees) they cannot be longitudes of
the planets in any horoscope, or the like. The mystery of the origin
of the hypsomata has intrigued philosophers from the earliest times and
classical writers have not refrained from penning their speculation as
to their origin. Plutarch (Moralia I, 149a) refers to the Egyptians
saying the planets grow better or worse according to their Hypsomata
kai tapeinomata; while Pliny the Elder in his Historia Naturalis II,
13, seems to think the hypsomata were a 'suo centro apsides
altissimae.'
Down the long corridors of time, from the Greek period through the
Italian Renaissance to modern times, the problem of the hypsomata has
agitated many philosophical minds but evaded solution. Boll-Bezold-
Gundel (Sternglaube und Sterndeutung) and Bouche-Leclercq (L'Astrologie
Greque) agree that they are not apogees or perigees and as Dr. Herbert
Chatley adds, "no one seems to know what they are." However, the
problem was finally solved on May 14, 1949 when it was discovered by
the present writer that the 'hypsomata were the heliacal longitudes of
the planets for the lunar year commencing 1st Nissan, April 4, Julian,
786 B.C.' On this date the tropical longitudes of the Sun, Moon, and
Venus were Aries 5 degrees, Aries 15.6 degrees, and Pisces 12.9
degrees. On Sivan 21 (June 22) Jupiter set in the west heliacally in
Cancer 1.5 degrees; on Elul 15 (September 13) Mercury set in the east
heliacally in Libra 7.1 degrees; and on Shebat 6 (January 30, 785 B.C.)
Mars rose heliacally in Capricorn 13.5 degrees. Here it will be
noticed that the phenomenon alternates between the east and west
horizons.
The difference between the tropical longitudes and the traditional
hypsomatic degrees gives the sidereal longitude of the vernal point
(VP) for the epoch 786 B.C. thus:

Tropical Hypsoma VP
Sun 5.0 d. 19.0 d. 14.0
Moon 15.6 33.0 17.4
Mercury 150.8 165.0 14.2
Venus 342.9 357.0 14.1
Mars 283.5 298.0 14.5
Jupiter 91.5 105.0 13.5
Saturn 187.1 201.0 13.9
Mean value of VP for 786 B.C. 14.5

These amended values which differ slightly from those given in
Zodiacs Old and New (Llewellyn Publications 1950) are the result of
finer figuring and more critical translations of cuneiform records.
But here is must be stressed that they are derived from Schoch's
Heliacal Tables and his Arcus Visionis for Babylon on the tenatitive
assumption that the hypsomata were observed there. But such may not
have been the case. In the above named work, a plausible case was made
out that the phenomena was observed at Halakh, Assyria which is
disputed by Professor B. L. van der Waerden of the Mathematical
Institute of Zurich. They may have been observed in Egypt, Phoenicia,
or even in India. Being without positive historical records we simply
do not know. But if the phenomenon was not recorded in Babylon but in
some neighboring country then obviously the above values may differ by
a day or a degree either way. WHAT WE DO POSITIVELY KNOW IS THAT THE
HYPSOMATA RELATE TO THE YEAR 786 B.C. AND TO NO OTHER YEAR IN THE WHOLE
HISTORICAL PERIOD (4,000 B.C. TO THE PRESENT DAY); THAT THE EXALTATIONS
RELATED ONLY TO THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC; AND AT THE TIME OF THEIR
OCCURRENCE THE SIDEREAL LONGITUDE OF THE VERNAL POINT (AYANAMSHA) WAS
ABOUT 14 DEGREES.

In a letter to this writer, dated June 30, 1952, van der Waerden
advances cogent reasons for doubling that the longitude of the planets
at the date of the hypsomata were calculated by the Babylonians at that
time. He writes "The earliest known text in which entrances of the
planets into zodiacal signs are mentioned is VAT 4924 from the 5th year
of Darius II (420 B.C.) Degree are not mentioned; in fact they are
never mentioned in almanacs. Degrees are given only in computed lunar
and planetary tables from 100 to 300 of the Seleucid Era. The oldest
text comparable with NS (Normal Stars) almanacs is Strm. Kambys 400
(523 B.C.). It does not yet contain normal stars, but it gives
distances of planets to planets, and expressions like 'Saturn rose
heliacally east of Spica." In Sp II 901 (387 B.C.) the normal stars
appear for the first time. (Kugler: Sternkunde I, p. 71-81.) The
almanac CBS II 901 (425 B.C.) contains dates of heliacal risings and
settings. These five texts are all we have of the Persian time. All
in all, it seems extremely improbable that the Assyrians observed the
positions of the planets in 786 B.C. in signs and degrees. The only
possibility would be that Seleucid astronomers computed these positions
(retrospectively) and used them for their hypsoma theory. Besides,
whey should the Babylonian astrologers be interested in the
installation of Assyrian temples? The Babylonians were glad to get rid
of the Assyrian yoke in 612 B.C...."

But why should the Babylonians of the Seleucid period (312-64 B.C.)
want to compute the heliacal position of the planets for 786 B.C.? If
they did so, they must have been in possession of extraordinarily
accurate tables, or have been unusually competent mathematicians
comparable to the best we have today! The suggestion seems too far-
fetched and unconvincing. If, as van der Waerden contends, at the
period 786 B.C. the Babylonians did not think in degrees nor signs,
then it would appear that the hypsomata had their origin in Egypt. We
know that the Egyptians did think in signs and at least in pentades as
early as the 3rd millennium B.C. We also know that in Egypt in B.C.
786 the reign of Shashonk III, the last king of Dynasty XXII from
Bubastis, and that of Pedibaste, the first king of Dynasty XXIII from
Tanis overlapped, but for the rest history is silent. We simply lack
records.
The above reflections were stimulated by an excellent article in the
March '69 issue of our contemporary Horoscope, by our good friend LCDR
David Williams, entitled "The Constellations vs. the Zodiacal Signs."
Therein he states that there has been little agreement among
authorities as to when the first point of Aries actually coincided with
the beginning of the constellation Aries and in evidence he lists the
following tabulation:
Authority Date
Cheiro 388 B.C.
D. Davidson 317 B.C.
A. M. Harding 300 B.C.
Gerald Massey 255 B.C.
C. A. Jayne, Jr. 254 B.C.
Thierens 125 B.C.
Dane Rudhyar 97 B.C.
Paul Councel 0 A.D.
Cyril Fagan 220 A.D.
Sepharial 321 A.D.

Now let us note the following historical facts. In 1913, Weidner
found a cuneiform astronomical text which proved to be a Lunar
Computation Table after the system of the Babylonian astronomer
Naburiannu (epoch B.C. 500) for the New and Full Moons of B.C. 49-48.
In Naburiannu's system the sidereal longitude of the vernal point is
given as Aries 10 degrees. The German Jesuits Epping and Kugler
examined another Babylonian tablet of the year B.C. 103 bearing the
title Lunar Computation Table according to the System of Kidinnu (epoch
B.C. 373). In Kidinnu's system the sidereal longitude of the vernal
point is given as Aries 8 degrees (Kugler: Babylonische Mondrechung).
Van der Waerden defined the position of the origin of the Babylonian
zodiac by comparing it to the equinox of the year 101 B.C. (-100).
From several Babylonian lunar and planetary tables both Kugler and van
der Waerden obtained the following mean differences (VP).


Tables Years Difference
Lunar table Nr 93, system II -174 to -154 3.7
Lunar table Nr 272, system I -103 to -101 3.3
Jupiter tables, 1st kind -180 to - 90 4.2
Jupiter tables, 2nd kind -120 to -100 4.2
Jupiter tables, 3rd kind -120 to - 80 4.3
Babylonian Almanacs -210 to -160 3.5
Babylonian Almanacs -110 to - 60 5.3


"These values," states van der Waerden, "range from 3.3 to 5.3 which
means that the vernal point of -100 lies near 4.3 of the Babylonian
zodiac and Spica near 29 degrees Virgo with a possible deviation of 1
degree to either side. This result obtained several years ago is
strikingly confirmed by a Babylonian star catalogue recently published
by A. Sachs. Restricting ourselves to 5 entries that can be identified
with certainly, we find in this list the following longitudes. I have
added to the list two Jupiter longitudes drawn from the planetary table
and probably observed in the year 108 and 158 Seleucid Era which
commenced in 312 B.C."


Bab. Kugler
Text Star Name Long. Long. Diff.
BM 46083 Beta Virginis 151 147.6 3.4
Gamma " 166 161.2 4.8
Alpha Virginis 178 174.7 3.3
Alpha Librae 200 195.9 4.1
AO 6476 Beta Librae 205 200.2 4.8
Sp li 889 Jupiter 151.75 148.05 3.7
Jupiter 230.17 226.20 4.0


The mean difference is 4.1, the standard error of the single
observation being 0.6 Sonderabdruk aus Archiv fur Orientforschung, Band
XVI, Sweiter Teil, 1954. For the year -100 the Egyptian Berlin papyrus
(years -16 to +10) gives the differences of VP as 4.6 while the
Egyptian Strobart Tablets (years +70 to +131) give the VP as 5.1.
Should the reader take a sheet of graph paper and enter all these
findings, including that of the hypsomata, and taking as his
coordinates the year of the epoch and the longitude of the derived VP,
he will discover that the resultant "curve" is a perfectly straight
line! This clearly establishing the authenticity and historicity of
the hypsomata, which implies that all the other dates tabulated by
Commander Williams are false as they have no historicity of any
consequence to confirm their validity. The graph reproduced here is
taken from Zodiacs Old and New. [Below graph could only be
approximated in ascii text format.]



DIAGONAL LINE = SIDEREAL LONGITUDE OF THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOCTIAL
POINT MEASURED FROM SPICA IN 29 VIRGO 00'
Babylonian Planetary Texts (V.P. reduced to ecliptic of-100
by Van Der Waerden)


YEARS B.C. YEARS A.D.
-800 -700 -600 -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 -0 +100 +200
| | | | | | | | | | |
LIB 15__________________________________________________________
\
14___\ __13.8 LIB _________________________________________
S * Hypsomata B.C. 786
I 13________\ _______________________________________________
D \
E 12____________\ ___________________________________________
R \
E 11________________\ _______________________________________
A Naburiannu
L 10___________ 10 LIB * B.C. 500 ___________________________
\
L 9______________________ \ _________________________________
O Kidinnu
N 8__________________ 8 LIB * B.C. 373 ____________________
G
I 7_____________________________ \ __________________________
T \
U 6_________________________________ \ 5.3 LIB ____________
D \ * B.C. 116-60
E 5____________________________________ ___________________
4 LIB
4_____________ 4.2 LIB B.C. 160-130 *\ *Berlin Demotic
3.5 LIB B.C. 210-160 * \ Papyrus P8279
3___________________________________________ B.C. 15 - A.D. 11
\
2_________________________ 2 LIB A.D. 71-132 * ________
Strobart Egyptian \
1__________________________ Tables (Demotic) ______ \ ____
\
LIB 0______________________________________________________ \ _
\
VIR 29__________________________________________________________

VIR 28__________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | |
-800 -700 -600 -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 -0 +100 +200
YEARS B.C. YEARS A.D.



When I was engaged on the solution of the mystery of the hypsomata,
following modern Hindu traditions I assumed that the fiducial star was
Spica in Libra 0 degrees. But the solution quickly proved that the
sidereal longitude of Spica was nearer to Virgo 29 degrees than to
Libra 0 degrees; a most unlikely longitude for a fiducial star. Virgo
29 degrees also was confirmed by van de Waerden in his examination of
Babylonian records. Constant readers of this magazine know that in
1957, by purely statistical methods, Garth Allen established that the
sidereal longitude of Spica was Virgo 29 degrees 06' 05"; a still more
unlikely longitude for a fiducial star. In more recent years it was
discovered that when Garth Allen's determination was referred to the
hypsomata epoch 876 B.C. it put the Bull's Eye (Aldebaran) precisely in
the mathematical center of Taurus (15 degrees 00' 00') clearly
demonstrating that the true zodiac commenced with Taurus 0 degrees and
not with Aries 0 degrees. THIS HISTORICITY OF THE HYPSOMATA ZERO YEAR,
NAMELY A.D. 220 IS AN ALL IMPORTANT FACTOR IN CONFIRMING THAT THE
SOLUTION HERE GIVEN OF THE HYPSOMATA IS THE CORRECT ONE.
This was the most momentous discovery--if it can be called such--
ever made in the long history of astrology. Its implications are far
reaching and revolutionary in the extreme. Although the details of
this were made public some 20 years ago in Zodiacs Old and New, only
recently are the inferences beginning to percolate the astrological
consciousness of the more far seeing of astrologers. In all
seriousness, no amount of rationalization will succeed in explaining it
away. Of course, because of vested interests, or of heavy commitment,
there are those who ostrich-like prefer to hide their heads in the sand
and refuse to see. But ultimately the resolution of the hypsomata will
prove to be the open sesame that will restore astrology to its original
honorable place in the councils of the great nations.

* * * * *




CYRIL FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS" 12/61 American Astrology
ORIGIN OF HOROSCOPE FORM
[HELIACAL RISING OF SIRIUS; OLDEST KNOWN HOROSCOPE 2767 B.C.]

Before beginning a delineation of an astrological chart we must
fully comprehend the meaning of the horoscope form itself and its
interpretation. The circular diagram is popular in the west today; but
strange to say, it is a comparative innovation, notwithstanding the
fact that the dome of the heavens is obviously circular. Up to the
19th century the square of rectangular shaped horoscope form was the
vogue, as it is still the vogue in India. In his letters to the
present writer, the Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, the Nobel prize winner for
literature (1923), always used the square-shaped horoscope form. Why
did the square-shaped form persist for so many centuries before it was
gradually supplanted by the circular design, and how did it originate?
The glib answer is, of course, that it was easier to draw. But is that
the only reason?
If the hieroglyphic inscriptions of ancient Egypt are examined it
will be found that from the most remote periods they invariably
inscribed in the form of square or rectangular patterns, and down the
corridors of time, there appears to be little or no deviation from this
rather rigid convention. The famous Egyptian star charts were all
square or rectangular in shape to conform to the general pattern of
hieroglyphic inscriptions. But these same celestial diagrams, as they
were termed by Egyptologists, were a source of puzzlement to them and
astronomers alike, because the orientation appeared to them to be all
wrong.
Referring to the Celestial Diagram found in the tomb of Senmut (cira
1500 B.C.) Professor Pogo writes: "...A characteristic feature of the
Senmut ceiling is the astronomically objectionable orientation of the
southern panel; it has to be inspected like the rest of the ceiling by
a person facing north, so that Orion appears east of Sirius. If
astronomical ceilings in sepulchral halls were originally an expansion
of the inside and outside decorations of sarcophagus lids, the reversed
orientation of the southern panel would be easy to account for.
Another explanation for the wrong orientation of the southern panel is
suggested by the possibility that it originated on a southern vertical
wall facing a northern vertical wall appropriately decorated with
representations of the "meridian cords" and the "mural dials" discussed
below; by moving such hypothetical mural panels to the ceiling, their
relative orientation could be preserved, as in the case of the Seti
monument, or else the orientation of the southern panel could be
sacrificed to "uniformity" as on the ceiling of Senmut and of the
Ramesseum..." (The astronomical ceiling decoration in the Tomb of
Senmut, --XVIIIth Dynasty: Isis 14, p.306).
Professor Pogo did not know, nor do Egyptologists in general know,
that these celestial diagrams, belonging to many different dynastic
periods, were nothing else than copies of the horoscope for the
inauguration of the Sothic Era at the heliacal rising of Sirius at
Heliopolis on July 16 (O.S.), 2767 B.C. (see January 1954 issue). This
was deemed to be a magical talisman insuring for the deceased longevity
in the Elysium Fields.
The orientation of these celestial diagrams was not wrong. It is
identical with the orientation of our modern horoscope forms, whether
square or circular; a fact which is a strong argument that it was the
Egyptians, and not the Babylonians, who invented astrology, as so
fondly argued by Assyriologists. The horoscope for the inauguration of
the Sothic Era is identical in form with that of the square horoscope
form. It antidates the first records of Babylonian astrology by over a
thousand years; and it is the oldest extant horoscope in the world.
South at Midheaven
When a modern horoscope form is seen for the first time, the
beholder, like Professor Pogo, is apt to exclaim "The orientation is
all wrong." This is because he is accustomed to see north at the top,
the south at the bottom, the east at the right and the west at the left
in all modern geographical maps. But to orientate our geographical
maps in this way is only a convention. In truth, there is no top or
bottom to the earth or for that matter for any of the celestial bodies.
The Egyptians always considered the south as being the top or upper
region, the north as the bottom or lower region, the east as being the
left and the west and being the right. The Egyptian for east is
'i3bt,' while that for left-hand is 'i3bi;' the Egyptian for west is
'imnt' and for right-hand 'wnmy,' both words having the same root. The
Egyptian for north was 'mht,' the root of which is 'mh' meaning "a
whip."
The same root occurs in the word 'mhnyt' - "the coiled one," meaning
a snake or serpent, and it is rather curious to find in the argot of
the southern states of the U.S.A., before the emancipation of the
slaves, that the whip was often referred to as the "snake.' In
Egyptian symbolism the ideogram of a snake or serpent indicated the
"winds" and that of the "whip" is here identified with the icy winds
that blow from the north, which metaphorically speaking, "whip the
backs of the Egyptians" when they blow, as the viewer of a horoscope is
always supposed to be facing due south, with his back to the north. So
positioned the east will be at his left and the west at his right. The
Egyptian for south was 'r-swt' - "the sedge plant," and the Egyptian
for Upper (southern) Egypt was 'sm'w,' the phonetics of which
incorporate the ideogram of a "sedge planet," while that for Lower
(northern) Egypt, i.e., the Land of the Delta, was 'mhr,' the phonetics
of which include the ideogram of the "whip."
When looking at a circular horoscope form it must be remembered that
the astrologer is trying to express diagrammatically in two dimensions
a three dimensional view, this view being taken in "the plane of the
vertical." The circle that surrounds the diagram represents the prime
vertical, which is a great circle of the sphere that rises due east
(extreme left-hand point of the circle), cuts through the Zenith, which
is that point in the heavens that is immediately overhead (extreme top
point of the circle), sets due west (extreme right-hand point), passes
through the Nadir, which is that point immediately opposite to the
Zenith (bottom part of circle) and then rises again due east.
Cusps and Angles
The horizontal line that stretches across the diagram from east to
west is the great circle of the rational horizon viewed edge-on, thus
appearing as only a line. The vertical line is the great circle of the
meridian, also viewed edge on. It rises due north of the horizon, cuts
through the prime vertical at the Zenith, again intersects the horizon,
this time due south, and again intersects the prime vertical at the
Nadir, to rise again at the north point of the horizon. These are the
three great primary or fundamental circles of the mundane sphere. The
twelve lines, looking like spokes of a wheel, represent the cusps
(edges) of the twelve mundane houses. They are known as secondary
circles or just secondaries.
* * * *




From Cyril Fagan's letter in "Many Things" A.A. 5/66
[HELIACAL RISING OF SIRIUS & OLDEST HOROSCOPE 2767 B.C.]

...Senmut's astronomical ceiling is nothing else but a copy of a
horoscope (as the legends, indeed, state) for THE HELIACAL RISING OF
SIRIUS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY of the common Egyptian calendar: an event
which can only recur for a tetraeteris (4 year period) about 1456
years!
Additional copies of the same horoscope were found in the two
temples of Rameses II at Abydos and at Madinat Habu; in the tombs of
Rameses VI, VII, IX at Thebes (c. 1150 B.C.) in the sarcophagus of
Prince Nectanebo, and in the coffin of Hor-nef-tef of the Saite period
(663-420 B.C.) and in the two tombs at Alfih of the Ptolemaic period
(305-30 B.C.) where they acted as talismans promising longevity in the
Elysian Fields.
These copies show a very rare quadruple conjunction of Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (as Mars was identified with the evil god
Seth, for superstitious reasons in a few copies it was omitted), with
Venus, under its Pyramidic name of the Benu-bird or Bird of the
Inundation, risen in the east just above the Ascendant. Retrospective
calculation discloses that such a conjunction actually took place on
July 16 (O.S.) 2767 B.C. which happened to be New Year's Day of the
common Egyptian calendar, and incidentally midsummer day. On this date
Sirius rose heliacally at Heliopolis the Greenwich of Egypt! Note the
accompanying chart which is a copy of the oldest extant horoscope in
existence!

Sidereal Campanus: OLDEST HOROSCOPE July 16 O.S., 2767 B.C.
M.C. 10ARI37, llth 9TAU00, 12th 18GEM41, ASC 28CAN52, 2nd 26LEO59,
3rd 19VIR00, MARS 19CAN01, JUP 21CAN35, SAT 24CAN53, VEN 25CAN42,
SUN 10LEO34, MER 28LEO54, MOON 19AQU02

Apart from the above, the 63rd Tablet of the great Babylonian Enuma
Anu Enlil series gives the heliacal rising and settings in Nin-se-an-na
(Venus) in terms of the Babylonian months (not the zodiac, which was
unknown to the Babylonians at this period, not yet being imported from
Egypt) during 22 successive years in the reign of Ammisaduqa of the
First Babylonian Dynasty. There can be no question that Nin-se-an-na
is identical with Venus for the periodicity of its heliacal risings and
settings are the same as those of Venus, and for no other planet.
On the 1st Nisan, the first day of the Hypsomatic lunar year,
commencing April 4, 786 B.C. the triad comprising the Sun, Moon and
Venus were found precisely in their traditional degrees of their
exaltation! Apart from such considerations it is known that Babylonian
and Assyrian sanctuaries, dating from that of Enlil-Assur-Zikurrat in
2931 B.C. to Nabu's Temple in 606 B.C., whose foundation dates were
recorded, were oriented on the 1st Nisan of the foundation year, to the
Pedjeshes (an arc of a circle intersecting Benetnash and Spica), which
has been confirmed by the researches of Gunter-Martiny, P.V.
Neugebauer, Boker and others.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[WHAT_AGE]? THE SONG WAS WRONG. "This is definitely NOT the dawning
of the Age of Aquarius, no matter what the song proclaims or
opportunistic astrologers may say." From that quintessential Aquarian
Moon Ascending himself, Garth Allen. Plus scholarly essays by Cyril
Fagan, May 1959 "Solunars - New Slant on 'Ages'." Essays from August,
September & October 1967 "Solunars" further discuss Equinoctial
Precession and/or Heliacal Phenomena as the marker of historical ages.
* * * *



Garth Allen, "What's All This About The Age of Aquarius"
SPICA, 4/1970

This is definitely not the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, no matter
what the song proclaims or opportunistic astrologers may say.
Scientifically and historically speaking, the Aquarian Age will
commence in the year 2376 A.D., over four centuries from now -- and you
may confidently dismiss as tommyrot anything you may have read or heard
to the contrary.
There are so many claims and counterclaims about this topic nowadays
that the man on the street cannot be blamed for believing there is a
"controversy" about the dating of the so-called Astrological Ages. But
there is no real controversy, nor can there be one legitimately, simply
because the astronomical facts are incontrovertible.
There may be a deplorable amount of misinformation going the rounds,
but not among people who know the pertinent facts and figures....But
sad to say, the old adage still applies, to wit, that a lie can circle
the world seven times while Truth is putting on her boots!
Those who publicly identify themselves as astrologers, and yet state
or imply that the Aquarian Age is soon to arrive, or is already upon
us, are evincing a mystifying defiance of the very first principles of
their "science." When questioned by someone who does know the ins and
outs of scholarly astrology (as something distinct from popular or
commercial astrology) these self-advertisers invariably reveal that
they really haven't the foggiest notion of what it is all about in the
first place!
You think this a drastic or unduly arrogant statement? Well,
consider the fact that what is meant by "Aquarius" in the term Age of
Aquarius has nothing whatever to do with the 'Sign' called "Aquarius"
apart from a mere similarity of names.
Anybody who represents himself as an authentic astrologer and yet
refers to people 'born under the Sign of Aquarius' as having some
connection with what is meant by the term "Aquarius" is in the sense of
an historical influence, is displaying a woeful ignorance of elementary
astrology (not to mention astronomy). To repeat: There is absolutely
no connection other than a homonymous one, between the apparent
interval from January 20th to February 18th and the imaginary
constellated figure of Aquarius the Waterbearer in the sky--the sector
in the heavens from which the Aquarian Age derives its name.
A highly publicized Hollywood astrologer, who happens to have been
born under Aquarius in the usually understood sense, claims that the
Aquarian Age commenced in 1904, oddly coincidental with his own
emergence on the world scene! Through such a claim, this pious but
well-heeled fellow reveals less knowledge of the parameters of the
celestial sphere than a Boy Scout has to know to earn his astronomy
merit badge.
The dating of the Aquarian Age is not a matter of opinion any more
than is the timing of an eclipse or a phase of the Moon. There is no
reasonable excuse for anybody, be he self-styled astrologer or
interested layman, to offer an opinion about it when all he has to do
is cite the physical and mathematical facts which are familiar to
anyone well versed in basic astronomy coupled with a nonromantic
history of the subject known as astrology.
So just what IS the Age of Aquarius, what determines it and why?
The answers are absurdly simple compared with the confusion, inaccurate
and occult tinged palaver about it that one is apt to read in the
popular press.
The reason this is CURRENTLY THE AGE OF PISCES is the fact that the
vernal equinox, marking the commencement of the spring season in the
northern hemisphere, occurs when the Sun crosses the equator while
apparently projected against the backdrop of the anciently defined
constellation of Pisces the Fishes. And to stress again the point this
is so crucial in connection with this subject, this Pisces, the starry
one, has nothing to do--apart from bearing the same name--with what is
generally meant by the "Sign of Pisces."
That's all there is to it. Starkly uncomplicated and easy for an
average intellect to grasp. We are now in the Age of Pisces merely
because since the year 220 A.D. the first moment of spring (in the
northern hemisphere only) finds the Sun within the boundaries of the
constellation of Pisces. Fully 406 from now, this annual event will
commence occurring when the Sun is situated within the boundaries of
the original limits of the constellation of Aquarius.
Each such Age lasts for over two millennia. The present one spans
2,156 years, whereas the previous Age of Aries covered 2,175 years,
and the Taurean Age before that stretched over 2,184 years. The
complete cycle lasts in the neighborhood of 26,000 years. The gradual
shifting of the vernal equinoctial point among the stars is due to a
precessional wobble in the orientation of the tilt of the Earth's axis
(not the tilt itself, by the way). It is purely a terrestrial
phenomenon, caused by known physical forces--chiefly solar and lunar
gravitational action on the Earth's equatorial budge, if you want to
get technical about it. It is a strictly a local mechanism, a fact
that shows how nutty are such published statements as "The solar system
is about to enter the Sign Aquarius" and "The world is now in the
domain of Aquarius and people born under Aquarius will come into
prominence."
Incidentally, in case you're wondering, there is no question,
either, about what the originally conceived boundaries of the dozen
zodiacal constellations actually were. In fact, archaeological and
antiquities studies of widely diversified sorts show a remarkable
consistency and stability in this regard--the fiducial or "marking
stars" of the original scheme of the zodiac are not seriously
questioned by those who specialize in the study of origins.
But carry the definition of Astrological Ages to its logical
conclusion and it grows to be more geographical than astrological! If
you are a native of Australia, say, or Argentina, and insist that there
is something magically special or "influential" about the mathematical
inauguration of the spring season, what we Northerners call the spring
equinox is really your autumnal equinox, and vice versa. You would be
fully justified in saying that we are presently in the Age of Virgo
and that the next Novus Ordo Seuclorum will be the Age of Leo! After
all, Virgo is opposite Pisces and Leo is opposite Aquarius and where
zodiacal Ages are concerned, by strictest definition, one set of
constellations would be as authentic as the other.
Now do you see why the currently faddish belief in those Ages has
little relevance to the facts of either astronomy or astrology?
Psychologists tell us that such dreamy anticipation of a happier
tomorrow is just the old Millennial hope of mankind reasserting itself
in a form more in keeping with the jargon of the Space Age. It is
characteristic of human nature to cleave to a Utopian vision of one
form or another. Without such reaffirmation of hope for a better
future, life on this troubled planet would hardly be worth enduring.
But one thing we shouldn't have to endure is the pseudoscientific
nonsense that has all but ruined the fascinating subject of astrology,
which itself is not hokey. There is nothing "ancient" about the belief
in Astrological Ages--in fact, the very earliest inklings of the idea
in astrology's prolific literature appeared in the late 19th century.
As a body of lore and analytical procedures, astrology is close to
5,000 years old, making these Ages something recent in its development.
The notion originated as a kind of modern compensation by
astrologers for the fact that the zodiac of Signs was gradually getting
out of step with the zodiac of constellations from which the names and
symbols for the Signs were inadvertently purloined during the centuries
when to think straight about anything was to woo the death penalty.
The effort to compensate for a past kingsized booboo, however, has got
out of hand. As a result of the errors and misstatements of publicity-
hungry type of soothsayers, the public at large has been led to believe
in tenets that are untrue to the point of being ridiculous. They even
have songs and suitably eerie electronic music about it. Scientific
astrologers--and there are such people, despite the impression one gets
from the popular media--march to a different drummer, and their
intellectual ears are tuned to the true music of the spheres.
* * * *



Cyril Fagan, May 1959, SOLUNARS - A Study of the Sidereal Zodiac
A NEW SLANT ON "AGES"


In a contemporary astrological journal the following passage occurs:
"...The ayanamsha for this--according to the theories of Mr. Cyril
Fagan--would have been approximately 17 degrees in the 15th century..."
This value of the ayanamsha (the ayanamsha being the difference between
360 degrees and the sidereal longitude of the vernal equinoctial point)
is not a theory, but a well-authenticated fact, confirmed by the
leading astro-chronologists in the world.
When toward the close of the 19th century the German Jesuit Fathers
Epping and Kugler succeeded in translating many Babylonian astronomical
records for varying dates in antiquity, inscribed in cuneiform
characters on the numerous excavated baked clay tablets, they
discovered to their surprise that the recorded longitudes of the fixed
stars and planets were not reckoned from the vernal equinoctial point
as they expected, which is a common practice today, but from different
points along the ecliptic path. (F. X. Kugler, Sternkunde U.
Sterndienst in Babel, 1907, S.S.B.) In his Planeten-Tafeln fur
Jedermann, Karl Schoch gives in table G, page 9, the Babylonian names
of the 12 zodiacal constellations according to Kugler. Commenting on
these Schoch says "...They are to be distinguished from the 12 zodiacal
signs each of which occupies 30 degrees of the ecliptic. From the year
-200 (i.e., 201 B.C.) to 0 the Babylonian signs extended along the
actual true ecliptic...that is, the sign of The Fishes (Zibbati) ran
from about 325.7 degrees to 355.7 degrees whereas we allot to this sign
the longitude 330 degrees to 360 degrees..." This means that according
to Kugler's preliminary findings, the Babylonians reckoned their
longitudes, between the years 201 B.C. and 1 B.C. from a point about
4.7 degrees to the east of the vernal equinoctial point which
constitutes Aries 0 degrees 0' of the present tropical zodiac.
Professor Otto Neugebauer of Brown University, Providence, in his
examination of the only two Egyptian manuscript ephemerides extant, the
Demotic Berlin Papyrus P .8279, which covers the years 16 B.C. to 11
A.D., and the years 71 A.D. to 132 A.D., and the Stobart tablets which
cover the years 9 A.D. to 17 A.D., found that they were each computed
in terms of a sidereal zodiac. He says "...This makes it very probable
that both texts are using a fixed origin for the division of the zodiac
into twelve signs, disregarding precession. If this be true, then the
list p. 230 shows the origin of this fixed zodiac at the beginning of
the Augustian time to be about four degrees in advance of the vernal
point--longitude 356 degrees..." In a footnote he adds, "...If may be
remarked that Kugler discovered that the Babylonian planetary texts,
which belong to the two last centuries B.C., use a vernal point about
five degrees in advance of the true vernal point (cf. e.g., Kugler SSB
I, p. 121, p. 173 and SSB II, p. 513 ff.) but this correspondence might
be purely accidental. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that
Babylonian astronomy took into account the precession of the equinoxes.
Schnabel's paper (Kidenas, Hipparch und die Entdeckung der Prezession
1927) can be disproved in every detail..." (Transactions of the
American Philosophical Society, XXXII, part II, January 1942.)

SCHOLARSHIP SETTLES MATTERS
Epping and Kugler examined a Babylonian tablet of the year 103 B.C.
bearing the title "Lunar Computation Table according to Kidinnu," and
discovered that the longitude of the vernal point was placed in Aries 8
degrees (Kugler: Babylonische Mondrechung). In 1913 Professor Weidner
found another astrological text which proved to be a Lunar Computation
Table after the system of Naburiannu for the New and Full Moons of B.C.
49-48. In Naburiannu's system the vernal point was placed in Aries 10
degrees. By a study of the position of the vernal point in the systems
of these two famous Babylonian astronomers, and of the difference
between the assumed lengths of the year and the true length of the
tropical year. Schnabel succeeded in ascertaining the dates for which
the positions of the equinox would be correct, obtaining for Naburiannu
the epoch 508 B.C. and for Kidinnu 379 B.C. To these Dr. J. K.
Fotheringham of Oxford University applied an acceleration, obtained
from the study of ancient eclipses, to the motions of the Sun, and
obtained the dates B.C. 500 and B.C. 373, respectively.
In May 1949 the present writer discovered that at their heliacal
phenomena all the planets known to the ancients, with the exception of
Venus, fell precisely into their traditional "exaltation degrees"
(Hypsomata) for the lunar year commencing April 4, 786 B.C., while the
longitudes of the Sun, Moon, and Venus exactly tallied with their
exaltation degrees on New Year's Day (1st Nisan), April 4, 786 B.C. if
the vernal point was placed in Aries 13.8 degrees. Graphing all these
values against the years assigned to them yielded a perfect straight
line running diagonally across the graph, proving conclusively that the
ancient Egyptians and Babylonians used a sidereal zodiac with its
fiducial star, Spica, being fixed in longitude 179.00 degrees or Virgo
29.00 degrees.
In his History of the Zodiac Professor B.L. van der Waerden of the
Mathematical Institute of Zurick has examined many other Babylonian
tables, such as those of Jupiter and some of the fixed stars, and
confirms the present writer's discovery that they were all computed in
terms of a sidereal zodiac with Spica in Virgo 29.00 degrees.
Subsequently he examined the papyrus from the John Rylands Library and
catalogued as P. Ryl 27. Professor O. Neugebauer had previously
studied the same Papyrus (The Astronomical Treatise P. Ryl 27,
Copenhagen, 1949). This treatise is a lunar table which covers the
second century A.D. and here again van der Waerden discovers that all
lunar positions were computed in terms of the same sidereal zodiac.
In these circumstances it is submitted that the sidereal longitudes
of the vernal point, computed from Spica in Virgo 29.00 degrees,
published in our vernal-point ephemerides are not theoretical. These
give the astronomically authentic values of the vernal point as known
to those who originated the zodiac and the science of astrology itself,
namely the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians. As the result of
rigorous statistical investigation of solar and lunar ingress charts,
Garth Allen found that the value obtained from the ancient texts and
monumental records must be increased by 0 degrees 06'05" or 0.100.7
degrees, a correction rendered permissible by van de Waerden's value
for the "probable error" of plus or minus 0.3 degrees. In other words
the sidereal longitude of the vernal point must be computed from Spica
in Virgo 29d.06'05" disregarding its proper motion. For the epoch
1950.0 Garth Allen gives its mean sidereal longitude as Pisces
5d.57'28.65", making the corresponding mean ayanamsa 24d.02'31.36".

NEW SLANT ON "AGES"
Calculating from Garth Allen's Synetic Vernal Point values, it will
be found that the vernal equinoctial point, which is the "Aries 0
degrees" of the tropical zodiac, retrograded along the ecliptic path
into the end of the constellations as follows:--

Taurus 30 degrees 4147 B.C. approximately
Aries 30 1957 " "
Pisces 30 220 A.D. "
Aquarius 30 2377 " "

Therefore the so-called "Aquarian Age" will not commence until 2377
A.D. or another 418 hence. The notion that it commenced in 1844 A.D.
or that the Piscean Age began with the Dionysian date for the birth of
Christ has no foundation in the records of antiquity. The
retrogression of the vernal point into the tail end of a constellation
constituted only a theoretical beginning and in antiquity was quite
without significance. In his History of the Zodiac van de Waerden
points out that while the Babylonian astronomical tables were reliable
and accurate, a point also stressed by Karl Schoch, their dates for the
equinoxes and solstices were frequently in error by several days;
because they deemed them of little significance. Indeed this fact
alone testifies that they could not have used the tropical zodiac, and
yet we find modern astrologers attaching so much importance to the Sun
ingresses of the four cardinal signs (tropical)!
The true beginning of an Age was sought among the dates when the
crescent moon of the 1st Nisan, which commenced the ecclesiastical "New
Year's Day," was seen to fall consistently among the stars of the
constellation that indicated the "New Age." This crescent moon was
observed immediately after sunset of the first or second day following
the syzygy (conjunction of the Sun and Moon) According to the hour at
which it took place, and it constituted the true New Moon. Viewed in
this light it is apparent from the following brief list of the
approximate sidereal longitudes of the crescent that we are not yet of
the Arien Age and are in fact only beginning to enter the Piscian Age,
it being remembered that the era commences when the New Moon (crescent)
of Nisan is consistently seen to have entered the tail end (30 degrees)
of the constellation.

1ST NISAN BEGAN AT SUNSET IN BABYLON
Gregorian Longitude of New Moon
1957 April 1 Aries 01 degrees 48'
1958 March 21 Pisces 29 degrees 35'
1959 April 8 Pisces 29 degrees 21'
1960 March 28 Pisces 29 degrees 30'

In effect this means that during the last two thousand years or so,
the world has been living in the Iron Age of Aries, ruled by Mars, the
god of violence, wars and dictatorship. It is only now beginning to
enter the Piscian Age. It is customary for the modern astrologer to
refer to what he believes to be the passing "Piscian Age" as that of
Christ and his fishermen disciples, of baptism by water, the great
development in water and sea power and so forth. Oh, how easy it is
for the mind to beguile itself! Surely the dominant influence of the
last two millennia has been the rule of Mars with its crop of
dictators, sovereign governments and catastrophic world wars? The
vernal equinoctial point left the constellation Taurus about 1957 B.C.
when it entered that of Aries, yet we find the effigy and worship of
the Bull dominant in all the religious cults right down to the
beginning of the Christian era. This is probably because the true
Taurean Age did not end until about then. In the horoscope for the 1st
Nisan 786 B.C. when the exaltation degrees of the planets originated,
the crescent New Moon was in the 3rd degree of Taurus, and it is
probable that the true Arien age began to dawn about this period.
It must never be forgotten that the astronomy of antiquity was
visual. It is impossible to observe the constellation through which
the Sun was passing (except perhaps at a total eclipse of the Sun)
because of broad daylight, but it is always possible, weather
permitting, to note that in which the Moon is placed, provided it was
not under the beams of the Sun. Hence the New (crescent) and Full
Moons were the chief prophetic indices of the changing seasons and ages
and the passage of time generally. Indeed the Egyptian ideogram for a
month was the representation of the crescent Moon.
...The precession of the equinoxes, or more accurately the
regression of the equinoxes, is not caused by the Sun's proper motion
in space or around a great center, but by the slow retrograde motion of
the earth's axis, which describes a small circle having a radius of
23.5 degrees (technically known as the obliquity of the ecliptic)
around the poles of the circle of the ecliptic, the period being about
25,884 years. It is therefore entirely a terrestrial effect. This
precessional motion causes the vernal equinoctial point, which
constitutes the first degree of the sign Aries, to move backwards along
the ecliptic circle at the rate of one degree in approximately 72
years.
The motion can be likened to a railroad steam engine with eleven
carriages, or coaches, shunting perpetually backwards along a circular
track, the engine representing the sign Aries and the eleven carriages
the other eleven tropical signs. Far outside but surrounding the
circular railroad is the circle of the twelve zodiacal constellations
which, to all astrological intents and purposes, remain fixed.
Therefore in the course of a precessional cycle of 25,884 years, our
imaginary train will shunt backwards past each of the twelve zodiacal
constellations.
When astrologers talk of the beginning of the Aquarian Age what they
actually mean is that the bumper of our imaginary steam engine (Aries 0
degrees of the tropical signs) is beginning to pass the 30th degrees of
the constellation Aquarius; some 72 years later it will begin to pass
the 29th degree of the same constellation, and so on. Expressed more
technically it means that due to the conical movement of the earth's
axis around that of the ecliptic, the circle that constitutes the
twelve tropical signs is retrograding at the rate of one degree in
about 72 years with respect to the circle of the twelve zodiacal
constellations. About the year 2377 A.D. the commencement of the
tropical Aries (the vernal equinoctial point) will come into alignment
with the 30th degree of the constellation Aquarius, and this is what is
generally meant by the beginning of the Aquarian Age. But not a few
astrologers write that at the commencement of the Age "we will enter
the sign Aquarius." What is intended by the word "we" is not
clarified. Apparently they mean that the tropical sign Aries will
enter the tropical sign Aquarius, which is grotesque.
It is not generally understood that when a tropicalist--that is, an
adherent of the new or moving "zodiac" in popular use in the western
world and invented by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus about 139 B.C.--
writes about the influences of the Aquarian Age, he is interpreting
what he presumes to be the effects of the "constellation" Aquarius and
thereby, all unwittingly, confesses to his belief in the sidereal
zodiac, or ancient zodiac of the constellations. Invariably he
interprets the "constellation" Aquarius as if it were the "sign"
Aquarius and thereby falls foul of the homonymous fallacy. But if he
pins his faith exclusively to the new zodiac, then the Taurean, Arien,
Piscian and Aquarian eras can have no meaning at all for him, for they
are all sidereal!
The beginning of the season is dependent on the Sun's altitude,
which in its turn is dependent on its declination and no on its entry
into the four cardinal signs. If the latter was true then the Sun's
entry into the sign Cancer should be the Midsummer's Day all over the
world, which is NOT the case for in the southern hemisphere it marks
Midwinter's Day! It is ridiculous therefore to affirm that both
zodiacs have their uses. Any virtue found in the tropical zodiac is
solely due to the declination of the luminaries and not to the tropical
longitudes. To associate longitude and declination, as is the common
practice, is to associate two dissimilar co-ordinates, which is bad
mathematics.
The solar system--that is, our sun with its family of planets--does
not revolve around the fixed star Arcturus (Alpha Bootis) as stated [in
another current publication]. Arcturus is but another though much
greater sun than our own, and is situated 33 light years away. Our sun
Arcturus and over 100 million other fixed stars (suns) which composes
the mighty galactic system (Milky Way) are all revolving at different
speeds and in eccentric orbits around a common center, which is
situated about Sagittarius 0 degrees 43'; latitude 3 degrees south, and
which is some 24,400 light-years away from our sun. [Neil Michelsen's
The American Sidereal Ephemeris, 1981, gave those Galactic Center
coordinates as longitude 2SAG06' latitude 5S35'] ...The galactic
equator, where the majority of stars congregate, intersects the
ecliptic
at an inclination of 60 degrees 33' in Sagittarius 3 degrees 36', while
the pole of the system lies in Virgo 3 degrees 36', latitude 29n27.
[More current astronomical data may have revised these coordinates.]
In passing it may be noted that if the period of time necessary for
a complete revolution of our solar system...was only 25,884 years,
which means we spend 2,157 years under the influence of each sign (?
constellation) as stated by another author, then the various
constellations depicted in the ancient star atlases of Greece and Rome
would be completely unrecognizable by us today, to say nothing of
ancient horoscopes; for in a period of 2000 years our position in
regards to all the constellations would have changed completely and
they would form different signs and shapes in the heavens. The average
proper motion for the fixed stars amounts to one degree in about
120,000 years, and as our Sun is a fixed star it is obvious it has not
moved in its orbit around the galactic center, since the beginning of
the Christian era by more than 0 degrees 01' of arc, or having regard
to its motion around the galactic center by less than a third of this
value.

ASTROLOGY MUST HAVE INTEGRITY
It has been represented that some professional and newspaper
astrologers, being impressed by the success of the sidereal technique,
have adopted the same in their practices, but, in order to save loss of
face before their clients, still retain the new or tropical zodiac. In
computing solar and lunar returns and ingresses they add to the radical
planets the accrued precession--which is a form of canceling out the
effects of precession, that is always negative--and then compute the
required charts in terms of the tropical framework. Apart from the
obvious fraudulency of the procedure, it is necessary to emphasize that
the 'raison d'etre' of the tropical zodiac lies in its very
"tropicality," that is, in the fact that it is seasonal or
precessional. If precession is eliminated it ceases forthwith to be
tropical and becomes a quasi-sidereal zodiac with epoch as of the date
of birth, or date of ingress, as the case may be. Apart from being
thoroughly unscientific, such an unethical practice should, in the
general interests of astrology, be strongly discountenanced.
* * *




Cyril Fagan's 8/67 "SOLUNARS, A STUDY OF THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC"
[THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC, PRECESSION, & AGES]

REVIEWING THE SITUATION!

Every month for the past fourteen years, the superior merits of the
sidereal version of the zodiac have been explicated and extolled in this
column and yet, to judge by the letters constantly received, there still
appears to be many readers who are confused as to the raison d'etre for
the existence of any version other than the tropical or popular one. So
while what follows mainly is penned to expel such clouds of confusion
and to enlighten newcomers to these pages, the seasoned reader may find
much food for thought too.
It is first necessary to mention just a few technicalities but to
avoid adding to the existing confusion these will be made as simple as
possible. Now let us picture two hoops, like those children play with
but of gigantic size. Let us imagine that one of the hoops is a wooden
one with a broad rim while the other is of steel with a narrow rim. Let
us suppose that the steel hoop fits rather snugly inside the wooden one,
not on the flat, but at a more or less permanent angle of 23.5 degrees.
This angle is very important in what follows and is called the
"obliquity of the ecliptic" by astronomers.
Both hoops are so large that they extend indefinitely into outer
space. The wooden hoop with the broad rim is the circle of the zodiac.
It is divided into twelve equal parts called zodiacal constellations
each containing precisely 30 degrees. In the mathematical center of the
rim is another hoop but this time a very thin one. It is the earth's
path (orbit) around the Sun. It is called the "ecliptic," because
eclipses of the Sun or Moon occur should the Moon be on the ecliptic at
the time of a New or Full Moon. Up to the time of the discovery of
Pluto in 1930, the wooden rim was held to extend some 8 degrees on
either side of the ecliptic. Inside that wooden rim revolved the Moon
and planets around a central Sun. They never went outside its confines
(except Pluto). When precisely on the ecliptic they were said to be
devoid of latitude like the earth itself. But when situated at the
extremities of the rim they were at their maximum latitudes and were
said to be at their "bends"; the Moon, Venus and Saturn on such
occasions having the greatest latitude. When Pluto was discovered it
was found that, true to his escapist proclivity, on specified occasions
he broke bounds and wandered some 7 degrees beyond the confines of the
zodiacal rim.
At the moment our chief concern is with the thin steel hoop inside
the wooden one. Though dubbed the "celestial equator," be not deceived,
for it is only the earth's equator projected infinitely into outer
space. That is to say it lies in the same plane as the earth's equator.
Where the wooden and steel hoops intersect each other are known
respectively as the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The words vernal and
autumnal mean spring and fall, and equinox means that when the Sun
(actually the earth) is at these points day and night are of equal
duration.
All might be well if the steel hoop elected to "stay put." But,
alas, owing to the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon on
the earth's equatorial protuberance, the steel rim in the long, long ago
has been set in motion. To make matters worse, this motion is
"backwards" and it is of the upmost importance to remember this fact in
all that follows. The backward or retrograde motion was named by the
late Greek astronomers as the "precession of the equinoxes," but for our
purposes more approximately styled the "regression of the equinoxes."
The motion, being ecliptical, varies but it takes some 26,000 years
to complete the round of the wooden hoop, the present motion being 1
degree in 72.5 years. Seeing that the motion is perpetually retrograde,
it implies that these equinoctial points, every 2,170 years in the mean
will pass from one zodiacal constellation to the other but via the
backdoor, as it were. thus if at one particular period the vernal
equinox was in Capricorn 0 degrees then 72 years later it will be in
Sagittarius 29 degrees and 72 years after that in Sagittarius 28 degrees
and so on. Never, never do the equinoxes enter by the hall-door!
When the Sun apparently is in conjunction with the vernal equinox,
which usually occurs on March 21st of our Gregorian or modern calendar,
it is the first day of spring and when it is in conjunction with the
opposite, or fall point, usually on September 23rd, it is the first day
of autumn. Incidentally, the calendar, be it lunar or solar, is always
tropical or seasonal. Otherwise it would be useless for civil purposes.
Having assimilated and digested the foregoing, the astute reader will
be in a position to appreciate and evaluate what follows. In the summer
of 4153 B.C. the vernal equinox was in the first degree of Gemini, but
the next year, 4152 B.C., it had slipped quietly into 30th degree of
Taurus. Slowly retreating through that constellation it did not leave
it until some 2,197 years later, or to be more precise, in the spring of
1955 B.C. But those 2,197 years embraced the most momentous of all
years, for they saw the first pages of recorded history in the enacting.
It was during those years that the great nations of remote antiquity as
Egypt, Sumeria, Babylonia, Assyria arose and consolidated their power
and domination. It was during then that the might pyramids were built
and that the earliest events of the Old Testament occurred. Then too it
was that the great Biblical heroes were born. The estheticism and
intellectualism of Greece and the power and the rule of Rome were still
enshrouded in the far distant mists of futurity. Richard Hinckley Allen
in his "Star Names" (1899) writes: "This was the golden age of
astronomy; in all ancient zodiacs preserved to us, it (Taurus) began the
year. It is to this that Virgil alluded in the much quoted lines from
the 1st "Georgic" which May rendered:

When with golden hornes bright Taurus opes,
The yeare; and downward the crosse Dogstarre stoopes;

and the poet's description well agrees with mythology's idea of Europa's
bull, for he always was thus described, and snowy white in color...."
The lunar calendars of the ancient Semitic peoples, which among
others include the ancient Egyptians, the Akkadians (Assyro-
Babylonians), the Phoenicians, Moabites and Hebrews, made provision for
the annual celebration of two New Year days, the civil and the
ecclesiastical. The civil one was celebrated during the lunar month
Nisan. This was the first month of spring when the Sun was in
conjunction with the vernal equinox, equivalent to March 21st of our
modern calendar. The ecclesiastical one was celebrated during the month
of Teshrit when the Sun was in conjunction with the fall equinox,
equivalent to September 23rd, modern. All lunar calendars were from
time to time adjusted to accord with the seasons and hence were
tropical, seasonal and equinoctial as is our modern (solar) calendar
itself.
But the great point to note and never to forget is that during the
first two thousand years or so of recorded history, when the vernal
equinox was receding through it, Taurus was the first of the zodiacal
constellations and Aries the last! More than that Taurus not only was
the leader during this period of the seasons (tropical months) but was
for all time the captain of the zodiacal constellations. Even among the
Romans of the Aries age, Taurus was still hailed as "Princeps armenti,"
leader of the zodiacal herd!
A feature of the architecture and sculpture of the first two
millennia of the historical period, and indeed for many centuries later,
was the astonishing prevalence of colossal and massive monuments of
bulls. Who is not familiar with illustrations of the formidable
"lamassu" (winded human headed bull) from the palace of Sargon II of
Assyria at Dur Sharrukin, or that of the Egyptian Apis of Memphis, the
Minotaur of Crete down the corridors of time to the sacred white bull
attacked by the scorpion, and sacrificially slain by the Sun-god Mithra
of Iran. Mithraism was the only serious rival to the then nascent
Christianity.
In remote antiquity the symbol of the bull became synonymous with the
first, the leader. Thus the first letter of the Greek and other
alphabets, alpha or A is derived from the Hebrew Aleph, a bull.
Moreover, in the melothesia of this period Taurus ruled the head, Gemini
the neck, ending with Aires ruling the feet!
Contrary to those of the later-day Greeks, the zodiacal
constellations of the ancient Egyptians and Akkadians each comprised
precisely 30 degrees. But how were the boundaries of the first
constellation Taurus defined? The answer to this tells the story of the
finest achievement of positional astronomy and of astrology of modern
times. Briefly it may be summed up as follows. It is generally held in
the East that the confines of the leading constellation is usually
indicated by a pilot or marking star of adequate magnitude. Such a
marking star is technically termed its fiducial. In India, where their
zodiac, as now in the West, commences with Aries, there exists two
schools. One maintains that Zeta Piscium (Revati) marks the zero point
of the constellation Aries, while the other school is convinced that
Alpha Virginis (Spica, Chitra) marks the zero point of the constellation
Libra.
For centuries our good Hindu pundits have been at loggerheads over
this problem, and as yet are no nearer to a solution. Their problem is
complicated by the fact that as a body they are not prepared to accept
Simon Newcomb's constants for general precession nor the equatorial
coordinates of the official star lists issued from time to time by
western observatories. They argue that the star positions and constants
as given in such medieval works as the "Surya siddhanta" by their sacred
Rishis are good enough for them. In consequence, each Hindu astrologer
has his own method of deriving the ayanamsha (gap between the zodiacs)
from his own pet fiducial and by the looks of things, this stalemate is
likely to subsist for many generations to come.
In the "Paranatellonta of Aswini" (Astrological Magazine, Jan. and
Feb. 1952 issues, edited by B.V. Raman of Bangalore, India) it was
pointed out that while Chitra made a convenient marking star for
determining the beginning of the Sayana (tropical) zodiac in the 4th
century A.D. and Revati in the 6th century A.D., it was very doubtful if
they ever served as fiducials for the Nirayana or sidereal zodiac. It
never seems to have occurred to our esteemed Eastern confreres that the
fiducial star many not be at the beginning of a constellation. The
Yogatars (chief stars) of the 28 Hindu Nakshatras (Lunar Mansions) are
nearer the center than to the beginning.
When the mystery of the exaltation degrees of the planets was finally
solved in May 1949, it was found that in the sidereal zodiac of the
exaltation year, 786 B.C., Spica was in Virgo 29 degrees, a most awkward
and unlikely longitude for a prime fiducial star! The same sidereal
longitude for Spica was obtained by Professor B. L. van der Waerden from
an analysis of the lunar tables of the Babylonian astronomers Naburiannu
(B.C. 508) and Kidinnu (B.C. 379), from the Jupiter tablets, the
Babylonian almanacs and from a Babylonian star catalogue (Sonderabdruck
aus "Archiv fur Orientfors," Band II, Zweiter Teil).
Clearly then, Spica was not the original prime fiducial of the
sidereal version of the zodiac. Even if Revanti's sidereal longitude
turned out to be precisely Aries 0 degrees or Spica's Libra 0 degrees,
it still would be doubtful that either was the original fiducial, seeing
that Taurus and not Aries was the first of the zodiacal constellations,
so what fixed star or stars defined the frontiers of the sidereal
Taurus?
It was during this impasse that Garth Allen came to the rescue. He
reasoned that if there was any truth at all in sidereal astrology it
should be possible to determine by advanced statistical methods alone,
of which he is a past master, the precise sidereal longitude of the mean
vernal equinox for any given epoch without any appeal whatsoever to
fiducial stars. Having computed numerous solar and lunar ingresses and
the like for a wide variety of happenings such as meteorological
phenomena, natural catastrophes, fires, explosions, earthquakes,
accidents "et hoc genus omne," he discovered for the epoch 1950.0 that
Spica's mean sidereal longitude was only in error by 06'05", an
extraordinarily close approximation to the longitude Virgo 29 degrees,
00' obtained by the resolution of the Hypsomata. (See the May, June,
July 1957 and the August 1964 issues of this magazine). But Spica in
Virgo 29 degrees, 06' 05" is even less convincing as a fiducial star.

THE BULL'S EYE!

Now for the remarkable part of Garth Allen's discovery of which at
that time he was totally unaware. According to Professor P. V.
Neugebauer's authoritive "Sterntafeln (Tafeln zur astronomischen
Chronologie I. Leipzip 1912) for the year 786 B.C.--the golden year of
astrology--when the exaltation degrees of the planets in the zodiac
originated, we find the following positions, proper motions having been
fully allowed for:

Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran, The Bull's Eye)
RA 30.80 degrees, Declination +6.7l degrees
Alpha Scorpii (Antaras)
RA 207.37 degrees, Declination = 16.00 degrees

the obliquity of the ecliptic being 23.79 degrees. By trogometrical
reduction their respective tropical and sidereal longitudes are as
follows:

Aldebaran Antares
Tropical longitude 31.08 degrees 211.11 degrees
SVP for 786 B.C. 13.92 13.92
------------------------------
Sidereal longitudes 45.00 225.03

or Taurus 15 degrees 00' and Scorpio 15 degrees 03 respectively.

This puts Aldebaran in the precise mathematical center of the Bull
and Antares almost in the precise mathematical center of the Scorpion;
both fixed stars being of the first magnitude and in partile (precise)
mutual opposition. The Arabs called Aldebaran "Ain al Thaur," the
Greeks "Omma Bos" and the Romans "Oculus Tauri," all meaning the Bull's
Eye. To this day the world over, the term Bull's Eye implies the
mathematical center! In the Greco-Roman star atlases (c. 600 B.C.) only
the Bull's head and forelegs are depicted, thus putting the bull's Eye
in the dead center of that constellation. In the Egyptian Celestial
Diagrams, as they were called of the New Empire period (c. 1500 to 1200
B.C.) it was usual for the scribes to represent the stars by five-
pointed devices called determinatives, but in one of the Rameside
diagrams, Aldebaran is shown as an eight-pointed star of unusual
proportions! The Arabs also name Alpha Tauri as Al Debaran, commonly
but apparently wrongly translated the Follower.
In his Babylonian Menologies and Semitic Calendars (Oxford University
Press 1935), Professor S. Langdon says Aldebaran was known to the
Babylonians as Al-debaranu "the forecaster and writer" and as isu li-e
"Star of the Tablet." It was identified with Nabu (Nebo) the Babylonian
god of astrology, who wrote the fates of all men at the beginning of the
lunar year, which began in the month of Nisannu (Nisan) when the fine
thin crescent of the New-moon in the constellation Taurus was first seen
above the western horizon just before it set. Garth Allen's
computations have revealed to the whole astrological world that the
Bull's Eye was and still is the prime fiducial of the sidereal zodiac,
with Antares as second fiddle in the
heart of the Scorpion. So the aged-worn vexed Hindu problem of the
ayanamsha finally was solved once and for all even though the solution
is not accepted by those most concerned!

[Jim Eshelman]

(continued)

THE PASSOVER

In the year B.C. 1955 the vernal equinox softly passed over from
Taurus 1 degree into Aries 30 degrees and thus initiated into being the
great Aries age when the great Aries age when the "Golden Calf" doffed
his crown as the leader of the herd and handed it over to the Lamb.
From then until 216 A.D. Aries the Ram was to reign as supreme leader of
the zodiacal flock. But note in this historical changing of the guard
the vernal equinox entered Aires by its postern port, backdoor or
servant's entrance. As already stated it is vital that we understand
this, otherwise we will get confused and go astray. Surely it is
unnecessary to detail here the great historical events of the Arien age.
In all their richness and minutia they will be found in history and
reference books. Suffice it to say that this age witnessed the gradual
decline and extinction of the glory that was Egypt, Babylon and Assyria
and the coming into being of the elegance of Greece and the power of
Rome. It also witnessed the coming into being of Buddhism, Christianity
and Mithraism.

MODERNITY

In 216 A.D. when the power of Rome and the estheticism of Greece were
moribund, the vernal equinox slipped out of Aries, and the Ram glided
like a dewdrop into the vast seas of Pisces. In doing so, the Ram
surrendered its leadership to the Two Fishes. From 216 A.D. until 2376
A.D. the Fishes will lead the zodiacal herd, with Pisces in the
anatomical melothesia ruling the head and Aquarius the feet!

THE BLUNDER

What is his historically known as the "Late Classical Period"
embraces the few centuries immediately before and after the beginning of
the Christian Era, when the mean sidereal longitudes of the vernal
equinox were as follows:

200 B.C. Aries 5 degrees 50'
100 B.C. Aries 4 degrees 27'
1 B.C. Aries 3 degrees 04'
100 A.D. Aries 1 degree 41'
200 A.D. Aries 0 degrees 18'
300 A.D. Pisces 28 degrees 55'

Although the birth and death of Claudius Ptolemy are not recorded it
is known form his own Al Magest that he made observation of the heavens
between 127 and 151 A.D. when the average sidereal longitude of the
vernal equinox was Aries 1 degree 09'. Should Ptolemy be the author of
the Tetrabiblos (now much disputed), he was perfectly correct and in
order when he wrote "...For this reason although there is no natural
beginning of the zodiac, since it is a circle, they (Nechepso and
Petosiris?) assume that the sign which begins with the vernal equinox,
that of Aries, is the starting point of them all..." (Tetrabiblos I.
10 P. 61). When this was penned "...the sign that begins with the
vernal equinox..." was undoubtedly Aries as the above tabulation
indicates. But ARIES DID NOT BEGIN WITH THE VERNAL EQUINOX SOME THREE
THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THEN NOR DOES IT BEGIN WITH ARIES NOW!
Today the tropical year commences with Pisces and in some four
hundred years or so hence it will begin with Aquarius. The blunder is
not Ptolemy's but that of his adoring fans of yesterday. Taking his
statements as eternal verities they "...forgot to put the zodiacal clock
back in A.D. 216..." and it has been in a deep freeze ever since! At
the ripe age of 2.170 years "the old lady" died in that year, but
unburied, her mummified remains are still in the cupboard.
Continued in 9/67 "Solunars"
* * * *



Cyril Fagan's 9/67 "SOLUNARS...A STUDY OF THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC"

The sole astrological raison d'etre for the existence of the modern
tropical version of the zodiac is apparently the authority of a
collection of books now issued in one volume, known to the Greeks as the
Tetrabiblos and the Romans as the Quadripartite, both words simply
meaning four books or parts. But who is the writer of these four books
on astrology? Fundamentally this question is quite irrelevant and of
small importance, for books should be appraised because of their
intrinsic worth, and not because of the authority of the writer. It has
been said that should the Pope write a book most orthodox Roman
Catholics will affect to read it but few of any other denomination. On
the other hand should the Chief Rabbi pen a work it will be devoured by
orthodox Jews but eschewed by the gentiles. But what transpires when a
serious work is published anonymously? How do the majority approach it,
if at all?
Reading a work of this kind implies that for the nonce we have to
think for ourselves and 'that' is too unthinkable for words! It indeed
is outrageous! It is nice and cosy to have others do our thinking for
us. Before we read a book we like to see what our favorite reviewer has
to say about it and it goes without saying that usually he is one of our
way of thinking, otherwise he would not be a favorite. Should he say
that the work is wonderful we will read it with avidity, but should it
be declared nonsense, why, forsooth, we will have none of it. Our minds
are so brainwashed by racial prejudices, by nationality, by tradition,
by custom, by public opinion, by creed and religious upbringing, that
few are capable of shedding this overwhelming miasma and thinking for
oneself! A genius simply is one who has liberated his mind from all
such impinging conditioning. But that requires immense moral courage
and the capacity to stand utterly alone against the taunts of the world.
Among ancient Greek astronomers, Claudius Ptolemy stands as one of
the greats of all times. Of the many works attributed to him first and
foremost is his Almagest (Al Magest), (Syntaxis Mathematica) in 13
books. This purely astronomical treatise is his greatest and most
famous work. But he also wrote on optics, music, geography and
chronology. In his translation from the Greek of the Tetrabiblos*
[Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, F. E. Robbins, Ph.D.,; Harvard University Press,
MCMXL.] F. E. Robbins, in his introduction, says "...the divine
Ptolemy he is called by Hephaestion of Thebes and the expression shows
the reverence accorded him fell little short of idolatry...." Of the
two astrological works also attributed to Ptolemy the Centiloquium is
"...generally thought to be spurious..." according to Robbins, but he
never questions the alleged authorship of the Tetrabiblos itself; and
for centuries Ptolemy has been generally recognized as its author.
Of course modern astronomers, having a very understandable contempt
for what passes as astrology today, and hating to be in any way
identified with it, tend to dissociate the names of the great
astronomers of the pat such as Claudius Ptolemy and Johann Kepler from
any connection with it, or else explain such association away on the
grounds of the struggle to survive financially. Naturally astronomers
of today cannot conceive that a man so intelligent as Ptolemy could
condescend to write such trash as the Tetrabiblos; and let us face up to
it that much which is in the work is just piffle. Among modern
astronomers who seem to question Ptolemy's authorship of the Tetrabiblos
is Dr. Otto Neugebauer, Professor of the History of Mathematics at Brown
University, who writes (June 8, 1951) "...In the Tetrabiblos we find
often different norms which do not agree with the Almagest (e.g., the
scheme for oblique ascensions)...." But for many centuries no student
of astrology would have dared to apply such higher criticism to the
works of the "divine Ptolemy! What he wrote was accepted without
question as the truth.
Today much the same attitude prevails in India. Regarded in much the
same light as the Tetrabiblos are the Hindu Siddhantas, although of
later date. No orthodox astrologer would dare to question their
accuracy. It is said that the devout Hindu astrologer regards these
sacred works with such a reverence that he goes through a ceremony of
prayer and purification before attempting to consult them.
Apart from Dr. Neugebauer's astute observation there is much in the
Tetrabiblos that belies its traditional authorship. The world first
gleaned about the phenomena of Precession from the Almagest, yet there
is not a single reference to such in the Tetrabiblos. Frequent
references are made in the latter to the effects of the fixed stars such
as "...the forward and the hinder parts of Aries, the Hyades, the
Pitcher, the hind parts of Leo and the face of Capricorn..." Since the
fixed stars that comprise these anatomical and other regions of the
zodiac are no longer there (in the tropical version of the zodiac), then
we can only conclude (a) that the writer knew nothing of precession, (b)
that he was not writing for posterity or (c) that the Tetrabiblos is a
treatise on Sidereal Astrology! What tropicalist can give the longitude
of the Pitcher of Aquarius or the face of Capricorn, to say nothing of
Cygnus, Aquila, the Dolphin and the Rudder of Argo--all of which figure
in the Tetrabiblos?
But when the author informs us in effect that the seasons are due to
the Sun's entry into the cardinal signs of the zodiac (Tetrabiblos
passim), then we seriously question whether he could be the same man who
penned the Geography. Yet believe it or not, to this very day most
tropicalists cleave to the same notion. In fact they consider it their
strongest argument in defense of the tropical zodiac! Surely if this
was true Uruguay would share the same seasons with Washington! But are
their season contemporaneous? When it is mid-summer in Washington is it
not midwinter in Uruguay? And when it is spring in Uruguay it is fall
in Washington which effectively demonstrates that the seasons are not
dependent on the Sun's entry into the tropical cardinal signs.

WHAT CAUSES THE SEASONS?

Any bright coed will tell us that the changing seasons are caused by
the altitude (height) of the Sun at 'southing.' The Sun is said to
'south' when it is precisely on the southern meridian or cusp of the
10th house. This happens every day a 'apparent' local noon (noon by the
sun dial which is true noon). This, of course, only applies to the
northern hemisphere. In the southern one at true noon the Sun is said
to 'north.'
The altitude of the Sun is a function of its declination and the co-
latitude of the locality. Colatitude = 90 degrees - the geographical
latitude, and the altitude is the algebraical sum of the declination and
the colatitude. The maximum and minimum declinations of the Sun (which
in its turn is a function of the obliquity of the celestial equator) at
the present time are plus and minus 23 degrees 27' respectively. On
midsummer's day in Washington D.C. the altitude of the Sun = 90
degrees - 38 degrees 53' + 23 degrees 27' = 74 degrees 34' while one the
same day in Uruguay it will only be 90 degrees - 32 degrees 20' - 23
degrees 27' = 34 degrees 13'. In the former case the Sun is only some
15 degrees from the zenith while in the latter case it is less than 30
degrees above the horizon at high noon. So the coming into being and
the passing away of the seasons have everything to do with the varying
altitude of the Sun and nothing whatsoever to do with zodiac, tropical
or sidereal!
As frequently stated in these pages, declinations (distances above or
below the equator) are a function of the obliquity of the ecliptic or to
give it its more correct patronymic, "obliquity of the equator." Had the
earth little or no obliquity like Jupiter (obliquity only 3 degrees)
then the earth would spin perpetually in the vertical to its orbit (that
is, having little or no wobble) thus obviating all seasons, the months
being more or less the same all the year round. The point to stress in
all this is that the seasons are purely a terrestrial effect entirely
dependent on the earth's wobble around the pole of the ecliptic, having
nothing whatsoever to do with the zodiacal signs or constellations.
But although independent of the celestial girdle, the seasons have an
ebullient life of their own, which we all recognize but erroneously
attribute to the stars! Among the different species of organic life,
who has not heard of the seasons of mating and parturition, every
species having their own particular periodicity; and in the vegetable
world who has not heard of the seasons for sowing and for reaping?
Biologists will have no difficulty in supplying facts and figures of
seasonal changes occurring with clocklike regularity in the organic
world especially that of insects and reptiles.
NUPTIALS OF SIDEREAL AND TROPICAL

From the very beginning of astrological history the ancients seemed
to have been thoroughly conversant with such facts. Matters
appertaining to the fixed stars and the movement of the planets, they
referred to the zodiacal constellations, but purely seasonal, fluvial
and biological changes to the months of their lunar calendar. Although
there is abundant textual evidence that it once existed, when Egyptian
history opens, their lunar calendar had already vanished in the veils of
antiquity. But among the Akkadian nations it existed to the very end
and it still survives in a modified form among the Jews and the Arabs.
The following tropical concordance for the year B.C. 786 should be
noted:


AKKADIAN HEBREW ROMAN IATROMATHEMATICA
I Nisannu Nisan Apr. 26 Head
II Airu Ayar Mar. 27 Neck
III Simanu Sivan May 25 Shoulders
IV Du'uzu Tammuz Jun. 24 Breasts
V Abu Ab Jul. 23 Heart
VI Ululu Elul Aug. 22 Bowels
VII Teshritu Teshrit Sep. 21 Buttocks
VIII Arakhsamma Arahsamma Oct. 20 Gentilia
IX Kislimu Kislev Nov. 19 Thighs
X Tebitu Tebit Dec. 18 Knees
XI Shabutu Shebat Jan. 16 Shins
XII Addaru Adar Feb. 15 Feet


Owing to the irregularities caused by a lunar calendar (synodic month
= 29.5306 days) necessitating repeated intercalulation to keep it in a
reasonable alignment with the solar calendar (modern Roman or Gregorian)
the mean tropical longitude of the Sun on the 1st Nisan was Aries 8
degrees. This was the "fixed" longitude of the vernal equinox in the
Greek zodiac in vogue during the classical period and attributed to the
Babylonian astronomer Kidenas (Kidinnu 379 B.C.). It was in vogue in
Egypt when the two temples in Denderah were dedicated in A.D. 17, at
which time Egypt was under the yoke of the Roman Empire. According to
Dr. Neugebauer, this version of the tropical zodiac, classified as
system B among the academicians "...is very frequently found in
astrological writings far into the Middle Ages..." **[Greek Horoscopes,
O. Neugebauer and H. B. Van Hoesen; The American Philosophical Society,
1959, p. 12].
It is, of course, characteristic of all Greek or tropical zodiacs--
and they had quite a few--that the vernal equinox is "fixed" (sic!) in a
certain degree of each particular zodiac. Because the equinoxes
'perpetually' rose due east and set due west, the Greeks apparently
assumed that they were "fixed" in the firmament for all time! and 'ipso
facto' were the fiducials of any zodiac!--a belief that persists among
tropicalists to this day. Hipparchus was alleged to have discovered the
phenomenon of precession in 139 B.C., although many astronomers are of
opinion that the Babylonian astronomers knew all about it many centuries
before that. But he and admirer Claudius Ptolemy took it for granted
that it was the fixed stars that precessed, 'never the equinoxes.' THIS
WAS, ALAS, THE GREAT BLUNDER OF GREEK ASTRONOMY AND ASTROLOGY.
The astronomical world had to wait until the Middle Ages for Leonardo
da Vinci (A.D. 1452-1543) and Galileo (A.D. 1564-1612) to discover that
the shoe was on the other foot and it was this discovery that did
irreparable harm to the cause of astrology, more especially to the Greek
version. While the majority of intelligent astronomers changed over to
the new mode of thinking, astrologers of the medieval ages, and they
included many clerics true to Rome in their ranks, elected to stay put.
Because of this split, at this period astronomy and astrology gradually
parted company the the breach has never healed.
For purposes of measuring stellar distances in right ascension and
declination, Hipparchus found it convenient to consider the vernal
equinox as being in Aries 0 degrees. Seizing on this idea, Posedonius
and his pupil Geminius, whom the Greek scholar Dr. Walter Koch of
Germany dates as B.C. 80, 70 respectively, 'invented' the modern version
of the tropical zodiac. As this version was adopted by Ptolemy in his
Al Magest and by the author of the Tetrabiblos, it was perhaps assumed
that Ptolemy also penned the latter. But how many astrologers today
realize THAT THE MODERN VERSION OF THE TROPICAL ZODIAC HAD NO EXISTENCE
PRIOR TO POSEDONIUS AND HIS PROPAGANDIST GEMINIUS? That it existed
before Sargon of Agade (B.C. 2359-2304) is one of those scientific
fictions that the Honorable Emmiline Plunkett of the Biblical Society
delighted to ventilate. Unfortunately like certain esotericists, she
believed in her own fantasies and succeeded in making others believe in
them too. Is it not ironical that while the hallowed aphorisms of the
Tetrabiblos have been repudiated by most modern astrologers they still
cleave to its author's dicta that the zodiac commences with the vernal
equinox in the beginning of Aries?
That the Akkadians considered the lunar months, had an astrology of
their own completely independent of any version of the zodiac is
demonstrated by the following excerpt, picked at random, from "The Venus
Tablets of Ammisaduqua," A Babylonian king who reigned about the 17th
century B.C.: "...If on the 7th of Ulul Venus appeared in the west, the
harvest of the land will be successful; the heart of the land will be
happy. Until the 11th of Ayar she will stand in the west and on the
12th Ayar she will disappear, and, having remained absent 7 days in the
sky, Venus will shine forth in the east on the 19th Ayar; hostilities
will be in the land..."
This, of course is a recital of HELIACAL phenomena; which was the
usual way the ancients interpreted their astrology. Briefly, it says
that Venus, as Vesper the evening star will be seen on the western
horizon about sunset during the lunar months of Ulul and Ayar. On the
12th Ayar, coming too close to the setting Sun, she will disappear from
sight (heliacally set). After being absent from the night skies for
seven days she will suddenly reappear again just before sunrise, but
this time in the east. This reappearance for a brief moment before the
Sun rises is known as her HELIACAL rising [heliacal = near the sun].
Then a morning star, Venus is known as Lucifer (light-bearer). However,
the point to stress in all of this is that Venus' HELIACAL PHENOMENA is
astrologically interpreted in terms of lunar months, that is tropically,
no references, good, bad or indifferent being made to constellations or
signs of the zodiac. The Babylonians first referred to the zodiac in
their great 'mul APIN' tablets circa 900 B.C.

CALENDAR ENIGMA

The lunar, and later the solar, months appear to have been initially
designated numerically. It is understood that the Akkadian Nisannu and
Teshritu literally mean the 1st and 7th months respectively. This is a
matter for Hebrew scholars to confirm or deny. The months of the common
Egyptian calendar, which were once lunar were identified by season and
numbers. Copts of the late period identified them by names, but by then
they had long ceased to be lunar. Remnants of this numerical
nomenclature are still seen in our own Roman (solar) calendar--
September, October, November and December literally meaning the 7th,
8th, 9th and 10th months respectively. But alas emperors, kings and
governments have played Old Harry with calendars through he pages of
history. To honor Julius Caesar the original 5th month was named July
and to honor his nephew, the Emperor Augustus, the 6th month was styled
August.
As the Latin names tell us September was once the 7th month of the
year, implying that March, the month of the vernal equinox was the 1st,
which is a fact. March 25th (Lady's day) was the original New Year Day
of the Julian calendar. In the defective Julian calendar the Sun was in
conjunction with the vernal equinox in the 2nd century B.C. when Julius
Caesar was born! A bull of Pope Gregory XIII promulgated on February
24, 1582 commanded the adoption by Christians of an amended Julian
calendar (now recognized as the Gregorian or New Style, N.S., calendar)
and altering New Year Day from March 25 to January 1. January 1 was the
New Year Day of the Spanish era, reckoned from January 1, 38 B.C. which
was in force in the Visigothic kingdoms of Spain and Gaul. In this way
was the original calendaric fitness of things corrupted!
In the circular and rectangular zodiacs of Denderah the student
acquainted with even an elementary knowledge of Egyptology, especially
of Demotic, can easily identify no less than seven New Year Days. But
strange as it may seem these do not contradict each other. Each has a
purpose and significance. But to coin a new word from the earliest of
times, the terrological New Year Day commenced with the date of the
vernal equinox. Virtually all the old authors seem to agree that the
seasonal year commenced with the 1st day of spring. This was reckoned
the 1st day of the ecclesiastical New Year while the day of the autumnal
equinox was recognized as the 1st day of the secular or civil New Year.
Evidently for reasons of arithmetical convenience, in prehistoric times
the Egyptians had rejected the lunar calendar in favor of a solar
calendar of 365 days without any provision for the intercalation of an
extra day in leap years. In consequence their New Year Day (1st Thoth)
took about 118 years in the mean to retrograde through a constellation.
Probably the first to recognize this fact was Dr. Otto Neugebauer.
In Papyrus P. 8279, the Strobart Tablets, the Calendar of Dionysius,
Ostra D 521, and Papyrus Carlsburg 9, he had noticed a peculiar notation
where the sings of the zodiac had been assigned numbers differing
according to the date of the text. "...This..." he writes "...seems to
indicate clearly that the tendency to correlate the counting of the
zodiacal signs with the Sun's position on New Year Day existed during
the Demotic period...." ***[Egyptian Planetary Texts, O. Neugebauer:
The American Philosophical Society, 1942.] [Note also that
'constellations' and 'signs' were used interchangeably.]

The following is an extract from a Table correlating the Julian
equivalent with New Year Day (1st Thoth) of the constellations.

B.C. 994 = Aries 30 degrees
B.C. 872 = Pisces 30 "
B.C. 753 = Aquarius 30 "
B.C. 635 = Capricorn 30 "
B.C. 520 = Sagittarius 30 "
B.C. 405 = Scorpio 30 "
B.C. 291 = Libra 30 "
B.C. 175 = Virgo 30 "
B.C. 57 = Leo 30 "
A.D. 62 = Cancer 30 "
A.D. 183 = Gemini 30 "
A.D. 305 = Taurus 30 "
A.D. 428 = Aries 30 "

The circular zodiac of Denderah, now housed in the Louvre, Paris
shows a very big lion leading the zodiacal herd. Reference to the above
Table indicates that the Egyptian New Year Day (1st Thoth) occurred in
the constellation Leo between the years 57 B.C. and 62 A.D. Hence these
zodiacs were designed and engraved at some time between these years or
1200 years (or multiples of 1200 years) earlier. As the cartouches of
the Roman Emperors, Tiberius and Caligula, were found in the temples it
is obvious that these temples were built during the Roman ascendancy.
The position of the planets in the rectangular zodiac gives the precise
date as April 17, 17 A.D.
In an analogous way the lunar and solar calendars were correlated
with the zodiacal constellations in a manner more or less as follows:

TAUREAN ARIEN PISCEAN AQUARIAN TROP. IATROMATHEMATICA
AGE AGE AGE AGE MTHS.
B.C.4139 B.C.1953 A.D.220 A.D.2375

Taurus Aries Pisces Aquarius Mar. Caput,facies,oculi,aures
(Head, face, eyes, ears)
Gemini Taurus Aries Pisces Apr. Collom,cervex,gutter,vox
(neck,nape,throat,voice)
Cancer Gemini Taurus Aries May Humeri,branci
(Shoulders,arms)
Leo Cancer Gemini Taurus Jun. Pulmones,pectus,mammillae
(Lungs,chest,breast)
Virgo Leo Cancer Gemini Jul. Diaphragma,stomachus,cor
(Diaphragm,stomach,heart)
Libra Virgo Leo Cancer Aug. Ventar,intestia,mesentarium
(Abdomen,intestines,mesentery)
Scorpio Libra Virgo Leo Sep. Nates,umbilicus,lumbi,renes
(Buttocks,navel,loins,kidney)
Sagitt. Scorpio Libra Virgo Oct. Genitalia,vescia
(Generative organs,bladder)
Capri. Sagitt. Scorpio Libra Nov. Coxa,femora,femur
(Hips,thighs,thigh bone)
Aquarius Capri. Sagitt. Scorpio Dec. Genua
(Knees)
Pisces Aquarius Capri. Sagitt. Jan. Tibiae
(Shins)
Aries Pisces Aquarius Capri. Feb. Pes
(Feet)



*************************************
Continued in 10/67 Solunars




Cyril Fagan's 10/67 "SOLUNARS...A STUDY OF THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC"

The interesting TABLE [above] that was presented last month informs
us that the vernal equinox, leader of the MICROcosm (the seasonal months
of the year) retrograded into the 30th degree of Taurus about B.C. 4139
and did not vacate that constellation until about B.C. 1953. During its
sojourn therein, Taurus became the captain of the zodiacal herd and the
first of the zodiacal constellations in the MACROcosm (great universe).
Long after Taurus ceased to be 'de facto' leader of the zodiac, it was
still hailed as 'Princeps armenti.' We previously have discussed this
in detail.
During its own era Taurus held dominion over the "head, face, eyes
and ears" of the Microcosmic man. The Greek word 'Iatromathematica'
means the astrology of healing. In classical times one who could
compute a horoscope was known as a mathematician. In fact that was the
original meaning of the term. An 'Iatromathematician' was one capable
of computing the Hora (ascending degree) of a decumbiture and diagnosing
it. The anatomical parts listed there, and copied from an ancient Latin
legend, are those of the calendaric (MICROCOSMIC) man. These anatomical
divisions must NOT be confused with those of the Macrocosmic man nor
with those achronycally assigned with the twelve loci (houses) beginning
with Libra ruling the "head."
This Table makes it abundantly clear that since A.D. 220 Aries ceased
to be the first sign of the zodiac, its leadership being supplanted by
Pisces. Since that year Pisces held dominion over the 'head, face,
eyes, and ears" and Aquarius over the "feet." In some 400 years from
now, as already state over and over, THE AQUARIAN ERA will be ushered in
when Aquarius will become the first zodiacal constellation.
On a summer evening by the seaside one can see the gradual going down
of the Sun in the west until it disappears below the horizon, leaving a
vivid impression that, as always, the earth has stood still while the
solar orb rolled down the slopes of heaven in the sea! But the
impression is only an optical illusion. The fact is, the Sun has not
moved at all but, in its daily rotation from west to east, the earth has
caused the horizon to gradually tilt up until it meets the Sun. In the
same way in looking at this Table one gets a strong impression that
while the calendar and it months appear to be immovable the zodiacal
constellations are sliding backwards. THIS MOTION IS PRECESSION, BUT IT
IS THE MONTHS THAT ARE MOVING AND NOT THE FIXED STARS, WHICH COMPRISE
THE CONSTELLATIONS.
We know that March 21/22 in the modern calendar was, is, and always
will be the date of the vernal equinox. Just as the vernal equinox is
fixed in Aries 0 degrees of the modern tropical zodiac, so is it
fixed as March 21/22 in solar calendar. But we know from any modern
work on astronomy that the VERNAL EQUINOX IS PERPETUALLY SLIPPING
BACKWARDS ALONG THE ECLIPTIC AT THE RATE OF ONE DEGREE IN ABOUT 71-1/2
YEARS. Therefore it follows, as night must follow day, the tropical
zodiac and our calendar are also slipping backwards against the
background of the fixed zodiacal constellations. In short the tropical
zodiac and the calendar are basically identical, differing only in
numeration and nomenclature. Therefore the tropical version of the
zodiac is superfluous! To say that a baby was born on May 1, 1967 and
to say that the Sun was in the 11th degree of the tropical Taurus is to
say the same thing in different words. For in the tropical zodiac
(allowing for the intercalation of a leap day) the sun will always be in
the 11th degree of tropical Taurus on May 1st of any Gregorian year!
The reader may have noticed that the dates for the beginning of the
four astrological ages as given in the foregoing TABLE differ slightly
from those given in the August issue. The dates given in the latter
were based on the mean value of the S.V.P. for the equinox of 1950.0
determined statistically by Garth Allen. Being a mathematical
abstraction such a point has neither substance nor proper motion. It is
a point on the ecliptic but a highly valuable one in synchronizing
solunar charts for modern times. Whether it would have the same
criteria for the epoch -3,000.0 or +3,000.0 we have, at present, no
means of knowing. But it unmistakenly demonstrated that Aldebaran, the
Bull's Eye, was precisely in the mathematical center of the
constellation Taurus in the Hypsomatic year B.C. 786, leaving little
doubt that this star in Taurus 15 degrees 00'00" was the original
fiducial or marking star of the sidereal (nirayana) zodiac. But, unlike
the SVP, Aldebaran has substance and proper motion; and the dates given
in the aforementioned TABLE are computed from Aldebaran rather than the
S.V.P. But the difference is purely academic.
Putting for all centuries, Aldebaran sidereally in Taurus 15 degrees
00'00" plus Spica and Antares in the following sidereal longitudes:


SPICA ANTARES
B.C. 4000 Virgo 29 degrees 13' Scorpio 15 degrees 07'
" 3000 Virgo 29 " 11' Scorpio 15 " 05'
" 2000 Virgo 29 " 10' Scorpio 15 " 04'
" 1000 Virgo 29 " 08' Scorpio 15 " 02'
A.D. 0 Virgo 29 " 07' Scorpio 15 " 01'
" 1000 Virgo 29 " 05' Scorpio 14 " 59'
" 2000 Virgo 29 " 04' Scorpio 14 " 59'


But Garth Allen still feels that the true fiducial is to be found in
our own solar system. His astonishing discovery that the sidereal
longitude of the solar APEX--not yet determined by astronomers--accords
with his S.V.P. is worth much consideration. (Details will be found in
the August 1960 issue of this magazine.)

DATING THE AGES

While the dates previously given for the commencement of the
astrological eras are mathematically and theoretically correct, they
need not be taken that seriously! Why? Because, as repeatedly stated
on these pages, astrology in remote antiquity was naked-eye astronomy.
Because of brilliant sunlight, the ancients could not tell what
constellation the Sun was in; all they could see was blue sky
unrelieved by a single star. While the Sun's position among the fixed
stars can be inferred, it could not be 'seen.' When the ancients
referred to the New Moon--the most important of all their astronomical
phenomena as it commenced the first day of their lunar months, as it did
the first day of their lunar year--they referred to the fine thin sickle
of the lunar crescent that became visible every 29th or 30th day on the
western horizon about half an hour after sunset for a short time
before it too disappeared below the horizon. When spotted by acute-eyed
observers from vantage positions in the turrets on top of temples or
from the hilltops, it would be seen against the background of the
already darkening skies, when the principal bright stars also could be
discerned and easily identified. Hence at a glance they could see the
Moon's position among the asterisms, when the month or the year began
which it always did at the first hour of 'sunset.'
Today, what is universally given in the press, in calendars, in
almanacs and astrological ephemerides, to say nothing of astrological
textbooks, as the date and time of the New Moon is not the New Moon at
all, but is the date and time of the 'syzygies' of the Sun and Moon.
"SYZYGY' is a Greek word meaning a mutual conjunction or opposition of
two heavenly bodies in the ecliptic; but its use is usually restricted
to the luminaries. When the Moon overtakes the Sun and conjoins it, it
is normally invisible. Its silhouette may be seen when there is an
eclipse of the Sun. Eclipses of the Sun and Moon can only occur on the
dates of their syzygies, and in remote antiquity the conjunction syzygy
occurred on the last day or penultimate day of the dying lunar month.
It would appear that the Greek author or authors of the Al Magest and
of the Tetrabiblos are responsible for leading the modern world astray
on this vital subject. In the Tetrabiblos the conjunction (syzygy) of
the luminaries is very explicitly termed the New Moon and the Neomenia
(New Moon) of the year was termed the syzygy that occurred nearest the
vernal equinox. Ptolemy's definition of the New Moon totally disagrees
with the textual records of remote antiquity. In his astronomical and
calendarial table (Venus Table of Ammizaduga, Oxford University Press,
1928), Carl Schoch, the great astronomer and mathematician, writes
"...Particularly attention is given (here) to the most important
phenomenon, the appearance of the crescent (i.e., the HELIACAL rising of
the Moon in the evening) namely the first moment after the New Moon when
the fine small lunar crescent becomes visible in the evening to sharp-
sighted man. 'This moment was the beginning of a new month to most
ancient oriental peoples, especially the Babylonians'...I can say of the
Babylonians, who were persistent observers of the crescent during 3000
years, that not only their observations but their computations for
ephemerides are admirable...."
Being only a mathematical abstraction, the point of the vernal
equinox cannot be 'seen' retrograding along the path of the zodiac at
the rate of one degree in about 71-1/2 years. The ancients of course
knew the precise east and west points of the horizon at their
observatories. In his Mathematics for the Millions, Hogben illustrates
some of the gimmicks the ancients used for determining such points.
They also knew those points on the horizon where the rising or setting
Sun was at its greatest and least declination (midsummer and midwinter
points respectively), the position of such tropical and equinoctial
points on the horizon remaining seemingly constant for vast stretches of
time. When a star rose due east and set due west, it would be precisely
on the celestial equator and, like the equinoctial points, be devoid of
declination. Should it have been noticed that an ecliptic fixed star
(one without latitude) say, in the constellation Pisces rose due east
and set due west, then they might infer that the vernal equinox had
retrograded into the constellation Pisces and that the Piscean era had
already begun. But there is no evidence in the annals of antiquity that
this was their mode of reasoning at all! Such is just pure assumption
on the part of we moderns conditioned by a tropical background.
Astronomers are of the opinion that our forebears did not even know of
the regressive movement of the cardines (equinoctial and solstitial
points). From the archives of antiquity we know that their New Year Day
(1st Nisan) used to occur in the constellation Taurus and passed into
that of Aries.
But how did they know this happened, and when did it happen? Being
mindful that the astronomy of remote antiquity was visual, the
astronomers of yore only regarded the actual appearances and
disappearances of the gods (stars) from the night skies as being
meaningful and significant. While abstract mathematical concepts
appealed to Greek intelligentsia, such had little or no meaning for the
Egyptians and Akkadians. So how did they know when the new era had
commenced? The obvious and simple answer is, when the Neomenia (New
Moon of the 1st Nisan) was first seen among the fixed stars that
composed the constellation Aries. At such a transition the crescent
would be seen in or about the 30th degree of Aries (not its 1st degree),
because the vernal equinox is perpetually retrograding. When the New
Moon of antiquity was first spotted it could have been from 18 to 40
degrees distant from the Sun, such distance being termed its
'elongation.' Should the Sun be in Aquarius the New Moon might well be
in Pisces or even Aries when seen! The precise value of the elongation
depends on a number of variables such as geographical latitude, season
of the year, Moon's latitude, and prevailing conditions of visibility.
For the latitudes of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Neomenia first became
visible after sunset of the first or second day following the syzygy;
more rarely on the 3rd day.
To compute the elements of a Neomenia was one of the most difficult
feats of positional astronomy, because of the number of variables
involved. A New Moon spotted at sunset in Babylon may not have been
seen in Alexandria until the sunset of the next day, when it would have
increased its longitude by some 13 degrees. In the appendix to the
Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga, Schoch has complied marvelously simple
tables for computing the date and time of a syzygy back to 3508 B.C.,
the maximum error being only plus or minus 5 minutes of time! He has
also given additional tables for ascertaining the probable date of the
first appearance of the crescent Moon for Babylon. Since these tables
appeared in 1928, they have been much improved upon by James Hynes of
Dublin, Ireland. James Hynes has computed tables of the appearance of
the crescent for all latitudes between 0 and 60 degrees, which are also
useful in calculating the dates of the heliacal risings and settings of
the fixed stars and planets. But marvelous as they are, they are of
little values unless one first know the 'arcus visionis' (arc of vision)
of the Moon, planets and fixed stars fro the place of residence or
observation as the case may be. As this arc differs from place to place
(even if such are situated on the same parallel of latitude) in the
first instance they must be determined empirically for each separate
locality. Moreover, owing to the incommensurability of the lunar with
the solar year, the dates of any two consecutive lunations do not follow
each other in regular sequence but, like an erratic pendulum, swing
backward and forward from date to date of the solar calendar, already
knocked out of synchronicity because of too frequent, unsystematic
intercalations.

WAS B.C. 786 THE BEGINNING OF THE ARIEN AGE?

The traditional exaltation degree (Hypsoma) of the Moon is Taurus 3
degrees. Should the reader refer to his copy of Zodiacs Old and New, p.
19, he will observe that the Moon's 'actual' sidereal longitude at the
time of its first appearance about sunset of 1st Nisan (April 3-4, 786
B.C. OS) was Aries 29.4 degrees! THAT IS, IT HAD ENTERED THE TAIL END
OF THE CONSTELLATION ARIES! If it can be mathematically demonstrated
that this was the first occasion it did so during the present
precessional cycle, some 25,900 years, then it might well be that 786
B.C. was the first year of the new Arien age! Should such be the case,
then little wonder that the heliacal longitudes of the Sun, Moon and
planets for that memorable year should be regarded as their exaltation
degrees. Would it be that another epoch-making discovery has been made?
Or is this only a most unusual coincidence?
According to Carl Schoch, the mean tropical longitude of the Sun on
1st Nisan was Aries 8 degrees, the minimum Pisces 23 degrees and the
maximum Aries 23 degrees. On the 1st Nisan 786 B.C. the tropical
longitude of the Sun was Aries 5 degrees. So there is a probability
that the New Moon of Nisan entered Aries before this year. The Metonic
cycle informs us that the syzygy of the luminaries recurs on the same
Julian date every 19 years with an error of minus 1.5 hours. Provided
the Babylonian (now the Jewish) calendar has not suffered any untoward
intercalation of a 2nd Adar or a 2nd Ulul, and that the coordinates of
ancient Babylon be taken as the place of observation, it should not be
too difficult to ascertain if such is the case. But such research is
time and labor consuming. Perhaps that astronomical wizard of Dublin,
James Hynes, can think of a short cut to achieving this! What if we are
still in the Arien age, not yet having entered that of Pisces, let alone
Aquarius! This thought induced the writer to do some impetuous
figuring. For the current year (1967) the lunation (syzygy) of Nisan
occurred on April 9th at 10:21 P.M. GMT, and in Babylon (32N30, 44E36)
the crescent became visible at local sunset of the next day, when its
sidereal longitude was, forsooth, Aries 3 degrees 50'. From this it
would appear that we are still in the Kali Yuga ("Iron Age") of Mars,
the ruler of Aries! But this may only be a backward--albeit retrograde
-- swing of the lunation pendulum. There may have been an earlier
forward thrust that brought us right into the tail end of the Piscean
era. From this it looks as if we shall have to wait another two
thousand years for the Aquarian age to put in an appearance! But until
we busy ourselves with copious calculations, we shall not know.

* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[AYANAMSA] Ayanamsa and Garth Allen's Synetic Vernal Point: "The
synetic fiducial point was not contrived by whim on the basis of a few
score "examples," liberally larded with cultural preconceptions of
musty scriptural allusions." "It owes its existence to the outcome of
painstaking and massive scientific research and not to some sorry
passage from relic literature preserved on boundary stones or palm
leaves or tomb walls." Plus Gary Duncan's "Historical Notes" on the
development of Sidereal Astrology and Allen's research with the SVP.
* * * *



Garth Allen, "How to Unvex a Vexed Question!" 8/64 A.A.

It was bound to happen, sooner or later, that the validity of the
Synetic Vernal Point would be challenged by those who owe their
allegiance to some other "ayanamsa" for chauvinistic rather than
scientific reasons.
The Hindu word 'ayanamsa' is the term applied to the arc of ecliptic
longitude that separates, at any given date, the point called "zero
degrees Aries" in the tropical zodiac from its counterpart, zero
degrees Aries in the sidereal zodiac. Sidereally persuaded astrologers
of the western hemisphere, representing the "Fagan school" of
conviction, generally use the standard value of 24d02'31.36." for the
astronomical beginning o the year 1950. That is to say, at the epoch
1950.0 we assume that the mean sidereal longitude of the vernal
equinoctial point was at 5d57'28.64" of the constellation Pisces.
For other dates and times, this value is continuously altered to
keep abreast of the precessional shift, in the amount of about 50.26
seconds of arc per year. In addition, this mean or average value is
appropriately amended to account for nutational displacements of the
actual point. Nutation is a minor oscillation of true figure back and
forth over the mean figure.
Astrological practice of scholarly merit demands the use of the true
value of the ayanamsa when dealing with zodiacal position in exacting
seconds or arc, such as the Sun's longitude. The correctness of the
timing of a solar return, or a solar ingress, for instance, depends
critically upon a to-the-second determination of solar longitude.
One of the most astonishing statements we have ever read in the
astrological press--which press has a penchant for outlandishly
illogical material--has the following to say, among other remarkable
things:
"One final word of warning to the unwary student. Some astrologers
of the West have published tables and values of the Ayanamsa purported
to be correct to the hundredth part of a second arc. This is all
eyewash and clearly meant for propaganda purposes. Nobody can
determine the value to that degree of exactness and even if they could,
values tabulated at ten-day intervals, would, for technical reasons, be
quite valueless. So the student should not think that because there is
a 'show' of precision, the figures are any more precise or reliable
than, say, the figures given in other publications."
This excerpt is a paragraph from an article in the symposium series
titled "The Vexed question of Ayanamsa" carried in the leading journal
of Hindu astrology, its September 1962 issue. Because that same author
illustrated his dissertation with solar ingress charts preceding
natural disasters, the unwary student has a right to question how in
heaven's name those charts were calculated without the use of
astronomically dictated precision. Hundredths of second are not
necessary, of course, but formula-based computations offer this
precision and guarantee a correctly rounded-off value when rounding off
is desirable.
Every difference of ten seconds of arc in solar longitude, as of an
ayanamsa itself, means a four-minute error in the correct time of a
solar ingress. Every four minutes of time change the cusps of a chart
by one degree of zodiacal longitude. No wonder, that the "examples" of
ingresses used for calamitous events did not bother, in their
delineations, with that most central precept of workable astrology--the
significance of the Midheaven and Ascendant cusps as point and not
broad areas. We begin to see the light upon examining the example
delineations, such as the one for the "Aries ingress" preceding the
June 15, 1896 earthquake and tsunami that hit Sanriku, Japan.
The key configuration cited was the Neptune-Pluto compunction which
lingered within a five-degree orb for fully ten years toward the close
of the nineteenth century! "Pluto, planet of quakes and destruction,
is conjunct Neptune, planet of water and waves, in the first house."
Sounds good, but for some odd reason a published scientific catalogue
of the history of seismic waves shows a below average incidence of
these events during the decade when the Neptune-Pluto conjunction was
in operation. The 8th-house "lord" and a parallel of declination were
also mentioned in the analysis, but these are hardly worthy of
rebutting comment. We'll also withhold comment on the accompanying
Navamsa maps, inasmuch as these are obviously incalculable apart from
precisely-timed chart moments and, or course, computation of solar
ingresses is an exacting procedure.
But enough of such piecemeal haggling. Let us get to the core of
the matter, which is the question of comparative validity of the
synetic versus other feasible sidereal "fiducial points."
First off, we legitimately resent the effort to drag the synetic
vernal point into a controversy involving the company of these other
claimants, for this resounding reason: The SVP is not at all in the
same class with these other "determinations." It is of an entirely
different species. It owes its existence to the outcome of painstaking
and massive scientific research and not to some sorry passage from
relic literature preserved on boundary stones or palm leaves or tomb
walls.
Even so, it was probably inevitable, in view of the nature of the
typical astrological mind, for this fact to be soon forgotten, or else
not realized in the first place. Let us nip this thing in the bud
right now, before it balloons into an international argument
reminiscent of the perennial ferment over house-division systems. The
synetic fiducial point was not contrived by whim on the basis of a few
score "examples," liberally larded with cultural preconceptions of
musty scriptural allusions.
You people who want to go on arguing about different ayanamsas can
do so, all you please--but after the facts are faced up to, keep the
synetic determination out of your quarrels!
These quarrels are remindful of the endless attempts by
Fundamentalist theologians, within the countless denominations of
Christendom, to affix beforehand the date of the Second Advent and "the
end of the world." Every few years, century after century, some Bible
scholar will come forth with another prediction, couched in quotations
from ancient scrolls and usually keyed to number mysticism, often with
something supplementary of seemingly tangible nature, like a Great
Pyramid time scale or some such gimmick. Meanwhile, the world goes on
and on, blithely unaware that it should have engulfed itself in flames
at least a hundred times, "according to the Book."
Several things, judging from contemporary literature on the subject,
characterize the "ayanamsa controversy." Chief among these is
ignorance of the subject being dealt with, such as precession. We have
not seen thus far, for instance, a correct handling of the annual
precession rate, and if so simple a matter as arithmetical calculation
of this value (as a rate, not an amount--a big different) for any year
is beyond the ability of a thesis-writing astrologer, one can only
question his authoritativeness where the subject of precession is
concerned. Come to think of it, what else but ineptness could be
expected of a mind which gives equal weight of consideration to the
statements of sixth-century copyists and twentieth-century astronomers?
There is an unbridgeable distance between a conclusion stemming from
apotheosis and one arrived at through coldly objective science.
Another thing, in some ways even more surprising, considering the
background of the reason why there is an ayanamsa in the first place,
is the apparently automatic assumption that there are two "zodiacs" of
concurrent validity, after all. At least, there seems no other way to
interpret efforts to ascertain the date "when the two zodiacs
coincided."
Even worse, from the scientific point of view, are the attempts to
link this epoch of coincidence with some mechanistic phenomena, such as
synchronizing of "both" Aries ingresses or a unique stellar situation
like a star's conjunction with a tropical colure on the celestial
sphere. If there had been an eventuality of universal significance
marking the transition of "ages," that pivotal event would be quite
obvious and of unarguable magnitude.
Recently in the April 1964 issue of SPICA, our esteemed Indian
correspondent S. Rajagopala Iyer, commenced a series of commentary
articles in which he elicits his reasons for continuing to use the
ayanamsa on which Lahiri's Ephemeris is based. This endeavor commands
our respect and attention because it represents an earnest, honest
effort to ferret out the facts on the basis of observation rather than
ethnic favoritism.
Lahiri's value is essentially, though not precisely, the "Spica
reckoning" originally adopted by Fagan on the reasonable grounds that
it was the best one available at the time. A few years later, after
his monumental achievement of solving the age-old enigma of the list of
planetary exaltation degrees, Fagan's own findings forced him to switch
from considering Spica as the marking star for 0 degrees Libra to its
more logical office as defining 29 degrees Virgo. (Would that other
"veteran" astrologers had the intellectual integrity to willingly alter
their views in accordance with new and better information!)
The synetic vernal point is merely a refinement of the true point
for which the bright first-magnitude star Alpha Virginis was the
closest practical approximation. Obviously, no single star, no matter
how prominent in the sky, could possibly be the sole determinator of
the zodiac as a cosmic structure. We all knew that the true point of
29d00'00" Virgo lies very close to the ecliptic longitude of the star
Spica. The only known method through which the true value could be
pinpointed by "astrological observation" was the concept of solar and
lunar ingresses. This fiducial of "Spica plus one degree" for defining
0 degrees Libra was christened the HYPSOMATIC AYANAMSA to distinguish
it from the Spica one previously used, which orientally is called the
"Chitra ayanamsa," after the star's Hindu name.
Amending the hypsomatic value was simply a matter of narrowing down
which minute and second of arc in the neighborhood of the presumed
value gave the best results on a statistical basis. It took literally
hundreds of historical events, almost all of them geographically
localized disasters, to nail down the likeliest value.
At long last it became clear that ingresses calculated for an
ayanamsa six minutes and five seconds of arc further along the ecliptic
than the hypsomatic figure being used gave the best results in the
light of actual cases considered in the aggregate. That is, the
Synetic Vernal Point places Spica, at the epoch of 1950.0, in 29d06'05"
rather than 29d00'00" of the constellation Virgo.
It is important to keep in mind that any ayanamsa, true of false,
could be used for personalized horoscopy on a sidereal basis, without
affecting the moments of, say, one's solar and lunar returns, or
progressions--so long as astronomically correct precessional rates are
made use of in the ayanamsa's computation. But mundane astrological
charts require exactitude of the true ayanamsa's value for any date in
question. To illustrate, the 0d06'05" correction adopted means a
difference of about two and a half hours in the timing of a solar
ingress--more than 35 degrees difference in the cusp of a mundane
chart. Lunar ingresses of the cardinal constellations, on the other
hand, are displaced only three degrees or so by the changeover from the
Hypsomatic to the Synetic value.
Our worthy Eastern colleague, Rajagopala Iyer, is approaching the
matter in terms of those few instances in the annals of Western
sidereal astrology where an apparent failure of a synetic-based ingress
was admittedly noted. These disappointments do occur occasionally, and
we agree that the right way to respond to the situation is to search
for the reasons behind the seeming miscues. After all, it is this very
fact-finding attitude towards things astrological that sparked and
nourished the growth of the Western sidereal movement to begin with.
Our reservations about the single case by single case approach,
however, are embodied in the question: How many times have you worked
with erroneous birth data and found admirably apt indices for
everything that happened in the native's lifetime? We've all had this
jarring experience many times in our professional careers, the
explanation being that we have so many techniques in modern astrology
to draw upon, it is easy to find appropriate planetary "contacts" for
anything and everything, by one method or another. Give me some false
data, for instance, telling me that the native was born within 15
minutes of the specified time, and that he broke his leg in his 23rd
year of life and, by gum, the chances are good that I'll be able to
find a "convincing" configuration, progression, transit, key cycle,
revolution, direction or Dasa that is appropriate to what happened--and
with multiple confirmations, too, making everybody cluck about how
marvelous astrology is.
Each of us, as conscientious astrologers, must be our own mental
watchdogs, ever alert to the dangers of our endless, habitual toying
and toiling with charts and numbers and symbols and systems. Too many
times we have found that somebody was really born in 1923 and not 1924;
or a rural doctor mistakenly wrote P.M. instead of A.M. on a birth
certificate; or someone who arrived on these shores as a child from
eastern Europe was still using the Old Style birthdate written on his
original passport; or a birth hour should rightly have been recorded in
daylight-saving time--and so forth. But even though the information
was seriously in error, the gears of the chartwork seemed to click off
just fine.
The point we are getting at here is that a randomly invented, wholly
groundless ayanamsa will yield highly "significant" ingress charts for
a majority of events. Yes, we said majority, and meant it. A phony
vernal point will "work" so well, so much of the time, that at first
glance any value your might fabricate on the spur of the moment has a
good prospect of seeming like a major astrological "discovery."
If you are reluctant to believe this, take the first telephone
number having six digits in your local directory and con yourself into
considering it to be the genuine ayanamsa in degrees, minutes and
seconds, for any event you want to "study."
The odds are surely better than 50-50 that by your third ingress
chart for the event, using this fake ayanamsa, pretending it to be
real, you'll come up with a persuasively "accurate" horoscopic picture
of the event. If the event is a catastrophe, there are enough malefics
in the sky, and more than enough square aspects within reach of at
least one of your two, three, four or more sets of angular cusps to
fill the bill and produce a "triumph" for the ersatz ayanamsa employed.
But is it science? That's the big question, and on this question
hangs the whole disposition of astrology's worth-whileness.
And now for the proof of the pudding that we have been leading up
to, even though it was necessary to risk shaking the faith of newcomer
students in the process. There is scientific truth in astrology. And
there are overwhelming, unquestionable scientific proofs that, despite
the weaknesses in our present-day astrological practices, planetary,
zodiacal and cuspal influences do exist--with full force too.
As for the synetic vernal point, proving its authenticity is almost
too easy. And we can thank the Creator for decreeing the laws of
statistical probability when He put the universe together and flipped
the On switch. certainly, we admit that many ingress charts based
on the SVP fail to seem "earthquake-prone" when geared to the time
and place a big tremor actually took place. But that is just the
point. Using the synetic value, for the 13 greatest earthquakes that
occurred in the world since 1900, Saturn is within two degrees of
conjunction or square the meridian of the epicenters seven times
oftener than "chance" would tend to allow. Mars is found in these
critical small-orbed zones five times oftener than could occur by
coincidence; Uranus three times oftener and Pluto twice oftener. The
Chitra or Spica ayanamsa, by dazzling contrast, yields quite normal
expectancies and therefore cannot be genuine.
These high-frequency counts apply to both the solar and lunar
cardinal ingresses preceding the disasters. Moreover, Saturn and Mars
are found conjunct or square the meridional cusp line of the progressed
solar ingress charts three times oftener than they could if the synetic
vernal point were not "the real McCoy."
We could cite numerous other ratios showing the high rating of
statistical significance attained by application of the SVP value--
levels which cannot possibly be arrived at by fictitious ayanamsas
(which otherwise perform so beautifully in single-case studies). Take
any published list of a given type of disaster, say airplane crashes or
a nation's most damaging tornadoes, and tabulate the angular
propinquities of the malefic planets in two sets, the synetic and the
Lahiri frameworks. Honest evaluation of the cross-compared sets will
quickly settle the issue that may have been bugging you. The truth
remains, that the "search for the true vernal point" commenced with a
massive compilation of ingress charts based on the original Spica
ayanamsa--and the Spica maps en masse clearly called for a wholesale
"correction" to make them truly meaningful in accordance with the
doctrine of angularity.
Of course, we could have selected, say 25 of the 100 worst-tornado
charts, based on the list of historic twisters given in the World
Almanac, and confidently "demonstrated" the efficacy of the Spica or
hypsomatic fiducials. Dido, for train wrecks or coal-mine disasters.
But this would not be science--it would be a defending of a mental
commitment or professional posture. To save face is usually to
sacrifice facts.
The illustration herewith is the upshot of it all, the only single
"proof" which tells the ayanamsa story without any ifs or buts in the
telling. A few years ago, a team of scientists at a major university
undertook to look into "unorthodox" means of weather forecasting and
includedin their mass-data anaylses certain claims of what we call
astrometeorology. These men are our personal friends and we have been
'au courant' of their work all along. We finally prevailed
sufficiently on their curiosity that they experimented with the
Jupiter-rainfall correlation we reported on in the pages of "Your
Powwow Corner" back in 1957. We found, you will recall, a
mathematically abnormal tendency for Jupiter to be on an angle at the
moment of the Caplunar ingresses covering dates and places of record-
breaking amounts of rain.
In view of professional and institutional considerations, we are
requested to divulge only a bare minimum of information about this
project. Permission to publish an adaptation of one of the diagrams,
and tell its content, however, has been cordially granted, in the
mutual hope that it will nip in the bud this growing threat of a
"controversy" over the synetic fiducial.
The diagram simply consists of the quadrant frequency of Jupiter's
distribution at the moments of the synetic lunar ingresses of
Capricornus preceding th twelve dates over the past century on which
maximum 24-hour downpours of precipitation were recorded at every
functioning weather-observing station in the continental United States.
The grand total of events amounts to--hold your breath--fully 49,576
items in all. The complete information as to date, place and amount
for each of 49,576 separte record entreis has been officially published
y the U.S. Weather Bureau, so there can have been no "doctoring" of the
raw data to yield the result that can be seen in the illustration--and
marveled at.

GRAPH: On left from bottom to top, standard deviations from -25 to 0
to +25. On bottom, Quadrants superposed Measuring Eastward from
Midheaven 0 to 90 (to 0) degrees. Angular Cusps using SYNETIC Ayanamsa
show near +25 standard deviation. The negative peak is between -20 &
-25 for 45 degress eastward from Midheaven. And Angular Cusps using
CHITRA Ayanamsa show near -5 standard deviation.

The abscissa of the graph is in units of standard deviation.
Statistical significance commences at the two-unit level, at which the
odds arc 20 to 1 against the proposition that the deviation occurred
only fortuitously. The odds are around 10,000 to one at four standard
deviations. At six units the chances against mere coincidence become
incalculably large, running into the billions.
As you can observe for yourself, the departure from mathematical
"normalcy of occurrence" skyrockets into the trillions and zillions
again the premise of pure coincidence. Scientifically, this is
incontestable proof that the astrological claim concerning the
influence of lunar ingresses--the one into Capricornus, at any rate--it
true. Needless to mention, this finding and others like it have caused
considerable excitement over the "potential possibilities" among
scientists who are privy to it--but it is obvious why we cannot dwell
on this particular phase of the matter for the time being.
How ironic it is, that these research findings should have their
first public disclosure in form of an effort to enlighten siderealists
about a fundamental property of their own zodiac! We have been saving
this material, for a long time now, against the day it would be needed
to (a) squelch so-called scientific deriders of astrology, and/or (b)
demonstrate to tropical astrologers that there is something solid to
astrology after all, thus allaying their unspoken fears.
You people who are entertaining other ayanamsas must now face the
issue raised by this and other equally revealing displays of evidence
which underscore the reality of the SVP. That issue is, to put it
bluntly, the glaring fact that either the synetic vernal point is
pretty close to being 'right on the nose," or else is some 3 degrees
wrong, three degrees being the minimum error which these irrefutable
statistics will permit to exist.
That is, if the fundamental principle behind astrology in regard to
angularity of planetary position for appropriate events is true, and if
the SVP is more than a few seconds "wrong," the only possible
alternative is that the true ayanamsa is far enough away from the
synetic point that this same Jupiter-rainfall curve can be reasonably
duplicated only by at least a three-degree displacement of the actual
figure.
In summary, let us say that the Synetic Vernal Point conceivably
could be wrong. But if it is, it is wrong by a hell of an amount and
not by just one or two degrees! Using the median amount of daily
motion of the Moon as the criterion for spacing, we have marked arrows
on the graph showing the contrasting positions of the angular cusps
(quadrants being successively superposed) for the synetic versus the
expectations from use of the Lahiri fiducial.
Note how closely the SVP Jupiter distribution peaks out near the
lines of the angular cusps themselves, with least frequency falling
just 45 degrees from the angles. If my faith in astrological verities
were in the least diminished proper to this knowledge, though of course
it wasn't these scientific facts would have restored it to full bloom.
How about you pumpers for other ayanamsas, with whom I now conclude my
first and last argument on this particular subject? Here's a faith
restorer. Help yourself.
* * * *





In the mid-70's in southern California, there was a strong
organization supporting teaching, registry, and publication of sidereal
materials called R.O.S.A., The Registry of Sidereal Astrologers. Due
to the untimely death of one of its founders and mainstays, it is no
longer operational. Below are excerpts from an essay by Gary Duncan, a
member of ROSA, both for its summation of the development of Sidereal
astrology and of Garth Allen's work on the SVP. Gary Duncan, now
deceased, was known to be a brilliant mathematician and worked for a
time at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasendena.



Gary Duncan, "Some Historical Notes," THE CONSTELLATIONS, 8/1975.

Sidereal astrology has evolved to its present state from the
pioneering efforts of a small group of which this author was
privileged to be a member. Although the general readership will
immediately recognize the names of Cyril Fagan and Donald Bradley
(Garth Allen), my name may not be as familiar. Anonymity was respected
at my request since, for reasons which will be made clear below, I did
not wish to have my name widely publicized. As the sole survivor of
the original trio, however, it is necessary to uncover certain facts
heretofore deliberately withheld from the public.
President of the Irish Astrological Society and a frequent
contributor to English and Indian astrological publications, Cyril
Fagan was better known to his European audience than to those of us in
the continental United States. Siderealists owe a heavy debt of
gratitude to a few Tropicalists for their efforts in introducing the
work of Fagan to the U.S. audience. It may come as a shock to many
Sidereal readers to learn that (of course) Fagan, Bradley and myself
were all strong Tropicalists before we were introduced to Sidereal
methods. It may come as a second jolt to learn that many of the
revered "names" among Tropical astrologers were instrumental in the
introduction and promotion of Sidereal techniques in this country.
We may begin with the efforts of Ernest Grant, founder and first
president of the American Federation of Astrologers (AFA), and later
its Executive Secretary. In the latter role, he served as the editor
of their monthly publication. It was through the mimeographed pages of
this communique that Ernest introduced the works of Cyril Fagan. One
such major work dealt with the recommended use of the Campanus division
of the sky into the familiar "houses" and with the simultaneous use of
the "mundoscope." This work made use of the term "domification" which
frightened away some of the small group that had managed to survive the
trigonometric formulae and examples.
But it was with Fagan's other major work that the efforts of Ernest
Grant are to be held in the highest esteem. Serving in his role as
Editor, Ernest published the "Incidents and Accidents of Astrology" by
Fagan as a monthly series introducing Sidereal astrology in 1947-8.
Grant did so under the most severe criticism (and threats of
"impeachment"). In the classic role of an editor he attempted to bring
new and interesting material to the eyes of his public, while holding
at bay a snarling and highly vocal constituency which clearly did not
wish to allow any publication efforts that might "rock the boat." On
more than one occasion he must have had to come to grips with strong
political and economical pressures which threatened the continuance of
his role with the AFA. But, Ernest survived all these pressures and
the American astrological community was exposed to the intensive,
evangelical writings of "that Irishman."
It was shortly before this time that Edna Scott (President of the
AFA) and Llewellyn George (then the "dean" of American astrologers) had
sponsored my membership into the AFA. Known to all of his friends as
"L.G." the efforts of the latter constitute a legend. As owner-
publisher of Llewellyn Publications, he was well known for his annual
publication, the Moon Sign Book, and for his Astrological Bulletina
(which changed its publication schedule several times during its
lifetime). Most students have his A to Z Horoscope Maker and
Delineator on their bookshelves, and a large number in the astrological
community have studied his various correspondence courses. It is to
L.G. that the second debt is due for the promotion of Sidereal methods.
When Llewellyn asked me to meet with Don Bradley, it represented a
clear departure both from his own rules and from the expressed wishes
of Bradley. L.G. had hired Don to help him with both the chores of an
editor for most of the publications which were issued from the
Llewellyn press, and to author a series of articles, pamphlets, and
major works under both his own name and under a number of pseudonyms.
Bradley was best known to his readership at that time for his periodic
writing on "Happenings in the U.S. Horoscope." A sheltered recluse, he
shunned public gatherings and avoided any and all visitors to his
home/office. Llewellyn not only respected this desire for privacy, he
strongly enforced it. Inquiries made through his publication office,
or directed to him personally at social gatherings, were routinely
(although always politely) declined to avoid any introduction with
Bradley. However, Llewellyn first suggested that he wished Bradley and
I to meet, stating that he felt it "essential" that our meeting take
place at the earliest opportunity.
Looking back with fond memories, my respect for the deep insight
which Llewellyn showed in dealing with intimate personal relations in
all those who called him friend, I am included to believe that he
arranged our first meeting with an uncanny preknowledge of the
subsequent events which would result from it. He was father to many,
friend to all. Less the commercial businessman than the patron to
those who might enrich the body of astrological knowledge, Llewellyn
served in all these roles in his relation to Don Bradley.
My meeting with Bradley stands as one of the events of importance in
both our lives; for from that first session, major changes in the
direction of our individual efforts as well as those of the
astrological community derive. We were both acquainted with the
efforts of Choisnard and Gauquelin (in French) and others on the
European continent who were attempting to use statistical methods to
establish certain astrological fundamentals. We both felt that the
attempts were inconclusive and lacked certain mathematical
sophistication. Although most interesting to astrologers, they were
not in a form acceptable to the scientific community. Bradley wished
to undertake some project which might present the astrological
viewpoint in an acceptable, definitive manner, and felt that some
statistical approach would best serve this end. My mathematical skills
included statistical methods and a cursory knowledge of Calculus,
although my physical age placed me at the Junior High School level.
Bradley was knowledgeable in the formulae of plane trigonometry and was
skilled i the use of the desk calculator, but was acquainted with
neither statistical methods nor the higher mathematics. Together we
set about formulating a plan which might serve as a model for later
work in the field of astrology.
A three-year effort culminated in the publication of Profession and
Birthdate, which gave a statistical analysis of the birthdates of 2492
ordained eminent clergymen taken from Who's Who in America. In the
Acknowledgments section of that volume, this author's contribution is
credited (under another name, Neil Block) for his "valuable
mathematical advice." Formulation of the mathematical model and the
method of deriving the probability tables was supplied by this writer,
while Bradley performed the data gathering, transcription, computation
of planetary positions, and the final data reductions.
The three-year effort which was required to complete this major work
taxed the patience of all parties concerned. Bradley copied each
birthdate onto a separate 3"x5" slip of paper, maintaining the lot in a
large cardboard box. Constant fear gripped us when anyone moved into
close proximity of "THE BOX," lest some accident should spoil the
project. This fear persisted until the last slip was written, the
dates were sorted to chronological sequence, and the aggregate was
copied into a bound record book--in preparation for the next step which
began the work with the ephemeris. During this lengthy interval,
several tests were applied which gave peculiar results and set the two
of us on our guard against making premature judgements regarding the
ultimate outcome of the experiment.
It came as somewhat of a shock, however, when the initial data
reduction of the solar longitudes showed no preference for the Tropical
signs of Sagittarius or Pisces. And, when the Chi-square test showed
that the Tropical coordinate system lacked the strength of several
other choices--although it was not as bad as still other choices would
be--we knew our thinking needed to be re-examined. Certainly the works
of Fagan were well-known to us both at that time. But it was not until
the statistical results of the clergymen study were known that Bradley
and I were faced with making a revolutionary change in our fundamental
methods. Up to that time, we had accepted the writings of Fagan as
"just more Hindu astrology." Our Indian friends may now smile at that
offhand dismissal, but should realize that the lack of sufficient
mathematical rigor in Hindu methods lies at its root. Although our
correspondence with Fagan had already established a close bond between
the three of us, it was (up to that time) limited mostly to the
historical foundations of our science and to the attempts to decode
certain Egyptian hieroglyphics which resisted investigation.
If the name of Cyril Fagan were never remembered for his
astrological contributions, he still deserves universal acknowledgment
as one of the greatest detectives of two millennia. His discovery, on
1949 May 14, of the true meaning of the EXALTATION degrees of the
planets ranks as one of the most exciting discoveries of this century.
Even Claudius Ptolemy was unable to give a plausible explanation as to
why the planets were said to be "exalted" in specific degrees of the
zodiac. Fagan was able to show that in the year B.C. 786 THE PLANETS
OCCUPIED THEIR STATED POSITIONS-- WITHIN ONE DEGREE--EITHER AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE FIRST MONTH OF THAT YEAR, OR ON THE DATES WHEN THE
RESPECTIVE PLANET BECAME A MORNING OR EVENING STAR. This discovery was
initially based on the assignment of the star Spica (Alpha Virginis) to
the value Libra 0d 00'00" in a non-rotating (fixed) coordinate system,
but forced a later revision of this position to Virgo 29d 00'00". It
ha subsequently been revised by Bradley to a value independent of the
bright star Spica, and is currently known as the SVP (Synetic Vernal
Point). For Fagan's monumental detective work in the discovery of the
true meaning of the Exaltations (Hypsoma in Greek), on two occasions
prior to Fagan's demise this author requested that the AFA honor this
man with some kind of special citation. Fagan had already received the
highest award the AFA has to bestow--he was named a "fellow" of the
AFA--but it seemed appropriate to this writer that he should be cited
for this special contribution, without regard for its implications on
behalf of the Sidereal viewpoint. On both occasions, the matter was
postponed, and Cyril died without receiving the praise rightfully due
him not only from the astrological world, but also from works in
ancient literature and Egyptology.
In view of the mounting historical evidence piled on us by the
public and private writings of Cyril Fagan, and by his most convincing
articles advocating the use of the Solar and Lunar Returns as reliable
predictive tools, Bradley and I had reached a point where the selection
between the use of the popular rotating coordinate system (Tropical) or
some non-rotating coordinate system was rapidly nearing a critical
point. When the clergymen study showed that the Tropical system was
not satisfactory, we were faced with a choice which could no longer be
postponed, and which taxed our sincerity as scientific investigators.
We had carefully analyzed a sufficient sample to clearly answer the
question using acceptable statistical methods. The results were not as
had been expected. As scientists, we were obliged to discard less
satisfactory methods (the Tropical frame) in favor of techniques which
were unfamiliar but which had demonstrated a definite superiority to
their standard Tropical counterparts.
It was, therefore, with some reluctance that these findings were
brought to the attention of Llewellyn George--whose financial support
had paid for all of Bradley's work during the three-year effort. Let
the reader mark well my next statement. Considering that Llewellyn's
entire publication efforts had been based on the promotion of Tropical
astrology (especially his successful annual Moon Sign Book), and that
nearly a lifetime had been dedicated to the promotion of Tropical
astrology, it must have come as a grave shock to realize that his own
efforts had given birth to a movement which might erode the very
cornerstone of his business, which might overhaul his beloved science
of astrology to such an extent that it might emerge as a totally
unfamiliar discipline.
Still, the warm-hearted, generous man he was would not permit such
personal disaster to stand in the way of scientific progress. So,
investing his personal funds, rather than those of his publishing firm,
he financed three publications as the initial efforts of the Llewellyn
Foundation for Astrological Research, in which Bradley was entitled as
its Research Director. These publications were: #1, Professions and
Birthdate (Bradley); #2 Zodiacs Old and New (Fagan); and #3 Solar and
Lunar Returns (Bradley).
At this point, a word should be said concerning the second and third
publications of the Llewellyn Foundation, and about that organization
itself. It was at the urging of Bradley and myself that Llewellyn
agreed to undertake the publication of Fagan's Zodiacs Old and New.
(It was also published in London by Anscombe.) The third document,
Solar and Lunar Returns by Bradley, was offered to serve as a
complement for the other two. Thus, the first established a
statistical groundwork, the second revealed the historical evidence,
and the third served as a practical "cook-book" for the use of Sidereal
techniques. The Forward by Llewellyn George in Solar and lunar Returns
merits reading by all students of astrology.

[The Forward begins with the quote: "To stop short in any research
that bids fair to widen the gates of knowledge, to recoil from fear of
difficulty or adverse criticism, is to bring reproach upon science." -
-Sir William Crooks]

When the 1950 National Convention of the American Federation of
Astrologers was held at the Hotel Biltmore in Los Angeles, Llewellyn
George forcibly brought to the attention of the entire astrological
world the upsetting evidence of these new discoveries with the joint
publication of the above three documents. From the podium, he
admonished his audience concerning his own "conversion" to Sidereal
methods, directing them to do likewise, and suggesting that those
interested in conversing on the subject might do so with Bradley and
this author who were available in the lobby of the hotel at the
Llewellyn book counter--where they might also examine the three major
documents which represented the first publication efforts of the
Llewellyn Foundation for Astrological Research.
That the astrological world failed to heed this sage advice from
their dean is a well-known fact, although the scientific community and
the younger members of the astrological fraternity seem to be
increasingly aware of the superiority of Sidereal methods.
Unfortunately, the presence of that lovable old man was taken from us
shortly thereafter. His wife, known to only a very few, had been
confined to her home as an invalid for many years. Her condition
worsened and became critical. After her death, Llewellyn's health
seemed to gradually diminish. He fought back with a tenacity that
pervaded his entire life, but eventually passed onto his eternal
reward. He died not a rich man in the sense of physical wealth, but
the legacy he left through hs contributions in the field of astrology
will never be forgotten. Among the riches we all share are not only
his own writings, but the writings of many others; without the personal
encouragement and financial support of Llewellyn George much of the
work now treasured by both Tropical and Sidereal astrologers alike
might never have seen publication. Remember, all this was done by a
man acknowledged by his peers as the unchallenged leader of Tropical
astrology.
We must, of course, recognize the contributions of James Hynes who
provided Fagan with numerous mathematical tables and computations to
assist in the calculation of ancient horoscopes. It is not known at
this writing just when Hynes first became associated with Fagan, or
made his first contributions. Perhaps some of our English friends can
supply us with historical information. Likewise, the efforts of Rupert
Gleadow are not known in correct historical sequence. We would greatly
appreciative of any knowldege received on this matter.
When scientific minds gather together, the exchanged of ideas is not
always without pain. Sharp disagreements separated the views of Fagan
and Gleadow cncerning the origin of the earliest astrological sources.
Gleadow presented powerful historical evidence to support his thesis
that sources other than Egyptian were responsible fo much that Fagan
credited to the astrologers of the lands of the pyramids. Fagan argued
that only in Egypt could the naming of the constellations coincide with
the appearance of the Full Moon in synchronism with the annual rise and
fall of the Nile River. To the mind of this author, Fagan's evidence
is over-whelming on this point--in spite of the fact that virtually no
historical records exist which serve to credit the antiquity of the
naming of the constellatons to the Egyptian camp. The movement of a
certain astrological library from the capitol city to the new
astrological temple (university) of Nineva was another point of
disagreement between these two men. Gleadow's education at Winchester
and at Trinity College, Oxford, demands that his views be given a
careful and ocnsiderate audience. He writes with the authority of a
men well-versed in his field, and as one whose arguments are fortified
with sound reason and physical evidence.
Many of these views will not be likely settled without our lifetime.
But the healthy--even heated--exchange of ideas serves to enrich our
science. Ideally the arguments are advanced by each side in defense or
opposition to a viewpoint taken by another, and ideally the battles are
not directed against the personality of an individual. Thus, within
the scientific community, its members must "agree to disagree
peacefully," without personal attacks. In such a spirit, the rough
edges are honed from preliminary theories, and the establishment of
fundamental scientific principles emerges.
During my early years in association with Bradley, numerous
technical considerations came under close scrutiny. The use of the
mundoscope (an integral part of the Campanus house system) was tried in
a variety of applications, including rectification. My first
computation of a complete Campanus tables of house (from equator to
pole) was performed by hand calcuation, using a table of logarithms,
during 1948. Later efforts yielded over six different forms of the
Campanus tables for our common use; these computations were performed
on electronic computers.
My efforts were directed to the use of digital computers as the
means for solving the future needs of astrologers, both for
computations and research efforts. Bradley geared his efforts to the
improvement of the delineative art. We jointly studied many possible
coordinate schemes which might ultimately serve as an improvement to
those then (and now) in use. There was the choice of a fundamental
starting point along the ecliptic circle, if one choose to use this
circle as the fundamental plane of reference.
But we considered other planes of reference. The so-called
Invariable Plane of the Solar System, which is determined by the total
angular momentum vector of all the planets, comets, and other moving
bodies within our Solar System. It differs from the ecliptic by only a
few degrees. Also studied was the possible use of the Galactic Plane
(the plane of our own Milky Way galaxy). Extensive counts of stars and
graphs of same by groupings according to their visual magnitudes were
performed, with the aid of my computer programs. These investigations
were undertaken in an attempt to determine a reason for the particular
choice of the origin of the Sidereal zodiac which had its roots in some
kind of physical phenomenon. We both agreed that the ecliptic plane
represented a reasonable choice, and that some determination of the
"best" fiducial point could be made--once the proper experiment was
defined. We reasoned that the final determination would likely be one
which was not dependent upon a particular star (then Spica was the
official marking star), but which would probably represent some kind of
"average" based on all the stars, or at least on those near the
ecliptic or galactic planes.
...
There may be those who will not understand my desire to maintain a
position of "silent partner" during those early days. I ask them to
consider the case of Hugh Rice, the astronomer, who made material
contribution to the computational art within astrology. For many years
he supplied American Astrology Magazine with extensive computations
giving ephemeris calculations , an aspectarian, and a Placidian table
of houses. He was hounded to his death (literally) by relentless
efforts of his astronomical associates who first sought to have him
discharged from his employment with the planetarium and attempted his
ouster with national and international scientific organizations. His
ultimate death was a direct result mounted by his peer group. Attempts
to change his name on the American Astrology Tables of Houses and with
American Astrology to obvious variations of his given name only met
with increased pressure. He had given Bradley much special attention
in acquainting him with some of the techniques used in solving
transcendental equations (required for the Placidian house system and
in sub-tabulation techniques). These methods were especially important
during this period, as all our calculations were then performed with
desk calculators.
My own work carried me into the field of Computer Sciences,
specializing in the branch of astronomy known as Celestial Mechanics.
By developing the computer programs which permitted the positions of
the Sun, Moon, and planets to be computed for any specified date, this
writer became responsible for the fundamental ephemerides used by all
NASA agencies. For many years, the "nautical almanacs" issued by the
governments of the major powers did and will use the computer programs
written by this author, or later improvements based on them. The
Synodic Ephemeris used by Bradley and his co-workers on the rainfall
research was supplied by me. Only a few of Bradley's associates knew
of its source.
From 1949 until 1951, Sidereal classes were given by this author at
various locations in Los Angels, usually in private homes. In 1948 the
first use of IBM equipment was employed by this writer for astrological
calculations. In 1951, the first computation of an aspectarian (for
The Astrological Bulletina) was performed in San Bernardino using IBM
machines. In 1953, the first Sidereal calculations were executed in
Santa Monica when this writer computed the first personal aspectarians
and all the moments of Solar and Lunar Returns for Bradley, Fagan and
himself. Other efforts included the computation of New and Full Moon
charts for the period 1962-1970 as a gift for the AFA. Numerous
computer experiments were performed leading to the development of
sophisticated programs which permit the computation of ephemerides or
single chart calculations for any time and place, and for the
statistical reduction of massive astrological studies.

The 1953 JULY issue of American Astrology carried the firs article
of the series entitled "Solunars" by Cyril Fagan. This series
persisted until his death on 1970 JAN 04. Again the efforts of one
with heavy investments in Tropical astrology to present controversial
material were met with loud cries from their supporters. Threats to
cancel subscriptions greeted Joanne Clancy, the editor of American
Astrology, when she elected to publish Fagan's work. The heavy
investment and dedication of many years of her husband, Paul Clancy,
and of her own toil were at stake. But, some kind of electricity
accompanied this publication. A growing readership rallied to support
her bold venture, and a spark of new life was breathed into the
astrological readership. While sample delineations of Mrs. Clancy's
chart served to acquaint both the readership and the editor of that
leading astrological publication, the space also permitted the
presentation of multitude of sample charts (largely Solar and Lunar
Returns) and offered a medium for the presentation of some of the more
advanced topics which had commanded the attention of leading Sidereal
astrologers in their mutual correspondence. The readers were exposed
to a variety of charts including converse and direct, Kinetic, Anlunar,
Quarti- and Demi-lunars, and Quarti- and Demi-solars, and a wide
variety of progression methods of these and other charts. The
presentation of variations on Quotidians used both mean and apparent
rates. We are all in Joanne's debt for her steadfast support of both
Fagan's and Bradley's work.
The close alliance of Cyril Fagan and Brigadier Roy Firebrace saw
the publication of a series of booklets under their names and was
accompanied with the publication of the first Sidereal quarterly,
SPICA. Mary Austin served this effort in more ways than may ever be
fully known, and many publications under the "Moray Series" label have
felt the help of her gentle hand. Perhaps some of our English friends
will be kind enough to fill us in with some of the history of this
particular period.
With the death of Llewellyn George, the dream that the Llewellyn
Foundation for Astrological Research would evolve into a viable entity
vanished. No strong financial arrangements had been made for its
continuance, and Bradley, Fagan, and this writer were the only original
members of the group who remained. Without adequate funding, no means
were available to pursue the original goals. Bradley moved to New York
and wrote for American Astrology.
The opportunity to work on a meteorology project under a grant from
the National Science Foundation brought him to the campus of New York
University. While his research into rainfall data was published under
the name of Bradley, his writings for American Astrology were
delighting readers under the name of Garth Allen. The untimely death
of the professor charged with the administration of funds for the NSF
grant caused the rainfall project to lose its major investigator,
Donald Bradley. Lacking the "union ticket" of a formal degree of any
kind, Don was unable to assume the role of administrator of funding for
a continuance of the project. We may give thanks that Albert Einstein
was not similarly treated for his inability to pass high school
mathematics examinations!
The most productive periods in Don's life, as well as my own, have
seemingly occurred when we were both under the greatest strain. It was
during one such "down" period of Bradley that I urged him to begin this
writing of some kind of booklet which set forth the principles of depth
psychology as applied to astrology. For many years, we had discussed
the writings of Freud, Jung, and others and had long felt the need that
many of these basic principles be introduced into the basic
astrological literature. The deep, penetrating powers which Bradley
brought to this topic and his gift with the English language made him
the only logical candidate to write this material. The result was
published as the "Taking the Kid Gloves Off Astrology" series on the
planets in American Astrology. Later attempts to interest him in
completing this series to include sections of the Sun and Moon were to
no avail. He began several times to formulate the general approach
which he might use; but unless this material was preserved among his
papers, his notes on the subject may never be published.
While Bradley worked on the east coast, this writer moved to the
Pasadena area in California. An article appeared in the "Many Things"
section of American Astrology, requesting persons interested in forming
a Sidereal astrologers' study group to contact Richard Adler in Los
Angeles. Upon doing so, the group asked me to serve as their teacher
and we began to hold sessions at the YWCA in Pasadena. Members of that
group included Gene Lockhart and Phyllis Kneip. We became known as the
Sidereal Astrologers' Guild. After nearly a year's stay at the
Pasadena location, the group moved to anew facility provided by Phyllis
Kneip in Hollywood. After this the writer moved to St. Paul; Phyllis
continued the efforts which is now know as the Sidereal School of
Astrology. John Mazurek established a Sidereal School of Astrology in
San Francisco in 1965 and has been teaching continuously since that
date.
Many readers of the Moon Sign Book during 1965-66 did not realize
that this Tropical publication contained many maps of the world and
U.S. which were based on Sidereal methods. As editor during this
period, I was able to make use of certain geodetic mappings based on
the CAPsolar and CAPlunar Sidereal charts. Garth Allen first displayed
the method which had been developed by the two of us during the years
when he lived in Long Beach, and during our frequent telephone
conversations since those days. The early efforts had suffered from
the lack of a suitable predictive chart to use for mundane predictions.
Discovery of the importance of the CAPsolar and CAPlunar charts closed
that gap; it remained only for us to apply the geodetic mapping
technique developed earlier. Readers may find it interesting to
procure a copy of the 1966 Moon Sign Book to view these charts which
were not only computed using an electronic computer, but were drawn
entirely under computer control maps and planetary lines included.
Bradley and I did not agree on all matters. One topic which served
to bedevil us still, and which looms as a nasty spectre over the most
recent determination of the SVP, is concerned with the use of
geocentric latitude versus geographic latitude. Bradley chose to use
the former for reasons which were, to this author, totally unjustified.
unfortunately, the evidence and logic support the use of geographic
latitude, in my opinion. The ramification of this statement may not be
immediately apparent to the reader.
Final determination of the value assigned to the SVP, or Synetic
Vernal Point (for the epoch 1950.0) rests in the use of certain mundane
charts, the progressions of same, and upon their erection for specific
locations upon the surface of the Earth. In several critical areas,
planetary positions near the horizon are used and the chart "rectified"
by adjusting the value of the SVP in order to bring about exact
conjunction with the desired angle. The reader will appreciate that
several factors will affect this calculation. The specific value for
the terrestrial latitude was used--whether or not parallax factors were
used, whether height above or below sea level was considered both for
parallax effects and for "dip" of the horizon, whether refraction of
light due to the Earth's atmosphere was considered, and whether light-
time aberrations was included. Most of these effects were ignored. If
any or all are included the value assigned to the SVP will be
immediately affected. It remains for future generations to re-examine
the calculations leading to the determination of the SVP in light of
these considerations and to formulate and additional experiments which
may be necessary to make further refinements in this area....
Since the early work on the 2492 clergymen, no less than 49 other
statistical studies have been performed for most of which this writer
was the principle member of the team which collected the data, or
guided the actions of other groups, or served to perform all
computations and statistical reductions. The smaller studies have been
reported in the pages of SPICA or American Astrology. Several large
studies have not yet been published. This author's studies of 6281
professional baseball players and 8928 U.S. congressmen represent two
such efforts, the latter being the largest statistical study yet
undertaken. Readers who wish to avail themselves of the published
results of these studies are advised that they will be released by the
Duncan Foundation for Astrological Research. It is of fundamental
importance that Sidereal astrologers acquaint themselves with such
statistical material, as the collection constitutes the only basis for
comparisons between the Tropical, Sidereal, and other systems. Only by
such means are we able to improve our knowledge regarding the
individual planetary effects....

* * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[INGRESS] "Unveiling a New Tool - Entering a New Era in Mundane
Forecasting." THE CAPRICORN SUN AND MOON INGRESS. Garth Allen's (May,
June, July 1957 in American Astrology) report on his early
research with solar and lunar Ingress charts in the cardinal
constellations, which led to his discovery of the SVP or Synetic Vernal
Point correction of 6'5" to the fiducial SPICA in 29 Virgo, and which
also led to his concept of the APEX. Choice description of the
application of Solar and Lunar Ingress charts to great calamities as
earthquakes, fires, explosions, accidents, shipwrecks, etc. showing the
efficacy of CAPRICORN Ingresses above the others. Allen's uncanny 1957
speculations became demonstrated S.O.P. - viz, on planets' cadency from
the angles as limiting their effect and/or planets' mundane proximity
to locality angles as intensifying. At the end, note his thoughtful
suggestions for the application of CAPsolar & CAPlunar Ingresses to
personal return charts and further research, and for what became
AstroCartoGraphy.

* * * *



Garth Allen's UNVEILING A NEW TOOL, 5/1957, A.A.
..Entering a New Era in Mundane Forecasting..

"One question that must occur is that if the revolutions should be
worked for the sidereal zodiac, so ought ingresses. That is to say,
one should take the time that the Sun enters the cardinal constella-
tions, instead of its entry into the signs. But the usual ingresses
have proved themselves, time and again, to be valid, and it must remain
for the advocates of the sidereal zodiac to demonstrate that theirs are
better. Such a demonstration would, to my mind, be more conclusive
than many personal returns, because the times of the ingresses and the
subsequent events are on record. If these new ingresses are better,
then the sooner this is proved and acknowledged, the happier it will be
for all of us."
--Charles E. O. Carter, Editorial, "Astrology," Autumn 1949.

In the years since England's finest astrological mind penned the
particular editorial from which we quote, the question he raised has
been gnawing away at our intellectual vitals. His proposition was so
fairly stated that the subject of Mundane Astrology has become almost a
gadfly to advocates of the sidereal zodiac....
We knew intuitively that Carter must be right because the
superiority of the personal sidereal revolutions has been established
by comparative statistics of such caliber that some advocates of the
tropical zodiac have been citing this same material to scientific
outsiders as proof that astrology in general is now on a scientific
footing and easily provable. We were convinced of the rightness of his
idea, that is, but confess to having done little or nothing about it
until recently. The purely individual branch of inquiry has kept us so
adventurously preoccupied, we kept postponing the investigation in the
hope that some "George" somewhere would do it. We finally decided to
take up the gauntlet ourselves and see if there really was gold in
"them thar starfields" from the Mundane point of view. It wasn't
wholly a blind plunge into unfamiliar terrain, as we had often made
notes among these lines which indicted where to stat the search for a
workable sidereal approach to Mundane interpretation--if there was one.
Quite naturally, the ingresses were our primary concern, and our
notes regularly pointed out a peculiar sensitivity of the 23rd and 24th
degrees of the signs, or, simply, the areas known to contain the
dividing lines between the constellations. The best example we
observed was the fact that Mars was stationary around the 24th degree
of the sign Capricorn during much of August 1939. using the longitude
of the vernal point with the star Spica as fiducial, which is the best
determinant of the zodiac's confines in popular use to date, we were
impressed by a striking relationship between the moon and Mars in the
four "cardinal ingresses" during the lunar month climaxed by the
outbreak of World War II.
On August 6, 1939, the Moon and Mars were square by 1d3' at the time
of the Moon's entry into sidereal Aries, a la the Spica-based zodiac.
A week later on August 13th, the Moon and Mars were in opposition by
0d42' during the Cancer incursion. On August 19th, only 0d05'
separated a perfect square of the moon and Mars at the time of the
lunar passage into Libra. To cap the series, on August 26th when the
Moon entered Capricorn, the Moon and Mars were only 0d02' from a
partile conjunction on the threshold of the constellation that is the
exaltation of the god of war. Before this final lunar week was over,
World War II had flared into grim reality! To our knowledge a similar
series with comparable war potential has not occurred in modern times.
But even this astonishing situation is not the whole story inasmuch as
there had been a conjunction of the Moon and Mars within a degree of
being exact at the time of the Sun's ingress of sidereal Capricorn
earlier that year. And when one realizes that in the sidereal Cancer
ingress, taking place in July 1939, there was a close opposition of the
Moon and Mars, the picture becomes fabulous, to rework that lately
overworked adjective.
The standard Aries Ingress of 1939 also contained a remarkable war-
potential, inasmuch as Mars was only 0d07' from a perfect square of the
Sun, with the Moon close enough to the Sun to further spark the
configuration. The 1939 Vernal Equinox has always been the touchstone
of our personal belief in the validity of charts cast for crossings of
the colures. The reader will notice that our published "sidereal world
forecasts" in the past have been based simply on a siderealized version
of the same charts used by tropical astrologers. A new era in Mundane
forecasting is now dawning for all with the putting to use of the new
tool being unveiled in this report.
Research projects of various sorts along with other lines than the
Mundane very clearly supported Cyril Fagan's contention that the zodiac
with Spica marking Virgo 29 degrees was correct or so very nearly the
truth that it seemed futile to entertain other suggested frameworks.
If Spica does not designate precisely 29d00'00" of Virgo, it is obvious
that Spica does fall within a fraction of a degree of that point. But
an even more certain certainty is the physical impossibility that the
apparent body of any particular star can literally represent any
universal zero-point. Individual stars are practical reference points
and can be used as proxies for cosmic division, but not single heavenly
body can have absolutely no proper motion and retain zero latitude for
all time. Still, such bright stars as those used by astrology's
originators are found to be such handy markers in the sky that modern
students have no alternative than to adopt the Spica fiducial as a
tentative standard for all practical purposes. Meanwhile, our private
conviction had been that it might be generations before an improvement
of this value could be expected, if--and this was a big if--the idea of
a purely sidereal based Mundane Astrology turned out to be just wishful
thinking. The refinement was inevitable, the facts at hand insisted,
but it would probably not be made within our lifetime. Not unless...
not unless the sidereal ingresses did turn out to be 'radical" moments.
Random experiments with the solar ingresses in terms of the vernal
point ordinarily used, however, got us nowhere. The aspects seemed
fitting, but the cuspal contacts which logic demanded exist just didn't
exist. Later on in our search the reason for this cleared up, for an
adjustment of about two and a half hours solved the problem. This
adjustment was not arrived at though, by tinkering with the solar
charts. It was through study of the LUNAR INGRESSES that we found the
answer, and the puzzle of the solars automatically solved itself!

SIX MINUTES--TO A MIRACLE!
Following the course suggested by our notebook with such situations
as those Moon-Mars patterns in the 1939 skies and using the Spica
fiducial for lack of anything better to work with, it took only a few
sample mundane charts--the Moon's cardinal ingresses for various
historic events--to prove that Carter's "so ought ingresses" was truly
an accurate guess if not psychic foresight. To shorten a long story,
we found that the Moon's entries into the cardinal constellations
(Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) produced charts which were often
uncanny in their symbolic description of mundane affairs of the periods
and places for which they were calculated. After having accumulated
quite a batch of experimental lunar ingress maps for momentous events
of every kind ranging from tornadoes to assassinations, from
conflagrations to royal weddings, we could see that only a minor
displacement of a few minutes of arc in the Moon's longitude would
yield awesomely perfect angular contracts in many cases and improved
the "symbolic pictures" in many other instances.
The ingresses with Spica at 29d00' Virgo seemed to be occurring a
few minutes of time later than they should be. They were highly
appropriate but the appropriateness could be improved upon. The charts
as they stood were a "good fit" and not at all annoying like the Sun's
cardinal ingresses, which were decidedly out of kilter when it came to
the all important matter of cuspal contacts. We had so many lunar
charts suggesting that they needed only slight amendment, however, that
the sensible procedure was to determine what particular position of the
Moon would eliminate the bulk of the minor displacements that were
evident. This correction, clearly, would give us a starting point for
tacking the more intricate problem of the solars. A correction was
readily arrived at; all we had to do was push the Moon back about six
minutes of arc, and behold, the shoe immediately fitted. We've worn it
comfortably ever since.
The Moon's contact of 29d54' of the mutable constellations of the
Spica defined zodiac, therefore, represents the Moon's contact with
0d00' of the cardinal constellations of the genuine sidereal zodiac.
This is now so certain that the discovery means that, probably for the
first time in the history of man, we know where the Creator's zodiac
has its natural divisions. The clincher in making this discovery was
the remarkable similarity between the lunar Capricorn ingresses
covering the dates and places of the two most devastating volcanic
eruptions of modern times. In fact, even before the statistical
averaging was called for, our original choice of 29d54' as the true
reference point resulted from two simple calculations which deserve
description here.

The Krakatau eruption, at Lat. 6s10, Long. 105e26, on August 27,
1883, 3:00 A.M., GMT, claimed at least 30,000 lives. On the date of
the Moon's Capricorn ingress prior to the catastrophe Saturn was on the
Ascendant 'in mundo' of the volcano when the sidereal time was
10:21:08, which equates to 5:42:17 A.M., GMT, on August 16, 1883. At
this moment the Moon was 23d07' of the tropical sign Capricorn. In
terms of Fagan's Spica based zodiac, the vernal point was 6d47' Pisces,
so the equivalent position of the Moon was 29d54' of the constellation
Sagittarius.
Though its destructive perimeter was smaller, the eruption of Mount
Pelee on May 8, 1902 took as great, if not a great toll, of lives than
the Krakatau explosion. The monstrous blast took place when it was
11:57 A.M. at Greenwich, and six minutes later more than 30,000
residents of St. Pierre, Martinique, were dead. At 14d51 North and
61d10' West, Saturn was in exact mundo conjunction with the Ascendant
as a sidereal time of 1:36:28, when it was 3:14:34 P.M. in Greenwich on
April 29, 1902. The Moon at this moment was 23d23' of the tropical
sign Capricorn. Since the vernal point was then 6d31' Pisces, this
means that the Moon was at 29d54' Sagittarius--in exact agreement with
the Krakatau case for an identical astronomical circumstance! Needless
to say, similar checks made averaged out to the same reference point--
progressively different in terms of tropical longitude but consistently
within a minute or so of 29d54' when the Spica based equivalents were
found.

A refinement of the new-found value, to seconds of arc, is
necessary, inasmuch as the moment of the solar ingress is shifted about
a half-minute of time for every difference of one second of arc....
Angular cusps of the solar ingresses are very solar ingresses are very
sensitive to malefic transits, as witness their synchronization with
tragic happenings. Following this cue to correct our charts,
tentatively cast for 29d54'00" pending refinement, we found from
inspect of ephemeris positions for the hours of 27 major catastrophes
of the past that an average displacement of ten minutes of time would
yield the desired correction. But when it became conspicuous that the
dating of events was a matter of progression via the "Quotidian rate,"
we were provided with a means to pinpoint exact sidereal times. This
process soon led to the realization that only a two-minute difference
sufficed. In other words, only a 5' correction of the 29d54'00" value
was called for. Further research may alter this correction slightly
but until statistics split this astronomical hair for us, we are
settling on a vernal point increased by 0d06'05" over the Spica one.
We have a list of the times of all Capricorn ingresses back to 1820,
based on this determination and hope to make it available to all
interested. As critical times are all-important, most students and
tropical fans will no doubt wish to study these same data in a more
familiar zodiacal backdrop. By rights, all mundane charts should be
cast in the form of "mundoscopes," and the question of zodiacs does not
impinge upon mundoscopy--fortunately for all of us!

STEPPING UP AND OVERLAPPING
Early in our evaluations of a wide variety of charts we had noticed
a persistent tendency for the Capricorn and Cancer lunar ingresses to
carry more weight than the Aries and Libra charts. Getting down to
brass tactics on this one, we decided to calculate the four preceding
ingresses for each date and place at which something of great moment
had occurred. This confirmed the suspicion that the Capricorn and
Cancer charts were stronger than the other two. Then a process of
separation proved that the Capricorn charts had it all over the Cancer
charts, implying that the Capricorn charts were comparable in their
impact with personal "conjunction lunar returns," the Cancer charts
seeming to act like demi-lunar returns. As we shall see, this rule
holds true for the solar ingresses, too, in which the Capricorn ingress
stands out as a "master chart" for the whole year. It is as though the
other ingresses are clinchers and timers, helping to narrow down the
periods in which a series of stresses are most likely to precipitate as
the event itself. Moreover, the cusps of the Capricorn charts are
painfully sensitive to subsequent transits, often dating exactly the
major event of the period in question. A rough rule we have devised to
accord with the facts as we have found them is that there is a 4-1-2-1
ration involved in estimating the power of the four cardinal points,
Capricorn being twice as strong as Cancer and Cancer being about twice
as significant as Aries and Libra.
Although weekly "stepping up" is characteristic of lunars, as
witness the August 1939 series, do not get the impression that a single
chart for a given week is not wholly self-contained, for there is
sufficient proof that each wheel is radical in itself. Our mass of
data suggests that it is always worth-while, in fact, advisable, to
study a given event in the light of the "chain of charts" leading up to
it, with emphasis on the Capricorn and Cancer charts, in that order.
Still, the immediate lunar is usually so lucid, alone considered, that
prior links in the chain may be thought of as auxiliaries or backdrops.
To illustrate our point, we drew up all the pertinent ingresses for the
126 worst coal mine disasters in U.S. history, using a list published
by the government's Bureau of Mines. Even though about half of these
occurred in weeks covered by lunar entries into Aries and Libra, there
was a special "badness" about the preceding Capricorn and Cancer
charts. Nevertheless, and this we want to emphasize, those mine
disasters occurring after Aries and Libra ingresses hold their own,
chartwise, without need for a supporting Capricorn or Cancer pattern.
Using just the preceding lunar ingress, no matter which cardinal
point happened to be involved, a simple tally shows that 14 of the 126
mine disasters occurred with Saturn within 1d 40' of an angular cusp,
by straight ecliptic reckoning. This means that if astrological
influences are a grand delusion, according to probability theory there
should be 4.71, or close to 5, rather than 14 of the 126 charts with
Saturn so precariously mounted in the wheels. Since the standard
deviation is 2.13 and the excess over mean expectancy is 9.29, the test
ratio amounts to a boisterous 4.36, much too big to be dismissed as a
mere coincidence. Scientifically, a ratio only half this size would be
enough to give a skeptic pause, since a ratio of 3.89 marks the 10,000
to 1 level of significance while 4.42 means that the odds are 100,000
to 1 against chance being an explanation for the high number. As our
actual ratio is very close to the 100,000 to 1 level, it is safe to
declare that the weekly Moon charts are radical in themselves. For the
record, with this article is a list of the dates and places of the 14
mine disasters for which Saturn was within a hundred minutes or arc of
an angular cusp at the moment of the Moon's last preceding entry into a
cardinal constellation. Note that the list includes the worst mine
disaster in American history, that of the Monongah, West Virginia
tragedy which snuffed out 361 lives.

Lunar Ingresses and 14 Coal Mine Disasters
Event Date Mine Site Deaths Ingress Saturn's Position

5-23-1899 Cumnock, N.C. 39 Libra 1d 15' West of M.C.
5-27-1901 Dayton, Tenn. 20 Cancer 0d 04' Below ASC.
7-10-1902 Johnstown, Pa. 112 Cancer 0d 46' West of M.C.
2-20-1905 Virginia City, Ala. 108 Cancer 1d 35' East of I.C.
3-18-1905 Red Ash, Va. 24 Cancer 0d 33' West of M.C.
1-4-1906 Coaldale, W. Va. 22 Aries 1d 26' Below ASC.
1-29-1907 Stuart, Va. 84 Cancer 1d 30' East of I.C.
12-1-1907 Fayette City, Pa. 34 Libra 0d 56' East of M.C.
12-6-1907 Monongah, W. Va. 361 Libra 1d 21' East of M.C.
1-10-1909 Ziegler, Ill. 26 Cancer 0d 42' Under DESC.
3-20-1912 McCurtain, Okla. 73 Aries 1d 26' West of M.C.
3-28-1924 Yukon, W. Va. 24 Capricrn 0d 47' Above ASC.
3-16-1940 St. Clairsville, O. 72 Aries 0d 40' Above DESC.
12-26-1945 Pineville, Ky. 24 Cancer 1d 40' Below ASC.


A HISTORY OF "WORSTS"
The most "surefire" way to prove or disprove the worth of any
proposed system is to test it by means of the most outstanding events
in given categories. One has only to compute the ingress figures for
such whopping big events as the Halifax explosion, the Texas City
disaster, the Chicago fire and the San Francisco catastrophe, to
appreciate the clarity and unassailability of the sidereal system.
Even more conclusive than single examples, of course, are groups of
charts having something in common, such as a series we have compiled on
the 40 worst railroad wrecks in our nation's history, or another, that
of the most tragic fires on record. The marvel of the sidereal
approach is the manner in which the basic precepts of astrology are
shown in operation at full throttle. The basic precepts to which we
refer are the predominance of the angular cusps and the fidelity of
planetary natures--precepts all but forgotten nowadays in this era of
grab bag delineations where anything goes in the way of acceptable
explanations as long as it sounds astrological. By fidelity is meant
symbolic appropriateness of the astrological patterns. It is not
enough to point out the numerous bad aspects involved in a situation,
for astrology rises or falls with the fitness of the symbolism
entailed. The planetary design in a chart must jibe with the event,
else the interpretive frame of reference is not a valid one. In actual
practice, the play of malefics typifies unfortunate events of any kind
and the exercising of the benefics is typical of welcome developments,
so the arenas of planetary action are really quite simple to identify.
The limitation on space for illustrations is always a problem for a
writer with a passion to teach and it has been a tough decision to
select just four lunar ingresses to use as eye-catchers in this
particular articles. "Historical worsts" are clearly our best bets, so
we will by-pass examples of happier events even though it is a
temptation to exhibit such superb charts as the Capricorn entry of
November 9, 1918, 7:36 P.M. GMT, which draped Jupiter, trine the sun
and Venus, across the horizon of the Western Front.
Terminology is also a problem, so for the sake of brevity and easy
identification we are calling the various lunar ingresses by quickly
understood names, i.e., "Arilunar" for the Aries ingress, "Canlunar"
for the Cancer one, and then "Liblunar" and "Caplunar." When we treat
the more overriding solar ingresses, the same labeling device will come
into use, the charts being called the "Arisolar," the "Cansolar," the
"Libsolar" and the "Capsolar." then there is the confusion regarding
which reckoning of the vernal point is being referred to. So for the
time being we wish to call the "new" and true vernal point by the
qualifying term 'synetic' to distinguish it from the Spica based value
in current use. The word synetic has a flavor which hints grandly of
the 'togetherness' which is the very essence of astrology. The synetic
vernal point has the distinction of being the only one discovered and
established exclusively through observational methods. It would
probably never have come to light were it not for the groundwork laid
by Cyril Fagan which showed clearly where to build our observation
tower.

FIGURE 1. THE MOON'S LIBRA INGRESS PRECEDING AMERICA'S MORST COAL MINE
DISASTER (omitted in ascii format): MC 25AQU56; ASC 16GEM27; Saturn
27AQU11, Pluto 0GEM28rx; Neptune 20GEM55rx; Jupiter 20CAN09rx; Moon
0LIB00, Mercury 25LIB02, Sun 15SCO12, Venus 4SAG56, Uranus 17SAG27.

FIGURE 2. THE MOON'S CAPRICORN INGRESS PRECEDING AMERICA'S WORST TRAIN
WRECK: MC 27VIR50; ASC 7SAG37; Mars 7VIR32, Moon 0CAP0, Uranus
3AQU53rx, Venus 2TAU33, Jupiter 2GEM31, Mercury 8GEM41, Sun 10GEM00,
Pluto 11GEM20, Neptune 12CAN0, Saturn 18CAN48.

FIGURE 3. THE MOON'S ARIES INGRESS PRCEDING THE IROQUOIS THEATER FIRE.
MC 9SCO55; ASC 19CAP38; Uranus 3SAG00, Sun 12SAG20, Mercury 01CAP16,
Saturn 14CAP14, Mars 19CAP18, Jupiter 23AQU51, Moon 0ARI00, Pluto
25TAU55rx, Neptune 11GEM06rx, Venus 27LIB54.

FIGURE 4. THE MOON'S CANCER INGRESS PRECEDING THE CONWAY THEATER FIRE.
MC 14CAN37; ASC 8LIB36; Moon 0CAN00, Uranus 1LEO43rx, Mars 10LIB06,
Venus 13LIB06, Mercury 19SCO30, Sun 19SCO35, Jupiter 19SCO48,
Saturn 9AQU08, Neptune 9ARI53rx, Pluto 0TAU13rx.

Figure 1 is the Liblunar for the locality of Monongah covering the
week of the most terrible mine disaster on record. It is so vicious a
chart as to be self-explanatory, what with Saturn on the Meridian,
explosive Uranus on the Descendant and Neptune rising.
The worse railroad accident in American history took a toll of 101
lives at Nashville, Tennessee, under the Caplunar of Figure 2. Note
the symbolic aptness of Mercury, the primary planet of locomotion, on
the Descendant and closely squared by Mars, among other telltale items.
Mercury prominent and afflicted is typical of travel tragedies of all
kinds.
Figures 3 and 4 are the lunar ingress preceding the two worst
theater fires in national history, the Arilunar covering the 602-death
Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago (Dec. 30, 1903) and the Canlunar prior
to the Conway Theater conflagration in Brooklyn (Dec. 5, 1876) in which
289 patrons perished. These charts are loaded with indications of the
tragedies, but the coincidence that Mars was on the Ascendants of both
localities is virtually fantastic. Our collection of sidereal ingress
charts for "worst fires" has Mars conjunct an angle so often that we
are easily convinced that this discovery will rapidly become one of the
basic tools of Mundane Astrology.
The industrious student will quickly see the merit in this discovery
by casting, say, just the Caplunars for events of his own choosing.
Capsule preview of the next installment of this report: The secret of
actual dating of events lies in the Sun's Capricorn Ingress. Lucid as
the lunars usually are by themselves, they cannot hold a candle to the
effectiveness of the solar ingresses, as we shall prove. In Mr.
Carter's wise words, "If these new ingresses are better, then the
sooner this is proved and acknowledged, the happier it will be for all
of us." Therefore, our first "mundane prediction" is to confidently
forecast an increase in happiness for the whole astrological world.
**********


Section 2: June 1957, Garth Allen, UNVEILING A NEW TOOL
...Entering a New Era in Mundane Forecasting...

Last month we gave a summary of how we tested Charles E. O.
Carter's proposition and found it rewarding beyond all expectations.
In fact, there were moments when we were emotionally moved by the sheer
bigness of what we learned. It was clear from the outset that this new
revelation was no mere "interesting sidelight," potentially worth only
an article or two in the astrological press. The utter directness of
the sidereal ingresses, the purity of their indications, is a guarantee
that the field of Mundane Astrology is entering a new era.
The first major fact that our investigation ferreted out was the
efficacy of the Moon's ingresses of the cardinal constellations. A
belief in Lunar ingresses in tropical astrology has never got off the
ground, to our knowledge, or we would have heard or read about them by
now. In professional circles there seems to be almost as much confusion
as canonized knowledge in connection with Solar ingresses, when the
subject is looked at in the light of differences between attitude and
activity. After almost half a century of writing and publishing
Mundane forecasts based on tropical ingresses, Llewellyn George stated
he was convinced that the Aries ingress had influence over only the
three Spring months, so that all four of the seasonal maps boasted
equal importance. In effect, at one whack by the best known Mundane
specialist of the twentieth century, the prestige of the Aries ingress
in standard astrology was reduced by 75%!
In recent years the January issues of astrological magazines have
been carrying forecasts of world conditions for the coming year based
on the Winter Solstice chart which is seemingly supplanting the Aries
figure as a basic "world horoscope." And not long ago one such cover-
featured forecast stemmed from a chart cast for the stroke of standard
time midnight on New York's Day at the nation's capital, it being read
somewhat like a horary figure in answer to the question, "What will
this year bring?" There have also been zealous supporters of the
classical Neomenia, the first New Moon after the Vernal Equinox, among
them the late and great Elizabeth Aldrich, but there is a drastic
departure between the ancient and modern concepts of the lunation. A
spotcheck through periodicals on hand shows that less than half of the
featured "world forecasts" in the past ten years have actually been
based on the Aires Ingress chart. It would seem that the present
writer, an avid Siderealist, has more faith in the primary tool of
tropical Mundane Astrology than most Mundane representatives.

PARADE OF PROOF
What is probably the most basic tenet of Mundane Astrology, upheld
throughout history and echoed by every text, is a rule bluntly worded
this way in Manly Hall's Astrology Keywords: "A general calamity never
afflicts any people but that Saturn denotes it." The truth of this
precept is borne out so much more vividly by the sidereal ingress
charts than by methods heretofore advanced that there is hardly any
comparison. In the sidereal Mundane system the rule means just what it
says without need for mental figure skating to lace the proper network
of correspondence together. The succession of great calamities in
human history is a continuous dramatization of this rule. One has only
to cast the 1923 Capsolar chart for Tokyo, seeing Saturn on the
Midheaven, to appreciate the claim. On September 1, 1923, when
transiting Saturn moved to partile conjunction with the meridian, the
most famous earthquake of modern times took a toll of 143,000 lives in
Tokyo and its environs. Another outstanding example is the position of
Saturn on the 1914 Capsolar Ascendant of Avezzano, Italy. The Avezzano
earthquake with its death toll of 39,000 is an important case from the
technical point of view, since the temblor struck on the very last day
of the sidereal year (January 13, 1915), to corroborate what so much
other evidence indicates about the Capricorn ingresses.
The Capricorn chart, endless data proves to our astonishment, is the
master chart of the entire year for any locality, just as the Caplunar
is a master chart for the whole sidereal month. Why this should be so
we do not know, but the facts are incontestable and must be reported,
and acted upon without adulteration by preconceptions we might have
had. We are obligated to believe an impressive parade of proof that,
so far as mundane affairs are concerned, the Capricorn ingresses wield
the baton. It might be said, rather facetiously, that the discovery of
the true "mundane year" results in a kind of "lame duck amendment" for
astrology!
What is surely one of the most incredible coincidences in
astrological history is the situation involving the placements of
Saturn in the Capricorn charts for the Krakatau and Mont Pelee
catastrophes touched on in last month's article. At the very minute of
the Moon's entry into sidereal Capricorn in both cases, Saturn was
exactly on the western horizon of the volcanos to the exact minute of
arc. But the coincidence does not end there. The other half of the
story is the Sun's Capricorn ingress charts for the years in question.
Transiting Saturn, on the very dates of the eruptions, was on an
angular cusp in the Capsolar maps--on the Ascendant of Mont Pelee and
on the Midheaven of Krakatau! This is amazing only because such
wondrous astrological performance is not commonly met with in systems
previously used.

"ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE"
Yes, Saturn indeed denotes calamity, both the Solar and Lunar
ingresses for calamitous events of all kinds testifying to this truth.
Take the Moon's entry into Capricorn on November 19, 1917, 9:30 AM,
GMT, for an impressive example. At 63d 35' west longitude the
Midheaven was 20CAN41'. Saturn was 20CAN54'. The bitter cold on the
morning of December 6th in a port city called Halifax was terrible even
for Nova Scotia winters. Out in the Narrows, a waterway linking
Halifax Harbor and Bedford Basin, a freighter rammed into a munitions
laden vessel at approximately 8:30 AM, Atlantic Standard Time. Tanks
of benzine stowed on the main deck of the Mont Blanc caught fire. At
just 9:06 AM occurred one of the worst man-blamed disasters on record.
The gigantic explosion of the munitions ship killed a total of 1,266
people on shore, injured more than 6,000 and left 25,000 homeless in
frigid weather.
The Halifax disaster would have been worth citing had Saturn been a
full five or more degrees from the Caplunar Midheaven. But as you can
see the meridian conjunction was exact. There's more to the Halifax
story than this Moon ingress, for the Solar chart is also eloquent. On
the day of the disaster the transiting Moon was conjunct Mars in the
Capsolar midheaven, both square the transiting Sun, and the progressed
Capsolar is one of the many examples of the way in which the quotidian
rate of progression accurately dates the fulfillment of a radical
indication. At the Capricorn ingress, Mars at 10CAP10' opposed Neptune
at 10CAN11'. On December 6th, almost eleven months later, progression
brought this opposition to alignment with the meridian of Halifax
itself. With the Caplunar so perilous at the same time, "all hell
broke loose."
The Sun's entry into any of the four cardinal constellations
produces a radical chart, but it appears that only the Capsolar wheel
can be progressed. The reader will recall the rough rule we framed in
last month's article to the effect that there seems to be a 4-l-2-1
ratio in the relative strengths of the four cardinal points, Capricorn
being twice as potent as Cancer and Cancer having twice the impact of
Aries and Libra. Moreover, we are certain that each chart is
influential for the full cycle it inaugurates. This need not be viewed
as a complication so far as the art of delineation is concerned, for we
have reason to believe that for general purposes the work involved in
religiously casting all possible charts in a sequence is often more
bother than it is worth. Having all the minor charts available for
detailed reference is, or course, desirable in every instance, and far
be it from us to encourage slothfulness in study habits. (The most
popular coordinates with many of astrology's fans are "lassitude and
loungetude"!)
The Capricorn charts stand out head and shoulders over all the
others. For example, the horrible Ohio prison fire of 1930 as very
clearly depicted in every ingress chart applying to the data and
locality, but the Capsolar chart does it so spectacularly, and dates
the tragedy so exactly, the other maps seem to be but verification of
the pattern. Experiment has shown this to be the usual state of
affairs so that the degree of importance a student can attach to the
individual links in a "chain of charts" is a matter of scholarship and
thoroughness of approach. The angular cusps of the Sun's Cancer
Ingress appear to be almost as sensitive to transits as the angles of
the Capsolar chart, particularly where natural disasters, earthquakes,
tidal waves, tornadoes and the like, are concerned. But only the
Capricorn charts are "progressable," or at least that is what we have
concluded thus far in our study. Any chart that is radical remains
sensitive to transiting influences until its cycle elapses.
Overshadowing and overwhelming all the "static radicals," however, is
the Capricorn ingress with its ceaseless dynamics.

Every horoscope contains twelve responsible points in addition to
the house cusps--ten planets and those points on the ecliptic which are
just ninety degrees from the Midheaven and Ascendant, the latter being
called the Nonagesimal. In the lunar ingresses for disastrous fires,
by way of example, if Mars is not in the immediate foreground, chances
are you'll find it exactly conjunct or opposite the Nonagesimal where
it is square both the Ascendant and Descendant. For events of colossal
consequence like seismic upheavals, Saturn is apt to be exactly square
the meridian if it is not conjunct an angular cusp itself. This is
illustrated perfectly by the 1900 Capsolar for Galveston, Texas--the
year and site for the greatest single disaster ever to strike the
United States. The hurricane whipped tidal wave that swept over
Galveston the evening of September 8th, reaching its peak of fury at
about 7:45 PM CST took more than 6,000 lives and seriously injured
twice that number. The Cancer ingress is vivid enough, alone
considered, showing Neptune exactly on Galveston's Ascendant in close
opposition to setting Saturn, both in mundo square to the Moon in
Aquarius ("the Deluge") at the Midheaven. The Moon in "the
constellation of the waves" was closely square Pluto, which is
interesting because Pluto signifies superlatives and unprecedented
quantities. It is the symbolically perfect Saturn-Neptune opposition
that rivets our curiosity most since nothing in astrology could better
describe the vengeance of Poseidon! The Capricorn ingress occurred
January 13, 1900, 10:44 pm GMT, with 23:56:40 as the sidereal time in
Galveston. The following tells its own story:
Galveston Midheaven 5PIS45
Transiting Saturn 5SAG07
Transiting Neptune 5GEM46

UNISON OF FORCES
The actual date of an event is predetermined by the progression of
the Capsolar chart via the quotidian rate, to be defined and discussed
shortly. Outstanding events are mirrored in several ways, however, and
it is often a question as to what particular configuration in a chorus
of possibilities actually screamed the loudest. Take the famous
unsolved mystery of the Wall Street bomb of September 16, 1920, as a
case in point. Again every chart concerned is pregnant with
significance and could be offered as the cause of the episode. New
York was suffering an adverse Capsolar as it was, what with Saturn
conjunct its Ascendant. When the Moon entered Capricorn prior to the
event, Mars was in the exact degree on the Descendant of Manhattan.
Just one minute past noon on September 16th, with Mars having moved up
to the meridian of the Capsolar, squaring Saturn in the Ascendant, 39
persons died and 400 were maimed or injured in a blast that rocked the
financial district. The deaths and damage resulted from flying clouds
of shrapnel for the murderer had covered his wagon load of dynamite
with 500 pounds of broken sash weights. Every chart pertinent to this
events glitters with appropriate indications of the detonation and it
would have been theoretically possible to have predicted a crisis of
malefic influences for the New York area by any of a number of ways.
Most events are precipitated by a similar unison of forces. Once in
a while, however, you'll find what apparently is an astrological lone
wolf--a single, acutely powerful circumstance synchronizing with a
particular happening. A good example of "lonewolfery" of this type is
the way in which Mars, quite free of qualifying or reinforcing aspects,
will transit an angular cusp for a locality and give every fireman in
town a good workout. It takes more than this to provoke an event of
the first magnitude, however. Transiting Mars was conjunct the
Capsolar Descendant of Boston the night of November 28, 1942, which is
enough to worry any fire department. But the Capsolar chart itself
shows Saturn right on Boston's Ascendant for the year, so the transit
of Mars to the horizon also became a brutal opposition to the ingress
Saturn. The holocaust at the Coconut Grove night club, starting about
9:30 pm, killed 491 patrons in all. At this hour, incidentally,
transiting Venus and Saturn were only 0 degrees 10' from exact
opposition in Boston's foreground ("misfortune for merrymakers"), as
though to echo the warning of the ingress itself which showed rising
Saturn only 0d35' from a square to Venus in 27CAP12'. The degree is
mentioned because it is the precise "throne of Mars" in classical
astrology! At the hour of the fire the Moon was conjoining Boston's
5th house cusp while forming a zodiacal T-square with transiting Mars
and ingress Saturn.
Let's get right on to the most fascinating feature of all, the
progression of the Capricorn ingress. The method is so simple that
even those students who bemoan their lack of a knack for mathematics
can handle the simple addition and subtraction involved with no trouble
at all. The rate of progression, which changes the cusps of a chart by
about a degree per day during the year, is what Fagan dubbed the "Q2"
to distinguish it from "Q1" which is identical with what is widely
called the birth diurnal system. The letter Q is simply the
abbreviation for quotidian, a word that means "daily." The Q2 is
merely the birth diurnal rate of "turning the wheel" with a slight
adjustment of ten seconds of time per hour of change in the right
ascension of the mean Sun. The gimmick is more difficult to define in
words than to sue in actual practice. The right ascension of the mean
Sun is nothing more nor less than the sidereal time given in the
ephemeris which, as you know,, increases by 3 minutes and 57 seconds
every day. On casting a chart of any kind, always make a special note
of the position of the R.A.M.S., thinking of it as a celestial body
that moves ahead at the steady rate of 0:03:57 per day. For every hour
of time shown by a clock, the R.A.M.S. moves ahead about 10 seconds.
Well, the sidereal time of the progressed Capsolar chart for any
date and hour of the year is found by adding to the sidereal time of
the year's chart the difference between the transiting R.A.M.S. and the
radical R.A.M.S. at the time of the ingress, and then adding a little
correction of 10 seconds for each hour of this difference. The more
fastidious student, of course, wishes to use the more exact value of
9.856 seconds per hour, for the fact that the correction is not
precisely 10.000 seconds means a tiny accumulated error of 3 full
seconds at the end of the year, not enough to fuss about but enough to
irk a scientific critic!

BOMBAY'S "DAY TO REMEMBER"
The Bombay disaster of April 14, 1944, equaled if not rivaled the
tragic devastation of the better-known Halifax explosion. Even in time
of international peace, Bombay's waterfront is the hub of busy merchant
marine traffic and trade. With the advent of war its harbor bristled
with maritime and military activity. Because of its strategic position
and excellent harbor facilities, Bombay became the pivot for Allied
shipping and naval operations in the East. The fateful afternoon of
April 14th was hotter and more sultry than usual even for the humid
atmosphere that is peculiarly oppressive the year around in this
seaport metropolis of the oriental tropics. Bombay is the principal
navigational center of western India, a city of over one million
people congested into the 33 square miles of Bombay Island which rises
from the water just off the shore of Konkan.
Twenty-one cargo, munitions and naval vessels were berthed along its
docks in a comparatively small area not exceeding a half mile in
length. Many of these ships were engaged in the loading and unloading
of explosives and fuel, cotton and other supplies essential to warfare.
Fire broke out, cause unknown, in a hold stored with bales of Karachi
cotton on board a British explosives laden vessel. The huge ship was
moored alongside a pier in approximately the middle of the area
occupied by the other ships. The exact time that the fire started
remains undecided but records show that the Bombay fire department
received the first alarm at 2:18 pm. A fire-fighting brigade was
dispatched to the pier where firemen, sailors and longshoremen battled
the blaze for almost two hours.
Suddenly, a four minutes past four o'clock a cataclysmic explosion
occurred which devastated the entire area, causing untold destruction
and unnumbered deaths. Fires broke out in nearby warehouses and dock
sheds already wrecked by concussion. Rallying to the emergency, the
Bombay police, volunteering civilians and authorized militia rushed to
the harbor basin to aid in evacuating the wounded survivors and to
curtail the rampant fires which were fast reaching conflagration
proportions. The city populace became panic-stricken when the fearsome
detonation rocked downtown buildings, shattered windows and scattered
fires in the residential and business districts.
But Bombay's more appalling tragedy was yet to come. Hundreds of
more self-composed individuals thronged into the danger vicinity--the
inevitable flock of curious spectators. Some thirty minutes after the
first rending explosion, the second occurred with such fury and
intensity as to dwarf the initial blast. The entire waterfront was
reduced to a holocaust of blazing shambles. Vessels proximate to the
exploding one were actually lifted from the water and crashed against
each other and the docks. A pier railway train was blown into
splintering warehouses. In the two explosions of the Bombay disaster,
an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 persons lost their lives and the injury
casualties mounted, to become countless. Property damages have been
estimated to exceed 1 billion dollars and perhaps reach the billion and
a half mark. Fires continued to rage uncontrolled for as long as seven
days after the catastrophe.

[Jim Eshelman]

(continued)

ABOMINABLE CHARTS

FIGURE 1. PROGRESSED CAPSOLAR BOMBAY, INDIA, APRIL 14, 1944, 4:04 PM
IST: Inner circle = CAP Ingress planets: Mars 11TAU04, Uranus
11TAU13rx, Saturn 26TAU54rx, Pluto 13CAN57rx, Jupiter 1LEO27rx, Moon
22LEO17, Neptune 10VIR17rx, Venus 24SCO27, Mercury 16SAG24, Sun 0CAP00.
[NEP IC and MER DES on progressed angles] Outer circle = planets at
time of first explosion: MC 6PIS24; ASC 14GEM07; Venus 10PIS55, Sun
0ARI25, Mercury 19ARI36, Uranus 12TAU28, Saturn 28TAU18, Mars 14GEM52,
Pluto 12CAN27rx, Jupiter 23CAN05, Neptune 8VIR21rx, Moon 8SAG21. [VEN
MC, MARS ASC, NEP IC]

We think that Figure 1, which is the progressed Capsolar otherwise
known as the quotidian, for the Bombay disaster is self-explanatory.
The planets in the inner circle are positions at the moment of the
Capricorn ingress and the outer circle shows the planets as of the
minute of the first big explosion. The first blast took place at the
very minute the Moon and Neptune were completing their zodiacal square
in the sky, which is interesting since the square falls in the
immediate foreground of the Quotidian for Bombay. The student can find
the "static radical" cusps of the ingress chart itself, the latitude
being 18d 57' North and the Sidereal Time, 18:04:36. He'll find that
transits to the Capsolar cusps themselves are enough to "account for"
the disaster. The Quotidian also dated it exactly, as witness the
astounding placement of transiting Mars in the very degree on Bombay's
Ascendant!

FIGURE 2. PROGRESSED CAPSOLAR. COLUMBUS, OHIO, APRIL 21, 1930, 5:20 PM
EST. MC4PIS04; ASC 23GEM01; Inner circle = Capsolar Planets: Uranus
14PIS03, Jupiter 13TAU04rx, Pluto 24GEM40rx, Moon 28GEM54, Neptune
9LEO25rx, Saturn 11SAG33, Mars 18SAG30, Venus 24SAG28, Sun 0CAP00,
Mercury 14CAP17rx. [PLU ASC, VEN DSC, Mars DSC loose]. Outer circle =
planets for Ohio Penitentiary Fire: Mars 4PIS05, Uranus 18PIS43, Sun
7ARI18, Venus 25ARI43, Mercury 26ARI16, Jupiter 21TAU45, Pluto
23GEM46rx, Neptune 7LEO09rx, Saturn 18SAG07, Moon 18CAP18. [MARS MC,
PLU ASC, SAT DSC loose,]

Consider now Figure 2 which is as abominable a chart as could be
imagined. It is the quotidian for 5:20 pm EST, April 21, 1930, for
Columbus, Ohio, the hour of the shocking Ohio Penitentiary fire which
burned 320 trapped men to death. Again the chart needs no commentary
to persuade the reader that the discovery of the sidereal ingresses is
a milestone in astrology's advancement.

FIGURE 3. PROGRESSED CAPSOLAR. NEW LONDON, TEXAS, MARCH 18, 1937,
3:05 PM CST: MC 6SCO54; ASC 21CAP49; Inner circle = Capsolar planets:
Jupiter 15SAG58, Sun 0CAP00, Mercury 1CAP11rx, Moon 21CAP00, Venus
15AQU34, Saturn 24AQU34, Uranus 11ARI45, Pluto 3CAN52rx, Neptune
24LEO57rx, Mars 10LIB43. [MOON ASC, NEP DSC] Outer circle = planets
for New London School disaster: Mars 7SCO48, Jupiter 28SAG38, Mercury
27AQU52, Saturn 1PIS41, Sun 4PIS00, Venus 10ARI28, Uranus 3ARI25, Moon
26TAU05, Pluto 2CAN44rx, Neptune 23LEO26rx. [MARS MC, NEP DSC]

Look at Figure 3 and see the same culmination of transiting Mars in
the Quotidian of another place at the moment of another historic
tragedy. The place: New London, Texas. The time: 3:05 pm CST, March
18, 1937. The New London School disaster is still too gruesome a
national memory to need description. This quotidian is bad enough but
digest this fact: The Capsolar itself for New London had a sidereal
time of 11:43:42--placing 1VIR41' on the Midheaven. At the time of the
disaster, transiting Saturn was 1PIS41', exactly on New London's
Midheaven while Mars in the quotidian was hovering overhead.
So far all our charts have been given in zodiacal terms for
convenience, whereas it is a known fact, to us a least, that to be
strictly scientific, all charts should be calculated in their
mundoscope frames of reference if the true geometric relationships of
the planets to a particular place on the Earth's surface are to be
appreciated. The adoption of mundoscopy does not saddle astrology with
as many complications as one might think at first for its advantages
far outweigh the little extra work that is called for. when planets
have more than a couple of degrees of latitude away from the ecliptic,
the purely zodiacal version of a chart cannot take account of the
departures. We'll go further into this matter if readers and students
generally want more light and "do it yourself" instructions.

Meanwhile, to prove how simple and startlingly clear a mundoscope
can be, our fourth illustration is the quotidian for the time of the
great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. In a mundoscope the house are
each exactly thirty degrees in breadth. In view of the fact that the
Capsolar progress about a degree every day, we know you'll agree that
Figure 4 is breathtaking for its lucidity and the way it timed the
disturbances exactly. Even the ensuing Great Fire which gutted the
whole of downtown San Francisco is unmistakably represented.


FIGURE 4. MUNDOSCOPE PROGRESSED CAPSOLAR, SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 18,
1906, 5:13 AM PST: (MUNDOSCOPE of 30 degrees each house: MC 0
degrees, ASC 90 degrees, IC 180 degrees, DSC 270 degrees.) Inner
circle = Capsolar planets. 0-30: Mercury 23d24'; 30-60: Uranus 0d30',
Venus 16d46', Sun 25d29'; 60-90: Saturn 24d58'; 90-120: Mars 1d00';
120-150: Jupiter 20d12'; 180-210: Pluto 2d22'; 210-240: Neptune 4d23';
240-270: Moon 29d58'. [MARS ASC, PLU IC, MOON DSC] Outer circle =
progressed planets. 30-60: Uranus 5d11'; 60-90: Moon 24d11'; 90-120:
Saturn 0d38', Mercury 12d43', Sun 23d25'; 120-150: Venus 5d37', Mars
14d55'; 150-180: Jupiter 4d58'; 180-210: Pluto 1d40'; 210-240: Neptune
3d12'. [SAT ASC, PLU IC]



Section 3: July 1957, Garth Allen, UNVEILING A NEW TOOL
...Entering A New Era in Mundane Forecasting...

The discovery that the Sidereal ingresses do work has raised the
curtain on vast new vistas for astrological exploration. For one
thing, the development of a method for the prediction of earthquakes
now looms as a distinct possibility. What limited charting of past
earthquakes we have done so far has been so impressive that we hope
there are many students who will apply their talents to this special
field of inquiry so that a list of "certainties" might ultimately be
drawn up and form the basis for what could be called astro-seismology.
By certainties we mean the drawing of precepts concerning factors which
have been found to repeat so often in the chart work of past earthquake
activity that the repetition can hardly be written off as coincidence.
Already, this soon after the pivotal discovery of the legitimacy of
Sidereal Ingresses, such precepts have come to light. The reader will
recall the fourth illustration in last month's article, a quotidian
mundoscope for the moment of the great San Francisco upheaval of 1906,
how that transiting Saturn was within a degree of the horizon. There
were numerous other eye-catching features of equal importance in this
chart, of course, but our concern of the moment is to test this
singular circumstance--transiting Saturn conjunct a quotidian angle--to
see if it was a chance occurrence. If it was pure coincidence, it will
not be in evidence often enough in the charts of other major
earthquakes to have countered the rules of probability.

CHAMPION EARTHQUAKES
The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey recently released to the press a
brief list of what scientists consider to have been the greatest
earthquakes in history, fifteen of which have taken place in the last
hundred years. These were only the whoppers, the world champion
shakeups of all time. One on the list was the Krakatau catastrophe,
which we have already discussed, so let us drop it from our array.
Four others on the list were not geographically identified other than
as to continent, so it is not possible to chart them for the time
being. This leaves us a test sample of ten dates and places, including
the famous San Francisco temblor.

FIGURE 1. COMPOSITE CHART FOR THREE GREAT EARTHQUAKES SHOWING
PROXIMITY OF SATURN TO QUOTIDIAN ANGLES OF THE LOCALITIES ON FATEFUL
DATES. MC 28VIR37 - Saturn 28VIR45; ASC 13PIS05 - Saturn 11PIS24;
DSC 23ARI30 - Saturn 24ARI25. (In tropical longitudes)

For the convenience of the average reader not yet able to handle
sidereal calculations with ease, we are retaining the zodiacal
positions shown in Figure 1 in tropical longitude. This chart is a
composite one, its Ascendant being that for the San Francisco quotidian
shown last month in mundoscope form. Here, incidentally is sterling
proof of the value of expressing points in any chart as positions along
the prime vertical. Compare the mundoscope position in last month's
chart with the equivalent ecliptic position used here--Saturn is 1d41
above Ascendant by longitude, but is 0d38' under the Ascendant by
mundane calculations. Also note this clincher: Saturn was applying to
a conjunction of ingress Mars on the Ascendant by only 0d22' when the
quake set off the fire that burned most to the city to the ground. By
contrast, the zodiacal difference between the malefics was 2d18'.
Quite as impressive is the quotidian Descendant for the date and
epicenter of the terrible Erzingan, Turkey Earthquake of December 27,
1939, with its official death toll of 23,000 although news chronologies
continue to carry the figure 50,000. The tropical longitude of the
Descendant and Saturn are indicated in our composite chart. Compare
the fact that the ecliptic distance of Saturn from the cusp is 0d55'
with the fact that calculation places the actual mundane position of
the planet at 270d 02' from the upper meridian, or just 0d02' above the
horizon at Erzingan! It is obvious that one of the greatest single
improvements in astrological methods will be remedying distortions
caused by latitude of positions in horoscopy. To depict a chart in
easy-to-read mundoscope terms is the solution.
The third facet of our composite chart, its Midheaven, is the
quotidian circumstance of the earthquake that enveloped Manila on June
3, 1868. Some 10,000 persons perished in this calamity, familiar to
many students as one of the late L. Edward Johndro's prize
illustrations in THE EARTH AND THE HEAVENS. Incidentally, Johndro was
truly one of Sidereal Astrology's Johnny Appleseeds; were he still with
us in the flesh there is no question but that he would be an
enthusiastic front-runner in behalf of the Sidereal school. Again we
see transiting Saturn precariously close to an angle of the quotidian
chart for the locality on the exact date of an historic catastrophe.
Surely, such repetition of the same malevolent feature cannot be
dismissed as coincidence by the skeptic. Had our test sample been many
times bigger than it is, the three recurrences would still represent a
serious enough violation of the law of averages to dispel any doubt as
to the validity of our method.
Naturally, in astrology a single factor is never sufficient by
itself to spark a major event--hence the need for continuous research,
for continuous sorting, sifting, weighing and testing of all possible
factors until the "certainties" come to light as codified precepts. In
the study of earthquakes, the role of SATURN is unquestionable, a
certainty of the first order. URANUS and PLUTO also appear to pull
rank on the other planets where seismic disturbances are concerned, and
we have many Lunar ingress charts for earthquakes showing Mars on the
angle. The part played by Mars is probably more scenic than germane
but we cannot be sure until research isolates its chief duties in this
regard. Mars symbolizes fire, fright and pain, or in one word from the
purely humanized point of view, adrenalin. Those of you who have
experienced a sizeable earthquake will appreciate our choice of
adrenalin as Mars most effective keyword.
The newspaper played up an anecdotal item in the reporting of the
April 13, 1949 tremor that jiggled the Northwest, rather strongly
exciting the Seattle area at 11:56 AM PST. Seems as how a college
professor had just finished explaining to his class why the area was
virtually immune to an earthquake of consequence when the shaking
started. The Northwest quake was no "great shakes" as historic
earthquakes go, but did enough minor damage over a wide swath to rank
as the years's best in the west. Astrologically it was a Uranian
affair through and through, for Uranus was exactly on the Descendant of
the Caplunar chart for the period, exactly on the Ascendant of the
Cansolar chart for the year, exactly square the Midheaven of the
Capsolar chart for the year, and was exactly on the Nadir of the
quotidian for the day of the event itself--in short, an astonishing a
display of Uranian contacts as one could ever run across. Just the
same, Saturn was really the ring-master of the Uranian circus,
transiting at the Nadir for the preceding Cancer Ingress.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Here we see a situation that would ordinarily be noticed, remarked
about, and then let pass were it not for the fact that a similar setup
is known to have prevailed where other West Coast earthquakes were
concerned. In fact, Southern California's two worst earthquakes of
modern times--the Long Beach one of 1933 and Tehachapi's 1952
nightmare--synchronized with identical performances by Saturn and
Uranus. All the contacts involved were within a degree of exact phase.
At long Beach on March 10, 1933 at 5:15 PM PST, Saturn had been
transiting the Descendant of the Cansolar chart of the period. The
quake struck when the quotidian Nadir had moved around to a conjunction
with transiting Uranus, the epicenter being offshore at Newport Beach.
The epicenter of the Tehachapi disturbance was ten miles south of that
stricken town. The quake occurred at 3:52 AM PST on July 21, 1952,
with Saturn transiting the Capricorn Ingress Ascendant and Uranus
conjunct the Nadir of the quotidian chart! Notice the repetition of
pattern: Saturn crossing the horizon of a Sidereal Solar Ingress map
and Uranus crossing the meridian of the quotidian map in each instance.
We have not as yet undertaken an exhaustive study of earthquakes in
the light of mundane Astrology's newly unveiled tool, but hope that by
citing the foregoing examples we have whetted the interest of many
students in this subject. Perhaps we have already unearthed a few
preliminary rules, among them those just indicated and such guesses as
the Uranus in the foreground of Lunar ingress is a condition of
earthquakes that might hold up under statistical analysis. That we are
on the right track was just corroborated by the recent San Francisco
quiverings, the scariest of which rocked the Bay area at about 11:45 AM
PST, March 22, 1957. Four days earlier a considerable jolt caused
scattered damage in Ventura and Oxnard down the coast, and San Diegans
reported minor shocks this same week. Uranus as usual was in the
immediate foreground of California's Caplunar, with Mars in the exact
degree of San Francisco's Ascendant where it guaranteed an
overproduction of adrenalin in the population. The immediate Lunar
ingress, however, spelled it out in the unmistakable language of
astrology at its simplest; Saturn was exactly conjunct the Nadir of the
great San Andreas fault. And what is more, the quotidian for the San
Francisco area that day had Pluto on an angle 'in mundo,' repeating a
feature in the quotidian of the 1906 shock!

MARS, A REAL SCORCHER
The transit of Mars in the immediate foreground of the Capsolar
quotidian is undoubtedly one of the chief indicators of disasters,
particularly of the fiery and explosive type. The record of past
performance by this one configuration is so amazing that henceforth
mundane forecasts published for advance periods will hardly be complete
without a description of the geographic areas to be affected by such
influences. Our first three illustrations in last month's article, you
will remember, were the quotidians for three of the worst public
tragedies in modern history, viz., the Bombay waterfront holocaust of
1944, the Ohio prison fire of 1930, and the Texas school disaster of
1937. Because the closeness of Mars to an angular point in each of
these cases, the three examples alone would be justification for
listing the circumstance as another astrological certainty.
Comparative rarity of this circumstance--transiting Mars conjunct a
quotidian angular cusp--makes its high incidence in disaster statistics
even more provocative. The quotidian chart for any given locality
makes one full revolution in the course of a sidereal year, which means
that all radical planets at the time of the ingress are carried over
all four of the angular cusps in the subsequent twelve months. Every
such passage has recognizable mundane effects, but it takes a compact
of several more unique factors to actually bring about a momentous
event. Transiting Mars, however, sweeps our roughly half of the zodiac
in a year's time, which slows considerably its average rate of motion
relative to the moving quotidian cusps.
Subsequently, for most localities, Mars can make only two contacts
with the angular cusps in a year's time. In some regions, it is
possible to have three actual contacts with the angles before the
sidereal year expires. When Mars is within orb of such cuspal
conjunctions, the general area is dangerously exposed to the likelihood
of serious fires and appalling public tragedies. The closer the
contact, the greater the danger. And if malefics hound the angles of
the current Lunar ingress figures, or the quotidian transit is
reinforced by a similar adverse pattern in the static framework of the
Solar ingresses, the possibility of a conflagration of some sort
becomes a virtual inevitability.

FIGURE 2. COMPOSITE CHART FOR FOUR GREAT FIRE DISASTERS SHOWING
PROXIMITY OF MARS TO QUOTIDIAN ANGLES OF THE LOCALITIES ON FATEFUL
DATES. MC 21SAG17 - Mars 22SAG59; ASC 23VIR44 - Mars 23VIR30; IC
5SCO35 - Mars 5SCO35; DSC 9AQU17 - Mars 8AQU40. (Tropical longitudes.)

Bearing in mind the examples already used so far in this series,
inspect Figure 2 which is another combination wheel showing transiting
Mars conjunct the respective angles of the quotidians for famous fires
and fiery blasts of the past. Again for the convenience of most
readers, and those newer students who want to retrace our examples via
the standard material at their disposal, the longitudes given in the
chart are Tropical. The Ascendant of this chart is for the
geographical latitude description in the World Almanac news chronology:
"Nearly every home and building in South Amboy was wrecked or damaged
May 19, 1950 when 4 barges loaded with 467 tons of ammunition blew up
at the Pennsylvania Railroad docks, showering the town with thousands
of antipersonnel bombs. Thirty persons were killed; 350 injured; only
4 bodies were recovered....Gov. Driscoll declared martial law and 500
Army troops from Fort Monmouth evacuated most of the residents....Two
days later, fire in a chemical planet 100 yards away set off 100 drums
of phosphorus which again rocked the blast area and detonated 100 mines
floating in Raritan Bay." This is about as Martian an experience as a
town of 9,000 citizens could conceivably undergo! And Mars was right
in there to the hilt!
The Nadir of Figure 2 is that for Cleveland, Ohio on October 21,
1944, when a series of liquid gas tank explosions killed at least 135
persons, the exact number having never been ascertained because the
incineration was so complete. Wartime 1944 in the United States was a
year of tragic accidents and dreadful fires, the Sidereal ingresses for
the dates and sites, strewn from Port Chicago, California to a circus
ground in Hartford, Connecticut, calling the lethal turns accurately in
every case.
Though not the worst in American history, the flash fire in the
Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York on March 25, 1911 is
surely one of the most notorious. Out of the public and official
indignation that waxed so hotly after expose of the conditions under
which this fire was possible, grew many of our most far-reaching labor
reform laws. No less than 145 employees, most of them women met their
deaths in this inferno, a needless mass sacrifice often said to be
commemorated by the modern union label. The astrology of the disaster
is clear-cut; a major contributing cause was the transit of Mars over
the Quotidian horizon of Manhattan.
The Midheaven of our illustration shows the proximity of Mars tot he
Quotidian meridian of Atlanta, Georgia the night of December 7, 1946
when the most disastrous hotel fire in our country's history engulfed
the 15-story Winecoff Hotel, killing 121 guests trapped on upper
floors. It is difficult to comprehend the horror of this event even
after seeing newsfilm clips of people choosing to leap to their deaths
rather than roast alive. In the 1946 Capsolar chart Mars and Saturn
were closely conjunct and opposed to the Sun in Atlanta's immediate
foreground. It took the Quotidian to focus the incendiary rays of Mars
on the area, aided and abetted by an obviously fire-prone Lunar
ingress.

SOCIO-POLITICAL EFFECTS
Our three-part progress report so far has only briefly or indirectly
touched on the vital matter of socio-political effects of the Sidereal
ingresses, and readers are no doubt wondering if our new mundane tool
enables us to predetermine trends and eventualities of this nature
with the same accuracy it has in connection with disasters and
geophysical affairs. In plainer words, do they pre-shadow wars,
revolutions, deaths of public leaders, economic crises and the like?
The answer is an unqualified, resounding Yes, but woe to the writer who
bursts into print with confidential worded "rules" based on scattered
examples of isolated cases which seem to ring true, only to fall down
when given the statistical treatment. Astrological literature is
already riddled with endless notions originating in inspired
imaginations rather than verifiable reality, a cute example being
"Aquarius rules stairways" based on the resemblance of that sign's
symbol, when tilted, to flights of steps! Now, Aquarius might very
definitely rule stairways, just as Cancer might very well rule crab
apples, but if astrology is to deserve the title of science, let us
have sounder reasons than magical associations for the ideas we put
forth.

In months to come we plan to give our readers complete reports on
the ingress statistics pertaining to such subjects as outbreaks of war,
assassinations, changes of administration and governmental coups, and
financial panics. Also in the immediate future if the demand for such
labor-saving study material is great enough to warrant the project, we
will publish a complete volume of the elements of all the Solar and
Lunar ingresses of the four cardinal constellations over at least a
sixty-year period. Already available to students is a complete
ephemeris of the synetic vernal point, calculated to tenths of seconds
of arc for every ten-day interval between 1881 and 1960, with tables
showing how to reckon the exact time of any date from 1760 to 2000 A.D.
This ephemeris enables one to find the exact time of any of the Solar
or Lunar ingresses with the same ease by which the Tropical ingresses
are calculable.
One of the outstanding merits of the Sidereal approach is the way in
which the traditional concepts of astrology--via basic planetary
concepts in astrology--via basic planetary symbolism on which there is
universal agreement among the several schools of though--are
demonstrated to be true. The simplicity of the demonstration is the
thing to marvel at; meetings of heads of state, as with Eisenhower and
Macmillan at Bermuda, for a recent example, occur when the ingresses
show Jupiter right on an angular cusp at the conference place. An
airplane crashes headlong into a skyscraper: Mercury is rising in
square to Mars. A dam burst and flood waters wash a town and its
people into oblivion when a quadruple conjunction of the Sun, Neptune,
Pluto and Mars crowds the Nadir of the ill-fated valley.
The Sun is extremely emblematic of authority and political
figureheads. So it is no surprise that Sun-Saturn angular formations
in the ingresses, often supported by an ominous Neptune, are
characteristic of charts spanning periods marked by the deaths of
national leaders. It is startling to observe how effectively the
planet Mars becomes intertwined in the pattern in cases of
assassinations as contrasted with natural demise. Siderealists have
been criticized occasionally for evincing so much enthusiasm in behalf
of their findings and methods. This enthusiasm, admittedly, is
difficult to restrain in view of such astonishing Sidereal charts as
those covering the deaths of American Presidents and European
sovereigns in the past. As student of astrology can't help being
enthusiastic about an astrological concept which has no trouble
regularly throwing Sun-Saturn formations into the immediate foreground
of places where and when the deaths of Presidents and Kings occur!

PERSONAL OVERTONES!
The corollary to be drawn up from all the evidence is: planetary
influences for given times and localities are mainly regulated by and
filtered through the foreground of the celestial sphere as defined by
the Solar and Lunar ingresses of the [classical] cardinal
constellations of the zodiac. But to what degree this means a
qualifying factor on transiting influences where the individual
horoscope is concerned remains to be seen. There is no doubt in my
mind, after inspection of the charts applying to deaths of national
figureheads, coronations and public festivities, and so on, that the
charts of the individuals in question were very definitely affected.
For instance, Presidents of nations do not get murdered unless their
personal horoscopes, mainly via their Solunars, reflect it; astrology
itself would be a farce were this no so. And yet the Sidereal
ingresses also show this eventuality, often with an explicitness of
planetary symbolism that could hardly be improved upon theoretically.
Therefore, we are forced to conclude that the mundane atmosphere, has a
literal modifying effect on private, or rather, personal lives. This
is what mundane Astrology has long maintained by inference and
innuendo. Public figures are a special breed, true, but they survive
horrible patterns in their personal charts with nothing more drastic
happening than catching a cold, just as they pass through remarkably
fortunate periods with little more glory in than a new suit--just as we
all do. Perhaps the mundane framework at the time is a prohibitive,
limiting element in people's lives, whether they are listed in the
social register or not.
A good way to test this would be to scrutinize the mundane backdrop
of our personal horoscopic disappointments, a subject not often brought
up openly. We've all experienced disappointment when some suspicious
configuration in our charts failed to measure up to what we had looked
forward to, treating us to a bottle of pop when the very least we had
expected was a case of champagne. Then there are times when a
seemingly trivial transit will go hogwild in heaping blessings on us,
far out of proportion to what we could have anticipated in our most
optimistic moments. Perhaps the secret of these strange, sporadic
modifications and amplifications lies in the proximity of the
transiting bodies concerned to the place one happens to be at the time.
Maybe the reason Jupiter failed to work for you as fully as expected
was that he was hampered from doing so, restrained from "vibrating at
full blast," by being cadent (or doubly cadent, or triply cadent, as
the case may be from the charts in current operation) for your locality
during the partile phase of his transit. Or maybe that minor aspect of
Venus behaved so beautifully in your behalf because Venus was able, at
the time, via her mundane proximity to you, to turn on all her charms,
thus magnifying an otherwise second-rate transit.
This is just dreamy theorizing, of course, a form of thinking out
loud on the writer's part, but the possibility should be explored. The
idea began to jell when the writer chanced to notice that the degree
holding his natal Jupiter was on the quotidian Midheaven of his
hometown on the day many years ago which he still considers the
happiest day of his life. If this means anything....the tieup between
personal and purely impersonal mundane charts could go a long way
toward accounting for what skeptics think of as one of astrology's
weakest points--the advance evaluations of the strength of any
influence.
In winding this report up, the thought also occurs that a most
effective means of using the Sidereal charts as predictive instruments
for published mundane forecasts would be through simplified
geographical maps showing the zones on the Earth's surface where
planetary impulses are heavily concentrated during any given period.
For the ingresses themselves as radical epochs, the zones of such maps
would be "fixed" for the period in question. Special maps for
continental or national regions could easily be designed so that the
paths of moving bodies, particularly that of transiting Mars in
relation to the quotidian circles, can be represented on a time scale
given the dates when the planet passes over the horizons and meridians
of cities and places of particular interest like fault lines and
defense installations! This is just a suggestion; the vital thing
right now is to continue vigorous research, forming our concepts and
precepts from observation rather than from what just seems logical.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[RAINFALL 1 & 2] Crashing the Atmospheric Science Barrier! Vintage
Garth Allen reporting on his statistical studies in atmospheric science
- the Moon's domination of rainfall, plus Jupiter's angularity, which
findings defined the significance of angular planets (as opposed to
those midway between the cusps), and Jupiter's conjunction with the
galactic center during sidereal lunar ingresses. Allen exalts in
trouncing on establishment thinking, which like the poor is still with
us. As a quintessential Aquarian thinker (Moon ASC in AQU, URA sextile
his SUN, his work in this breakthrough statistical study certainly
opened the way for many followup books on the Moon's influence.
Students of symbolism will appreciate the synchronicity of the
inconstancy of the weather as literally dominated by our Moon and the
inconstancy of one's emotions, a primary association of the Moon in
interpretation. As well, under his name Donald Bradley, Profession and
Birth Date, A Statistical Analysis of Planetary Positions At the
Birthdates of 2492 Eminent Clergymen published in 1950, showed the
validity of the 12 constellation divisions of the zodiac.
The articles below summarize Allen's findings previous to his longer
articles in July & August 1968 in [RAINFALL2].
* * * * *



Garth Allen, "Your Powwow Corner," A. A. 9/57
JUPITER THE RAINMAKER, PLUVIUS RESTORED

...A thunderhead, bristling with lightning, has been Jupiter's
classical symbol from the very dawn of mythology. In fact, Jupiter's
full classical name is Jupiter Pluvius--Jupiter the Rainmaker.
The connection of the planet Jupiter with rain has been germane to
astrology for countless centuries until, and oddly, this last one.
Astrological literature of the past century shows a decided deemphasis
on the pluvial aspects of Jupiter's nature. Many standard sources
bypass this old tenet completely and others cite it mainly as a
sidelight in keeping with the growth motif which Jupiter represents.
This is in sharp contrast to the fact that it is somewhat rare to run
across references to Jupiter in earlier literature which fail to link
this planet with the phenomenon of rain. The great planet is
invariably said to be "warm and moist" in all texts, ancient and
modern, but the implications have changed considerably as time has
passed; even your present writer wrote off the "warm and moist" quality
as having real meaning only in the depth psychological sense. One
reason for the shift, quite naturally, has been Jupiter's latter-day
displacement as the regent of watery Pisces, and his confinement to
Sagittarius, a fiery sign in the modern elemental scheme (a scheme that
really doesn't hold water anyway).
The chief reason for our deliberate forgetfulness where a literal
acceptance of Jupiter's classical powers was concerned is truly to the
credit of modern astrologers. This reason was that there was no
reason, apparently, for continuing to repeat a precept which did not
seem to be justifying itself in actual practice. Jupiter the
Rainmaker? True in a symbolic sense, we said. True as a basic
expression of Jupiter's productiveness, his harvest of abundance and
symbolic showers of blessings. Otherwise, there was not astrological
procedure in use which actually produced facts and figures worth
displaying as examples of a literal application of the old rule.
The most authoritative text on astro-meteorology mentions Jupiter in
connection with fine growing weather and makes a passing remark about
summer showers, but generally discards any coupling of Jupiter with
heavy precipitation. Such a deemphasis is, as we said, to the credit
of modern mundane astrologers for it would have been "more wrong" for
them to have kept parroting an old saw for no observable reason other
than that it was a time-hallowed belief. They have been "more right"
because there has been no chart method in currency which gave evidence
in favor of the old belief. The tired old nineteenth-century mundane
textbook that is still used widely in delineating lunation charts, for
lack of anything else to quote from, has Jupiter in the 4th house
signifying generous rainfall, but that's about the limit to modern
recognition of his rainy disposition.
"Then came the dawn," the dawn of Mundane Astrology's new era,
inaugurated by the revelation of the validity of solar and lunar
ingresses in the sidereal zodiac. One of the many revolutionary
contributions which our new mathematical tool has made to the science
of astrology has been the full-panoplied restoration of Jupiter to his
cumulonimbus throne! The ancient belief in Jupiter's rainmaking
capacity, all but scratched as folklore in present-day astrology, has
suddenly re-emerged on the modern scene as scientific truth. Once
again it has become clear that the fundamentals of astrology were
formulated in early times, not through animistic, magical association
but through intelligent, evaluative observation.
It was visually automatic for students to try their hands at seeing
just what the sidereal ingresses might have to offer the subject of
astro-meteorology. Golden veins of great promise were exposed almost
everywhere the picks of serious students struck experimentally. The
sidereal zodiac was proving to be the true Mother Lode of astrology its
champions have been claiming, and many of its most hard-boiled but
sincere critics have openly expressed amazement at the excellence of
the assay samples yielded by just their trial diggings. And from
outside the fold of astrology itself has rung the most meaningful voice
of all--the conclusion by an accredited scientist at one of the
nation's famous research centers that "This can change everything!" in
the way of science's attitude toward astrology.

Most Vital Discovery
The most vital of all the astro-meteorological discoveries thus far
has been the performance of Jupiter in the LUNAR INGRESS charts for
localities at which the greatest rainstorms on official record have
taken place. While sifting past news chronologies for data about
events of various kinds, mostly disastrous in nature, for later
exhaustive statistical analysis, we chanced to note a seemingly minor
entry for June 3, 1950. The item read: "A 14.21 inch rainfall flooded
Galveston, Texas, inundating the business section."
For a change of pace and subject matter, we casually checked on the
immediate lunar ingress for Galveston, in this case the Moon's entry
into Libra. There was Jupiter on the Midheaven in close square to the
Sun. From previous chartings we had already decided that Neptune was
the primary "flood planet" and this situation was annoying. The mental
emergency created by this big fat Jupiterian configuration was soon
over, however, when we plotted the lunar ingresses for other torrential
downpours on record. The statistics as to the action of Sun-Jupiter
formations, by virtue of proximity to the angles of closeness to exact
aspect, have turned out to be one of the most astonishing arrays of
facts and figures yet realized in the course of astrological research.
But Jupiter, old Pluvius himself, can stand alone where this matter
of "heavy precipitation" is concerned. So one of the big projects
underway at present is the statistical treatment of Jupiter's mundane
placement in the Caplunar ingress charts covering the dates and places
of the greatest amounts of rainfall in 24 hour periods according to the
records of the U.S. Weather Bureau. The official records, up through
1950 and listing the monthly all time highs for each of the 7,335
standard observing stations scattered over the United States, were
published as a public service by our government. Twelve readings are
given for each station, one for each month of the year, with the amount
of precipitation, either as rain or snow equated to its rain equivalent
and the date it was recorded. This enable one to study the 12 historic
highs for any particular station of interest, such as one's own city,
and also eliminates the skewing effect on statistics of seasonal
variations.
The heaviest single downpour in 24 hours was logged as 7.31 inches
on August 11, 1928. A simple calculation of the Moon's Capricorn
ingress prior to this date proves that Jupiter was conjunct
Washington's Midheaven. What is even more impressive is the oddity
that two of the historic monthly highs, records for the months of April
and May, which still hold, were chalked up from two separate storms
occurring within the same sidereal month and thereby falling under the
same Caplunar chart! These two extremes were recorded on April 25,
1889 and on May 7, 1889 and have not been equaled or bettered in all
the decades since. This Moon entered Capricorn at 9:41 A.M., GMT on
April 21, 1889 when the sidereal time at Washington was 6:33:23. Check
on this and you'll find that the tropical M.C. at the nation's capitol
was 7d 40' Cancer--with Jupiter at 8d 15' Capricorn! Amazing, you say?
When you busy yourself with the sidereal zodiac, amazement becomes so
common a reaction one soon gets used to it.
Even before we obtained the complete official records, we had
computed the mundane positions of Jupiter at the moments of the
Caplunars geared to New York City for the dates of Manhattan's heaviest
downfalls in history. The figure reproduced here shows the actual
positions of Jupiter as refereed to New York's prime vertical in the
twelve ingress charts.

JUPITER'S CAPLUNAR POSITIONS:
New York City's Twelve Heaviest rain Downpours in a Century: [Graph
Data in terms of 30 degree segments from 0 to 360 degrees]
near 0 degrees - Jupiter at 29.35', 00.29', 01.56';
near 60 degrees - Jupiter at 8.58';
near 90 degrees - Jupiter at 27.01', 02.25', 14.28';
near 120 degrees - Jupiter at 05.08', 05.12';
near 180 degrees - Jupiter at 26.42';
near 300 degrees - Jupiter at 13.40', 15.00';

Notice that six of the twelve positions are in close proximity to the
[30 degree sections] angles. If you know your math you'll appreciate
the unusualness of this distribution, how that it could hardly have
happened by chance alone even once in millions of samples of twelve
each. Those three instances of conjunction with New York's Midheaven,
incidentally, were the three heaviest of the twelve downpours, which is
quite a coincidence. The technically minded reader will be interested
to know that the deviation ratio for these three Midheaven contacts is
5.94, meaning that the odds are many millions to one against it being
purely fortuitous arrangement. Incidentally, a scientific byproduct of
these and other studies is the assurance that the "ayanamsa" marked by
the synetic vernal point, as we have determined it, is the best
determination so far. Even a slight departure from the adopted value
takes the precision out of the statistical results obtained by strictly
observational studies. The centuries-old search is over!
* * * *


Garth Allen, THE MOON AND TEMPESTS, 2/65 A.A.
Well, they've gone and done it again. The scientists, I mean. Once
again they have "tekeled" one of the major branches of astrological
study, namely astrometeorology, in regard to extra-terrestrial
influences on the weather phenomena of hurricanes. Tekel is a good
word, coming as it does from the handwriting on the wall which Daniel
interpreted to mean, "You are weighed in the balances and found
wanting."
...Tropical storms whip themselves into hurricane spirals much
oftener around the dates of New and Full Moon than around the dates of
the quarter phases. In fact, the pattern is so distinct when the
statistics of all North Atlantic hurricane activity are plotted on a
lunar time scale, meteorologists are unabashedly marveling over their
past failure to notice the anomalous situation.
...The evolution of tropical cyclones into full-blown hurricanes
near the dates of lunar syzygy is only part of the story. There is a
pronounced lunar-distance factor in the picture too.
The scientists expressed surprise that the times of most frequent
occurrence were dates when the Moon was halfway between perigee and
apogee rather than when the tidal or gravitational influence of the
Moon was greatest or least. In other words, maximum disturbance took
place when the tidal pull was undergoing its greatest rate of change,
either accelerating or decelerating, and not when the force itself was
maximal or minimal.
Least frequency was observed in the three days centered on the
second day after apogee, the Moon's greatest distance from Earth during
its 27.55-day cycle of varying distance. The points of highest
frequency, it is provocative to note, occur 90 degrees before and after
this low point.
After the revelations in 1962 that the Moon has a profound effect on
everyday weather conditions, especially on rainfall intensity, dozens
of research centers have been pursuing the subject on a full-time
basis. The December 1964 issue of "Analog" magazine carries a splendid
article giving a rundown on this area of investigation, and duly takes
note of the inevitable astrological backdrop of the story. The only
sorry note about it all stems from our deep impression that the
business of astrometeorologists is to detect and study connections
between weather phenomena and heavenly bodies.
According to recently published scientific papers, the weather
researchers are fast refining their knowledge about the way the Moon's
relationship with precipitation works in the continental United States.
(Other clime and continents have their own peculiar "lunar rainfall
curves" and it is important to keep in mind that what has been found
true for temperate-zone North American weather does not necessarily
hold true for other land masses and latitudes.) For one thing, by way
of illustration, the Moon's local meridional distance or hour angle is
relation to the hour of the day has been found to be an important
factor in triggering off the "lunar rain."
Furthermore, the magnitude of the lunar distance from Earth and the
Moon's lunar effect is tied in directly with both closeness to the
ecliptic plane (and therefore relatively near the Nodes). The chances
for a heavy rain on the third, fourth or fifth day after New moon are
greatly enhanced if the Moon is on the perigee side of its mean orbit
and is within a couple of days of conjuncting the Ascending Node.
For rains on the third to fifth days after Full Moon, proximity to
the Descending Node plus lunar closeness to the Earth are the
probability determinants. Studies of the history of rainfall at 100
American cities show that during the ten percent of the time that these
three factors, the Moon's phase, nearness to perigee, and closeness to
Nodes, are acting in unison, heavy downpours are over four times
likelier than at other times.
Sounds simple and logical enough, but in vain do we look for even an
inkling of these scientifically established facts in the literature of
astrometeorology. It may be pleaded that astrology is primarily a
matter of forecasting by means of charts cast for fixed moments, such
as ingresses or lunar phases, and therefore the more fluid-in-time type
of eventuality is not easily coped with. If this argument really held
water, however, we would have to scrap more than 90 percent of all
pages of an astrological periodical.
What will the fact-finding nonastrologers come up with next? A lot
of remarkable things are in the works, we are told. Things like the
fact that, since the Weather Bureau began keeping detailed records,
there have been three times as many tornadoes in the U.S. during the
three days following Full Moon as during the three days preceding Full
Moon. Little bombs like that, dropped into the lap of astrometeorology
--are guaranteed to awaken it from its tropical slumber.

* * * * continued in [RAINFALL2] * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

[RAINFALL 2] Crashing the Atmospheric Science Barrier! Vintage Garth
Allen reporting on his statistical studies in atmospheric science- the
Moon's domination of rainfall, plus Jupiter's angularity, which
findings defined the significance of angular planets (as opposed to
those midway between the cusps), and Jupiter's conjunction with the
galactic center during sidereal lunar ingresses. Allen exalts in
trouncing on establishment thinking, which like the poor is still with
us. As a quintessential Aquarian thinker (Moon ASC in AQU, URA sextile
his SUN, his work in this breakthrough statistical study certainly
opened the way for many followup books on the Moon's influence.
Students of symbolism will appreciate the synchronicity of the
inconstancy of the weather as literally dominated by our Moon and the
inconstancy of one's emotions, a primary association of the Moon in
interpretation. As well, under his name Donald Bradley, Profession and
Birth Date, A Statistical Analysis of Planetary Positions At the
Birthdates of 2492 Eminent Clergymen published in 1950, showed the
validity of the 12 constellation divisions of the zodiac.
* * *

Garth Allen, 7/68 A.A.
CRASHING THE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE BARRIER, Part I
The astounding, excitable, mysterious, predicable raindrop!

The great granddaddy of all downpours, according to Genesis 7:11,
commenced "in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month."
Scriptural dates are, or course, in terms of the Semitic lunar calendar
which numbers dates from the day or so following astronomical New Moon.
The first day of a Hebrew lunar month began, on the average, about 1-
1/2 days after a conjunction of the Sun and Moon (so that,
incidentally, "unlucky" eclipses would fall on the last day of the
month, thereby making manmade superstition and Godmade nature seem to
agree). Now, 1.5 plus 17 divided by 29.53 days (the length of a
lunation) means that the cloudburst famed in mythology began on the
eighteenth day of the synodical month, or ratiowise, after about 62.6%
of the 29.53 days had elapsed. More familiarly to students of
astrology, this is the same as saying that the deluge was unleashed
when the Sun and Moon were close to 225 degrees apart in the sky, or 45
degrees past the lineup called Full Moon.
No matter whether Noah's deluge was a myth or not, research in
recent years, at the purely scientific level, has revealed that heavy
rains in the northern hemisphere do indeed tend to occur about eighteen
days after a New Moon. It seems that the fact the bible specified a
lunar date, equivalent to defining a particular phase of the Moon,
preserved, in virtually every literate Christian and Jewish household,
a tenet of ancient weather lore founded on observation of a natural
atmospheric rhythm.
Even so, knowledge of this phenomenon was apparently lost to later
cultures, for not even the meagerly-surviving traditions of astrology
really perpetuated such precepts. And, even sadder to say, astrologers
who have devoted literally decades of their lives to the creation and
improvement of what is called astrometeorology, were so busy with their
charts and their musty old books and their preconceptions that they
failed to notice what was going on outside their windows.
They need not be any more ashamed of this, however, than the
professional meteorologists at weather headquarters in our nation's
capital. Apparently they also were too preoccupied with toeing the
textual line to be aware of the easily demonstrable fact that, year in
and year out, the number of afternoon thunderstorms hitting the
District of Columbia in the week following the Full Moon was 'triple'
the number that occurred in the week before full Moon!
Yes, three times as many. And you should have seen the blushes, and
heard the fidgety excuses, in meteorological circles when the simple,
unduckable facts and figures were pointed out to them. Local weather
records were so immediately accessible, all along, a simple counting of
thunderstorms in two categories, "Week before Full Moon" and "Week
after Full Moon," would not have taken more than an hour out of any of
their professional careers. It seems to have been asking too much for
any of our government scientists to have done a little independent
thinking about, or even accidental playing around with, actual rather
than theoretical data.
Even the most elementary sources of officially published rainfall
information had apparently gone unstudied. The best proof of such an
embarrassing situation was the fact that the widely distributed volume
cataloging the dates and amounts of maximum precipitation at every
weather-recording station in the United States was all that was needed
to disclose the relationship between daily weather activity and the
position of the Moon. Yet, the very existence of this government-
printed book, compiled by the U.S. Weather Bureau's department of
hydrology, was unknown for almost a decade after publication to their
office of meteorological statistics! (A similar circumstance prevails
in the astrological profession, so is readily understandable. Most
practitioners of astrology are so busy being astrologers and mouthing
the same old quasi astrological drivel, they are often oblivious to
what the actual horoscope of people and the heavens above are trying to
tell them. They can speak familiarly about worlds that do not exist,
despite not being able to tell Castor from Pollux in the sky, and then
expect to be respected for their opinions about the celestial sphere
and the structure of the universe.)
That always-handy catalog of rainfall records, for instance, could
be used to compile, in a matter of minutes, a list of, say, the
rainiest days in our nation's history. Since the government had taken
over the military's weather-monitoring duties shortly after the Civil
War, over seven thousand rain-recording stations had operated for ten
or more years, and a total of 1,544 observation stations had been in
full-time use for 50 or more continuous years including the half-
century from 1900 through 1949. The 1900-1949 interval at these 1,544
key geographical points because of its accurately detailed records,
became the basis for numerous scientific studies of the fascinating way
extraterrestrial factors influence everyday weather.
It turned out that there were just 185 dates, in the first half of
the 20th century, on which the greatest amount of rain fell in any 24-
hour period, at ten or more (and as many as 49) localities. These 185
dates without question represent the "wettest" days experienced by the
nation as a whole over a 50-year span. Startlingly simple though
making and studying such a list of 185 items may seem, such a basic and
forthright procedure for the evaluation of time-dependent forces acting
on large-scale weather activity was seemingly beyond the grasp or
ability of the 3,000 scientific researchers who--the nation was
repeatedly assured by officers of both the U.S. Weather Bureau and the
American Meteorological Society--were engaged full-time in the pursuit
of every feasible explanation for the causes of "vagaries of weather."

The Establishment Went Gulp!
When the 185 rainiest dates are plotted in terms of the Moon's phase
on each date, a startling picture emerges--a picture that at first made
the scientific hierarchy gulp and look the other way in hopes that it
would all go away before any congressman noticed. The highest peak, at
about the fourth day after Full Moon, had over three times the
frequency of the third day after First Quarter, and the same pattern
shaped up in relation to New Moon and the weeks before and after--all a
stunning violation of probability. There was a clear-cut 14.765-day
cycle operating in rainfall over the continent, in spite of the
declaration in every approved textbook of meteorology that lunar
influences on weather are physically impossible. In fact, it appeared
that meteorology's authorities were uncertain about everything else,
characteristically hedging after statement made, except for one idea.
They were absolutely adamant that the Moon could not possibly be a
weather factor. The unanimity of agreement on that score was touching.
And absurd.
The truth of the matter could have been ascertained in less than a
single afternoon's figurework by anyone with a flair for arithmetic and
modicum of curiosity about nature, let alone any professional
atmospheric scientist. But again we must remind the reader that people
who are constantly preoccupied by 'both' daily weather and the Moon--
meaning astrologues themselves--are even more culpable in this respect.
After all, it was the business of astrometeorologists to know all about
these things, and to find out when they didn't know.

FIGURE 1 [Omitted]. HOW THE MOON'S PHASE RELATES TO U.S. RAINFALL.
The astonishing relationship between phases of the Moon and intensity
of rainfall over North America is a fact demonstrable by even the
simplest compilation of official weather statistics. Yet is was not
faced up to by the scientific establishment until recently. Shades of
Galileo, Darwin and Pasteur!

Figure 1 tells the whole story, in even clearer fashion than the
"wettest day" count, of the distribution of the dozen (monthly)
excessively rainy days at each of the 1,544 recording centers in the
continental network, in terms of the Moon's relationship to the Sun, a
grand total of 16,056 individual readings. (Twelve times 1,544 is
18,528, so that 2,472 records were achieved prior to 1900; needless to
say, these 19th-century dates also show the lunar effect with equal
clarity, though they are not incorporated into the graph for scientific
reasons.) Bear in mind that the dates given in the official logs are
those for the termination of the 24-hour period of maximum
precipitation, so the true peaks in Figure 1, in order to coincide
centrally with actual falling of the rain, fall slightly to the left.
When this average adjustment is made, lo and behold, the two point
of most intense downpour in the United States coincide exactly with the
Moon being 45 degrees and 225 degrees (or 135 degrees by shortest-route
measure) from the Sun. It is important that the reader does not
prematurely presume, from this astonishing state of affairs, that the
astrological aspects of semi-square and sesqui-quadrate have been
validated by scientific research. This may indeed by the case, but
scientifically speaking, the 45 and 135 degree configurations owe their
"aspectivity" to the fact that these points define the relationship of
least relatedness--and thereby are reversive aspects rather than
aspects in the usual sense.
It is shown in tidal theory, for instance, that when the Sun or Moon
is directly over a point on the Earth's surface, and the other luminary
is at right angles to the zenith body, hence overhead at a point 90
degrees away, the point undergoing the greatest 'horizontal' tidal
stress is not under either of the luninaries by rather halfway between.
The two points under the Sun and Moon are under vertical stresses, but
the greatest "side pull" is felt at places 45 degrees between. Those
readers with keen instincts about dynamic and spacial relationships
will have no trouble visualizing why this is so; the rest will have to
take our word for it or re-enroll in school.
The 'piece de resistance' of all the clinching evidence that the
Moon exercises regulatory control over weather variations is a graph of
total precipitation amounts measured daily at 100 local Weather Bureau
offices over a 63-year span. Simply adding up the total amount of
water precipitated at each of these hundred locations on each day of
the lunar month yields a graph which proves that the Moon's phase alone
accounts for 20% of all the moisture observed. (When the Moon's lati-
tude is taken into account, as we shall presently see, the lunar effect
accounts for close to 65% of all variation. No wonder the atmospheric
sciences Establishment went Gulp! when the facts were faced.)

How a Raindrop Gets That Way
The sharpness of the peaks in the dead centers of the first and
third weeks of the synodical month suggests, however, not so much a
tidal mechanism at work (though one is unavoidable in the physical
sense) as an "explanation" for the Moon-rainfall connection, as an
electrical mechanism. If gravitation were the key to the riddle, the
statistical peaks would likelier be mounds, not shaftlike points, on
the graph.
It has also been shown by physicists interested in the why and
wherefore of the lunar effect on precipitation phenomena that the
rising and falling of air densities and heights due to lunisolar tidal
forces cannot account, directly at any rate, for the observed results.
Some scientists thought that perhaps the Moon caused an up-down and
cold-warm mixing of air layers by atmospheric tidal action, which would
have been a pretty good idea if it were not for the fact that such a
biweekly movement or pulsation of air masses has not been observed (and
the observing programs are quite efficient--meteorologists seem to be
better bookkeepers than thinkers).
For a bunch of H2O molecules to get together as a mass heavy enough
to fall downward is not as simple a matter as you might suppose.
Raindrops are known to require some kind of microscopic nucleus to
which water molecules can adhere in order for the raindrop to form.
Dust particles, salt crystals from marine air, fine-grain meteoric
debris, ad infinitum and a dash of silver iodide, and the like, are
typical materials believed to aid and abet the nucleating or raindrop-
forming process. (To digress for a moment, you can safely dispense
with the meteor-dust hypothesis of rainfall advanced a few years ago by
an Australian scientist, since it now turns out that the squiggles and
peaks in his world-rainfall charts are directly accountable for by the
Moon! This was the same fellow, by the way, who was so eager to climb
aboard the lunar-rainfall bandwagon, by confirming American research
results, that he and his coworkers failed to notice that the graphic
picture for the southern hemisphere as a whole is 'exactly the reverse'
of that for the northern hemisphere--no wonder his colleagues have
learned to be leery of other claims from the same source.)
But again there is a credibility gap between theory and observation
simply because it is physically unsound to expect a given volume of air
to furnish the sort and number of nuclei accounting for an extensive,
prolonged downpour. It can rain heavily for days at a time at a single
locality, and certainly strains the credulity to accept the standard
notions about dust and other aerosol particles being continuously fed
back into the atmosphere in order for the rain to continue forming and
failing.
Here is where a theory that electrically charged particles in the
air can act as precipitation nuclei comes to the rescue. It was shown
a few years back that the lines of force of the basic earth-air
electrical current extend far out into space and do not terminate at
cloudtop levels as was formerly supposed (and hence so stated in
meteorology textbooks, those paragons of reliable information). Ions
in the atmosphere, possibly of argon if not of the more abundant gases
that make up our air, acting as attractants for water molecules, would
indeed solve the problem of quantitative feed-in nucleates fro the
continuous production of raindrops.
Moreover, each complete spherule or bag of water forming a raindrop
develops its own electrical field through friction wit the air through
which it falls. The falling through air itself causes the outer layer
of the charged drop to evaporate. As the drop evaporates, at the same
time picking up charge through air friction, the water molecules torn
away are also electrically charged and therefore attract ions (or
argon?) of opposite charge which are already ubiquitous in the
surrounding air, and the raindrop-forming cycle completes itself again,
on and on until the available energies have spent themselves at the
given time and place.
There is no problem of nucleus supply if the precipitation process
is basically one of ionization. Just how lunisolar forces are involved
in the electrical hypothesis is not clear at the present time, but that
the idea is in keeping with the laws of physics is not seriously
questioned by anyone familiar with the subject. A theory of
fluctuation ion concentration in the air involving lunar factors does
not seem as farfetched now as it did a few years ago when the truth
about the Moon-weather situation hit Establishment-approved meteorology
between it myopic eyes.
No matter what the chemical or physical identity of most raindrop
nuclei prove to be, the fact remains that the number of these particles
in any given volume of air fluctuates wildly from day to day. A spin-
off project from the research we are discussing was the discovery that
nucleus concentrations at various places round the world undergo
quantitative wavering in step with lunar periodicity. This revelation
ties in nicely with our electrical theory of precipitation. Even the
man who invented the contraption called an ice nucleus concentration
cloud chamber, which is used to keep track of the relative number of
such particles in the air, admits that he has no idea what the nuclei
his counter counts might be made of. Ideas abound, of course, but the
real nature of rain particulates remains a mystery. Oddly enough--or
come to think of it, characteristically enough--it apparently occurred
to atmospheric scientists that this very elusiveness (by virtue of
chemical inertness, and hence undetectability by ordinary devices) of
the problem is the key to its solution. Time will tell, of course,
whether our ion hypothesis holds water or not, if you'll pardon the
pun.

A Wrench in the Rainmaker
A word of caution is called for at this point. Readers should not
take the surface message of Figure 1 too literally, because there is so
much more to the story than a simple one-for-one relationship between
lunar phase and precipitation. In fact, the Moon's phase is only one
of several ingredients in the showery cake, and not even the most
important of the several cosmic ingredients, at that.
For one thing, the pattern shown applies only to the continental
U.S. and it should not be extrapolated to the rest of the world. In
fact, various regions in our own country have their own peculiar
patterns, so that all the graph depicts is the general picture of North
America smoothed out by averaging. Various parts of Europe have their
own indigenous patterns, created by differing climatic regimes,
prevailing winds, terrain peculiarities, etc.
We already mentioned the reversal of the phase effect in the
southern hemisphere. When the statistics for Australia, New Zealand,
four Argentine and two South African stations are combined, the
resulting graph correlates almost perfectly in a negative way, i.e.,
the peaks are at 135 and 315 degrees from New Moon, with the troughs in
the middle of the first and third lunar weeks. Reversal of the effect
is due, of course, to the fact that the global circulation of the
atmosphere in the southern hemisphere is the mirror image of the
pattern north of the equator.
It has also been found that the Moon's varying distance from Earth
is a potent factor in weather changes. Interestingly, the atmosphere
appears to be most sensitive to unsettling when the Moon is midway
between perigee (its closest approach) and apogee (its farthest
distance) either coming or going. Much more research will be needed
before the reason why the greatest rate-of change of lunar distance,
rather than the distance itself is so important (though here again our
basic electrical theory ties in).

FIGURE 2 [Omitted]. LUNAR NODES AND RAINFALL shows the Draconitic
month elapsed at point of great rainfall is slightly past half near the
South Node.

The biggest wrench in the rainmaking machinery, however, is the
Moon's latitude with respect to the ecliptic, or what is effectively
the same thing, the Moon's relation to its own nodes! This is chiefly
why we warned against taking an oversimplified approach to the Moon-
weather association--it is far more complex than two dimensional graphs
would suggest.
The lunar nodes are found to wield a controlling power over the
behavior of the Moon-phase mechanism and, in fact, the phase may not
even "work" toward rain-making if the nodes forbid it. The
implications of Figure 2 are even more staggering than the meaning of
the curve in Figure 1.
The synodical month, which is the time between two successive New
Moons, lasts 29.53 days, on the average, while the Moon's circuit of
the zodiac takes 27.32 days. But because the Moon's nodes are in
perpetual retrograde migration, the nodical month (traditionally called
the draconitic month) is only 27.21 days long. When the Moon is at its
ascending node, it is crossing the ecliptic from south to north
latitude; the descending node marks the crossing from north to south.
It is vital to point out, by the way, that the draconitic influence
holds true uniformly throughout all parts of the 18.61 year revolution
cycle of the nodes, more familiar to sky observers and tide calculators
as the extreme-declination cycle. The draconitic effect is noticeably
stronger in years of low sunspot activity, but again this does to imply
an innate strengthening of the influence, which in years of great solar
activity is merely being statistically masked by greater Sun-caused
turbulence.
The nodes themselves, of course, have no intrinsic influential power
of their own. What happens is that the Moon's passage through the
plane of the Earth's orbit causes some kind of excitation of the
magnetosphere and, consequently, the atmosphere (via ionization?).
This nodical effect is also explainable in terms of an electrical
concept in which the plane of the Earth's orbit acts as though it were
a charged sheet or ring, suggestive of the particulate ring around
Saturn. (Saturn's ring, you see, is no more than eight inches thick,
hence the word sheet in discussing such planes in space.) This
lamination of the Earth's spatial environment is essentially
independent of the more publicized Van Allen radiation-belt system.
Exactly how shock waves from the Moon's oblique plunge through the
electrified sheet can cause moisture in the atmosphere to condense into
rain is something to grapple with, but it does occur (and we think we
know, generally, how it occurs). What is more, precipitation is only
one result of the meeting of Moon with ecliptic. It is now known that
outbursts of solar corpuscular radiation headed Earthward are
significantly modified or enhanced, as the case may be, by this same
nodical effect.
Just how great is the draconitic effect on weather can be
appreciated from the relative magnitude of the peaks in Figure 2.
There were just 800 consecutive draconitic months between December 32,
1899 and August 8, 1959. The single day of greatest rainfall in each
27.21-day interval was picked from the hundred-cities index of daily
precipitation already referred to. This yielded 800 separate dates of
widespread rainfall, which are plotted in terms of their position with
regard to the Moon's nodical ascension.

FIGURE 3 [Omitted]. PHASES AND NODES TOGETHER.

The draconitic effect is even more impressive than the stunning
Moon-phase effect. The node-plus-phase partnerships becomes
understandable when plotted three-dimensionally, as in Figure 3, which
is a greatly simplified version of a master plotting of all daily
rainfalls at 100 cities for 63 continuous years--a grand total of
23,011 separate figures. The gray areas are the contours marking
above-average activity, and the black areas are the places of peak
precipitation. It is seen at once that there are times, right in the
middle of the normally dry second and fourth weeks of the lunar month,
when the descending node can trigger rain of cats-and-dogs amplitude
over vast areas.
When the synodical month was considered by itself, the Moon seemed
to have in the neighborhood of a 20% control over rainfall. But when
the nodical month is taken into account, it becomes obvious that well
over 60% of all rainfall activity in the United States is monitored by
lunar factors! Add to this the factor of periodic atmospheric
instability caused by the lunar distance cycle (the anomalistic month
of 27.55 days) and the reality of the Moons' 'domination' of Earth's
weather becomes too obvious to dodge--though many meteorologists are
still trying their damnedest to dodge it. Surprised at this figure?
You ain't heard nothing yet.
Next month we'll spring some really kingsize surprises on our
astrology-minded readers as we continue our report on these astounding
findings of modern science--discoveries which are still little known to
the laymen because so many high and mighty figures in the scientific
world have been embarrassed by them and they feel it's best not to call
attention to that fact. Furthermore, the Establishment takes good care
of its own interests by exercising enormous control over all phases of
reporting unorthodox matters at the popular level. They even dictate
the terminology to be used in writing scientific papers lest and
outsider gets the 'right' idea.


CRASHING THE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE BARRIER, Part II, 8/68 A.A.
Continuing last month's surprising, mind-opening research report.

Searching for links between weather and astronomical factors is
nothing new--astrologers have ben doing it for ages. It is just that,
until recently, they haven't been doing very well at it. Most old
textbooks on astrology have their customary section on astro-
meteorology, but that was just the trouble. The few modern efforts in
this field suffered the blight and burden of proceeding on the
assumption that there was something in the old literature worth
believing.
Only a few intellects of the caliber of a George J. McCormack, a
Francis Socey or an Ernest Wykes, broke through the stupid stereotypes
of "traditional astrology," which was really traditional at all, to
seek 'through study' to establish workable precepts for weather
prediction based on astrological principles. These hardy pioneers of
research into extraterrestrial influences on earth's atmosphere are the
praiseworthy bridges spanning the void between the hokum and
Renaissance astrology with its signs and house and superstitious
blather, and the development of a scientifically acceptable concept of
practical astrology.
The future of astrology as a science or as a pseudoscience depends
upon which side of the chasm the majority of working astrologers prefer
to stand. Astrology as a whole will remain classed as a pseudoscience
by the scientific community until the bulk of its advocates stop react-
ing to elementary facts like Major Hoople ahemming and spluttering
before his reality-minded Martha. It is so very easy to be correctly
informed that why so many people succeed for so long in dodging the
truth is one of the most marvelous of the negative marvels of human
nature.
Speaking of Hooplesque splutter reminds us of a similar response in
academic circles when the truth about astronomical links with day to
day weather conditions was revealed and repeatedly verified at their
own level! There were even several attempts, by teams of qualified
experts, to disproved the validity of the research results by 'faking'
statistical evidence to the contrary. Yes, there were actual frauds
committed, in the form of seemingly competent technical papers, by
"established authorities," but these attempts were nipped in the bud,
just short of publication in the most prestigious of science journals
by wary referees and suspicious editors who knew a pretense when they
saw one. The bluff of a few textbook authors and symposium-loving
department heads had been called. Facts were facts and it was ways of
thinking, not the structure of the universe, which needed to change
accordingly. There is now very little stigma connected with research
activities along these "unorthodox" lines.
There is little stigma but, then again, a lot of resistance remains
among those who just cannot believe that they and their instructors
could have been so wrong. Such attitudes are typical of those who are
careerists in science rather than scientists themselves. The truth
about the Moon's geophysical effects is now basic, but howls of protest
still attend mention of the over-whelming evidence that the major
planets also have a powerful influence over atmospheric eventualities.
The scientific field has no trouble facing up to the implications of
the histogram given in Figure 5, which show the distribution of
hurricane-formation in relation to lunar phases.

FIGURE 5 [Omitted]. THE LINK BETWEEN HURRICANE FORMATION AND THE
PHASES OF THE MOON shows a peak at and around the New and Full Moon.

It so happens that about twice as many tropical storms have whirled
to hurricane intensity on the three days centered at New and full Moon
as on the three days following the quarter phases. Another hurricane-
abetting lunar factor is a striking preference for the midway pints
between apogee and perigee, which are the extremes of distance between
the moon and its parent Earth. Being physically accountable for, such
findings area readily accepted by science since they seem clearly
connected with the phenomenon of atmospheric tides.
The Moon and Sun unavoidably raise tides in the air just as they do
in the sea and the land through gravitational action on the rotating
spheroidal mass which is our home planet. There is nothing very
mysterious about the process and surely the tidal mechanism is not
honestly to be classed as "astrological" in nature. It is only when
the physical rules seem to be broken or ignored by some phenomenon that
a paraphysical origin or truly astrological factor may be suspected.
And there are scads of instances known, but not bruited about, by
science where this definition is met.
A dilly of a case in point has to do with the genuine involvement of
the other planets in oceanic tides--an involvement that any and all
physical principles and tidal mathematics insist would be too miniscule
to detect in tide records. That venerable volume of approved
summaries, Van Norstrand's' Scientific Encyclopedic recognized the
validity of the massive work done on this perplexing, lawbreaking
effect, with the statement under the heading of Tides, "Detailed har-
monic analysis of the observed tides having indicated the presence of
tidal forces due to the attractions of several of the major planets."
As a rule, the rank and file of science careerists swallow hard and
do their predictable Major Hoople bit whenever this matter is brought
up, because the "known" laws of physics dictate that even if all the
planets were geocentrically lined up, the combined tidal pull on the
Earth could not be greater than one part in many thousandths of the
Moon's pull. So until somebody comes up with dynamic explanation that
does not violate established rules or natural laws, the consensus among
scientists is that it is best to play down the whole question for the
time being. If they ignore the facts and figures long enough and in
unshaken unison, maybe the problem will just disappear of its own
accord, and then not need solving.
They're not off the hook, however, simply because the quantity and
quality of evidence in favor of sizable interplanetary reactions is
constantly growing. This is accomplished because there are at least a
few research workers who won't go along with the posture of the
reference-listing crowd as a whole, who won't let up in the quest of
causal explanations until the correct ones are found.
Atmospheric tides at low altitudes are admittedly difficult to
detect, but at high rarified levels become appreciable, and many miles
high, at radio-reflecting layers of the atmosphere, the tidal fluctua-
tions become enormous. This logical circumstance has been known now
for almost half a century and if meteorologists generally had only been
logical in their thinking decades ago, the true facts about lunar
effects on weather could have been recognized much earlier than was the
case.
Which brings us to another wrench-tossing episode in our narrative.
This wrench in the Establishment machinery is the now conspicuous
discovery that even where atmospheric tides are concerned there exists
a wide reach between observed facts and theoretical expectations.
Whenever the 'hourly' data of any weather parameter other than air
pressure, such as rainfall, are analyzed after removal of the known
variables such as seasonal variation and climatic regime, for any
specific geographical area, the picture that emerges is definitely not
"tidal" in structure. Surely, if the lunar effect on precipitation is
primarily tidal, there should be a distinct showing of a 12.5-hour and
25-hour recurrence of peaks in activity. But thus far no such
periodicity has asserted its presence in the records for a weather
event other than barometric readings. Obviously, some mechanism other
than tides is at the bottom of the mystery. Plotting of lunar hour
angles for the hours of all precipitation over many years in any given
area typically produces a one-peak, one-trough graph, whereas there
should be two peaks and two troughs were tidal theory to be vindicated.
What is more, the position of the single lunar-hour peak varies
considerably from locality to locality, and since the atmosphere should
behave more homogeneously than ocean waters, the peak differences are
hardly to be accounted for in the same way differing times for high and
low tides along coastlines are explained.
For example, the highest frequency of precipitation in the city of
St. Louis coincides with the two or three hours the Moon is approaching
upper culmination (or in astrological jargon, with the moon in the 10th
house of the ambient). New York City's crest, by wide contrast, comes
in the two hours or so after low culmination (roughly the 3rd house).
It is clear then, from the wide variability of the Moon's hour angle
(or house position) that the lunar tide in the atmosphere is not a very
reliable determinant of rainfall except for a specific locality for
which the preferred hour angles have been statistically ascertained.
Studies of hourly records of many American stations show that the
amplitude of the range from peak to rough in the lunar hour-angle curve
is about a 15% effect at most. The lunar tide is 'always' evident in
any precipitation history of ten year's extent or longer (and usually
one year's tabulations will suffice to indicate the basic pattern for a
locality).

A Mathematical Monster
But is it really a tide in the classical physical sense of the word?
A mere glance at any lunar hour-angle curve for any American city would
instantly suggest that to use the term tide in this connection is a
mistake. A two-peak tidal wave is barely perceptible, if at all, in
any such graph we have seen, and in every case one peak dominates the
scene. (A tidal or lunar "day" averages 1.0350501 civil days, or
clockwise, 24h 50m 28.3s, and the convention is to consider low
culmination -- conjunction with the 4th house cusp, in other words --as
the starting moment of the lunar day.)

FIGURE 6 [Omitted]. RAINFALL ACTIVITY AND HOUR ANGLE OF JUPITER. In
N.Y.C. it rained during 7,908 of 105,192 consecutive hours (1949-1960).
Rainy hours have a distinct preference for Jupiter's lower culmination.

For another blockbuster, then, we offer Figure 6 for your
consideration. As its legend indicates, this is a plotting of New York
city's total precipitation, per hour for 12 years, the approximate
length of Jupiter's revolution (so that all hourly positions with
respect to the solar hour are effectively equalized). The implications
of this one diagram alone are staggering. The curve resembles lunar
hour-angle curves with respect to having one crest and one trough in
violation of tidal theory. But the amplitude of the curve from highest
to lowest frequency, is 48.5%, over three times the amplitude of the
lunar curve for Manhattan, which is 14.6% for the same dozen years of
hourly data!
What manner of mathematical monster is this? Jupiter's "tide" at
ground level is triple the strength of the moon's? Exhaustive study of
many farflung places reveals the same phenomenon, the same puzzling
defiance of everything the physics texts would lead us to expect. The
hak-ahem-er-egad-Marthas can be heard everywhere in the ivory towers of
Establishment-approved research. Just as planetary effects show up in
marine tide analyses, when they hadn't ought to according to the sacred
equations, so planetary effects reveal themselves in commonplace
weather figures--only more so, and to a degree that is embarrassing to
the executive suites of Big Science.
Upon the emergence in recent years of such facts as these, the
institutional gears meshed frantically toward what they call "handling
the matter," giving the Establishment time to coin new phrases and
acronyms that would mask the true meaning of facts from the public and
from popular writers who might be brazen enough to call a spade a
spade, or a Jupiter a Jupiter when Jupiter is meant. At the risk of
sounding trite, it seems that what we have here is a deliberate failure
to communicate.
At first, thinking hard abut possible solutions to the Jupiter
riddle led to a surmise that the true cause for the 26-month cycle in
tropical stratospheric winds might have given rise to an "alias effect"
in temperate-zone weather phenomena. That is, because Jupiter's
synodic period is about 13 months, and is known that high-altitude
winds in the tropics blow eastward for 13 months, and then westward for
the same length of time, a significantly new link in global weather
patterning may have been inadvertently uncovered--and that it really
isn't Jupiter's hour angle at all but alternating 13-month preferences
for certain times of the solar day. In other words, the same curve
might be approximated if for much of one 13-month period, to prefer the
hours following midnight, or some such half-day switch in behavior.
It was a splendid idea. If true, it alone could represent a genuine
new contribution to meteorology at both practical and theoretical
levels, a kind of minor breakthrough that wouldn't cause any department
heads any embarrassment since nothing akin to astrology was really
involved.
But as it turned out, the idea had more splendor than substance. No
such action was detected when the hourly data were examined in detail.
Jupiter's meridian distance, or position around the east-west circle of
the sky, was an influential factor operating 'independently' of civil
time and solar time. Furthermore, it does so independently of
locality, unlike lunar and solar hour angles which are almost
erratically different in the geographical context. (For a good
example, you readers in the Missouri Valley states--Nebraska, Kansas,
Iowa and Missouri--are only too familiar with the past-midnight storms
that are typical of your area, whereas these are relatively rare events
elsewhere. Therefore it is not surprising that rainfall patterns vary
so much regionally in terms of preferred lunar and solar hour angles.)
In North American, and probably elsewhere, there is a distinct
preference for precipitation with Jupiter beneath the horizon, and a
decided statistical shortage of rainfall in the three or so hours after
Jupiter has passed the upper meridian (or Midheaven, as astrologers
say).
Big Things are Brewing
And this is only the beginning of the Jupiter story we have to tell
in summary from here. The Jupiter wave--a better term than Jupiter
tide--is an everyday reality, but therein lies the rub. It is so
continually functioning in daily weather that it is useful in only a
minor way for the purpose of weather forecasting. The chief benefit
from the existence of the Jupiter wave has been to make the atmospheric
sciences people who know about it more cautious about dismissing other
unconventional theories of what goes into the making of weather.
Jupiter's wave is of only piffling consequence compared to the
effectuality of astronomical weather effects within the frame of
reference of 'the zodiac.'
... By far the largest of the computer-based projects have been
those tackling the complex question of astrometeorological influences.
Vast amounts of detailed weather data for hundreds of localities,
having to do with the main ingredients of the weather brew (precipita-
tion, temperature, cyclones and such) have been fed in, digested and
analyzed for possible links with things astronomical. The programs
developed for these assaults on mountains of technicalities are incred-
ibly complicated--and deadly effective for the purpose for which they
were designed. Many of astrology's most commonly taken for granted
tenets have fallen by the wayside, but that was only to be expected
since even noncomputerized objective studies have a way of doing this.
Ninety years of New and Full Moon charts, equated to whichever
locality was in question, have been chewed up and spewed out by the
machines as being almost worthless for weather prediction when
interpreted in the way customarily taught by standard "authorities."
They prove to be valid instruments, nevertheless, when viewed as
analytical frameworks for temperature and air-movement studies. Even
so, the measures of significance are disappointingly small, even mar-
ginal, and not at all of the power to affect regional weather that we
have believed would show up in the investigation of lunar-phase charts.
The Sun's colure crossings, the equinox and solstice charts beloved
of modern astrologers who praise Kepler but ignore what he had to say,
fare appreciably better than lunar syzygies as weather indicators for
the season following. But only temperature trends, weather toward or
against normal expectancies for the three months concerned, seem to be
significantly influenced by the solar tropical ingresses. No studies
that we know of were made of progressions of the tropical ingresses, in
connection with the dates of unusual weather events, so it would be
unwise to downgrade this type of chart until its depths have been
adequately probed. Still for any of the standard sort of
astrometeorology chart, when something "significant" was encountered,
the measure of significance was uniformly small. Seldom was there
anything potent enough to violate random probabilities beyond the 5% or
20-to-1 level of significance.

Tropicopenia and its Cure
In summary, then, we can pronounce the traditional tools of
astrometeorology, the lunation and seasonal charts, moderately useful
for weather diagnosis, though not to the extent we would have liked.
'Tropicopenia,' that prevalent malaise of modern astrology, definable
as typical weakness of test results yielded by studies based upon
tropical frames of reference, once again--though this time on a grand
scale--asserted its endemic presence.

FIGURE 7 [Omitted]. PRECIPITATION IN NEW YORK CITY IN TERMS OF
JUPITER'S GEOGRAPHICAL UPPER CULMINATION IN CAPLUNARS COVERING 1,202
CONSECUTIVE SIDEREAL MONTHS (1871-1960).

The picture is vastly different, stunningly so, when the same
information is analyzed within the framework of the zodiac. And what
is more, even those who regularly use the zodiac as the basis for their
practical application of astrology have been dazzled, delighted, by the
new things they learned that they hadn't quite anticipated.
Veteran readers of this magazine will remember the item we reported
in the September 1957 issue regarding the oddity that Jupiter was
closely conjunct New York City's CAPLUNAR meridian four out of the 12
times of greatest downpour in Weather Bureau annals. This circumstance
was noted in connection with record-breaking amounts of rain elsewhere
as well. The scientific team which had dealt with the so-called
standard tools of astrology, so disappointingly, decided that it might
be worth while to test the claims of this siderealist writer since
here, at last, was a specific astrometeorological claim made without
hedging. (It is amazing how elusive a representative astrologer's
English can be when definite test-worthy remarks are being sought.)
The matter was tackled from several different angles, all with
sensational, vindicative results. Take Figure 7, for instance. This
shows one way the claim was tested by using New York City's rainfall
data for 1,202 consecutive sidereal months. Each sidereal month of
27.3 2 days, plus or minus 5 hours, was taken as being inaugurated by
the Moon's contact with 0d00'00" of the constellation CAPRICORN--
mundane astrology's master point. Eleven-degree lunes of geographic
longitude are here employed for diagrammatic advantage, to illustrate
how that, when Jupiter was on the Midheaven of any place west of El
Paso' meridian, New York experienced less than average rainfall in the
ensuing sidereal month. With Jupiter culminating over the Midwest,
precipitation was somewhat above normal.
However, when old Jupiter Pluvius, the Rainmaker, was on the
Midheaven anywhere between 73 and 84 degrees West, Manhattan was
drenched by an average of 41.3% more moisture than normal! For the
student reader, this is to say that Jupiter sponsors heavy
precipitation when chartwise the great planet occupies the zone between
10 degrees west and 1 degree east of the 10th house cusp!
How reliable, for practical forecasting, this circumstance might be
is indicated by the fact that this one astrological factor alone
"worked" 74% of the time. That is, Jupiter occupied that zone just 35
times in the last 90 years 1871-1960. In nine instances the total
precipitation was less than the median amount for those same calendar
dates, whereas 26 times out of the 35, the rainfall was greater than
the 90-year median amount. In none of the nine below-average instances
was recorded total very much below average: none of the sidereal months
was what people would call a dry spell.

How's This for Mind Boggling?
Single-station studies of the foregoing kind invariably tell the
same impressive story. But it was not until one sees the total picture
for rainfall over the entire continental U.S. that the mind boggles at
the facts and their implications. Figure 8 shows what we mean by mind-
boggling statistics. Here is proof, not just evidence of astrology's
conceptual validity.

FIGURE 8 [Omitted]. COMPLETE U.S. RAINFALL HISTORY, 1871-1951, IN
TERMS OF JUPITER'S HOUR ANGLE AT COMMENCEMENT OF EVERY SIDEREAL MONTH.
JUPITER'S MERIDIAN DISTANCE IN CAPRICORN LUNAR INGRESSES PRECEDING
49,576 MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION RECORDS shows highest peak at M.C., then
slightly following the DESC., then at the I.C., with the smallest peak
at the ASC.
The meridional distance of Jupiter at the CAPLUNAR INGRESS moments
preceding the 12 dates of heaviest rainfall at each of thousands of
rain-recording stations strewn across the nation--a total of 49,576
precipitation maxima--are calculated and plotted as running sums. Not
only does Jupiter prefer the upper-culminating region, but a striking
90 degree wave in its distribution exists! Any student of astrology
can recognize the pattern; the peaks are in the angular-cusp regions
basic in any horoscope. Jupiter plays out his classical Pluvius role
when near the Ascendant, Nadir and Descendant as well. When the
quadrants are superposed, with exacting probabilities taken account of,
the violation of "normalcy" reaches the jarring figure of close to 15
standard deviations. Three SD's would do, and four would suffice to
establish the effect as a fact of nature, as an exiting anomaly. To
express 15 standard deviations as odds against it all being
coincidental would be a rather silly exercise in writing strings of
zeroes; in fact, the probability function hasn't even been calculated
for levels beyond the sixth or seventh SD. As one noted mathematician
stated openly at a professional seminar convened to discuss this very
matter. "Ratios this size mean that it is not a statistical fact we
are dealing with, but a physical law."
But Jupiter isn't the whole story, not by a long shot. All of the
planets were dealt with equally and neutrally. Another pro-
precipitation factor, not surprisingly, is the Moon itself in LUNAR
INGRESS charts, though only when it is within orb of conjunction with
the lower meridian (the 4th cusp in astrology).

FIGURE 9 [Omitted]. VENUS COMBINED WITH JUPITER shows graph with
one peak, that of the upper meridian. The tendency of both anciently
"moist" planets to favor the Midheaven of sidereal ingress charts when
the ensuing month is abnormally "wet" is a scientific fact, not merely
an astrological claim.

Of even more importance is the performance of Venus, which turned
out to be quite as conducive to rain as Jupiter. In fact, when Venus'
meridian distance is plotted in the same way Jupiter's was in such
graphs as Figure 8, one sharp peak occurs which crests exactly at the
very degree on the Midheaven. Figure 9 shows Venus and Jupiter moving
totals along the uppermost third of the Caplunar charts from approxi-
mately just before the 8th cusp eastward to about the 12 house cusp.
To astrological research weary of finding only small deviations
hardly worth bothering about, such graphs as we are exhibiting here are
surely refreshing relief from the blah feeling symptomatic of
tropicopenia. Not only are the sidereal LUNAR INGRESSES a basic
instruments for weather prediction, they prove that forces legitimately
describable as astrological do indeed exist in nature. That is, a
gravitational or tidal effect, or one due to solar corpuscles, for
example, is not rightly astrological in essence even if it is extra-
terrestrial." What 'is' astrological is the dividing line between
zodiacal divisions.

FIGURE 10 [Omitted]. THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF ALL. Anomalies in the
distribution of ingress sidereal times for excessive rainfall periods
proved to be due to a preference of the Midheaven for the GALACTIC
CENTER.

What is astrological is the potency of the heavenly layout at a
singular moment of time to wield influence over eventualities long
after the key moment is past. What is astrological is the fact that
the Moon, Venus and Jupiter are "pro-moisture" when conjunct an angular
cusp. What is astrological is the preference of the Sun, Mars and
Saturn for the cadent areas of the horoscopic environment during wet
spells. For countless centuries these trios of planetary bodies have
been classified as "wet" and "dry" influences in astrology. Modern
scientific methods have accomplished the same taxonomy, to the surprise
of even siderealists who are accustomed to astrological procedure that
actually 'work.'
There's even more for us all to learn about interactions between
cosmic and terrestrial environments. Consider Figure 10 as an
illustration that no school of astrological though yet knows it all
even if one school does happen to be lightyears ahead of the rest.
Here we have a literal nose-count of sidereal times of the CAPLUNAR
charts involved in the planet-distribution study just described. The
totals are given in terms of three-degree lunes or zones of right
ascension on the Midheaven, with no overlapping of sums such as are
used in the moving-total method When the histogram is corrected for
probabilities, the meaningfulness of the figures is even further
enhanced. Even in the raw as shown here they show a strange clustering
of sidereal times toward a single right ascension in the sky. The
significance of this position probably wouldn't occur to most
astrologers at first, though many a gradeschool astronomy hobbyist
would spot it immediately. The center of our galaxy lies at 266
degrees! For some mysterious reason, the greatest concentration of
stellar substance and energy on the celestial sphere--the very core of
our sky-encircling Milky Way system, has what can honestly be called an
astrological influence! Surely there is no other explanation than that
the second or third degree of the constellation Sagittarius is a
"rainmaking" sponsor, just as it is the most intense radiation source
on the whole celestial sphere.
There are so many other things we'd like to tell you, so many
wondrous new findings that could be illustrated and oohed over by
astrology's fans. And new ideas about how specific astrological
influences, such as those we've been describing, might operate in a
physical sense.... Meanwhile, we trust that the readership has been
given new hope that objective research is able to vindicate rather than
embarrass astrologers, as has too often been the case. And finally, we
do trust that many of you got the most important point of all--that the
zodiac does exist in physical fact, not just on paper as an abstraction
that can be bent to the will of the believer. To many this will come
as a big relief.
Another thing to this project's credit is that it killed off the
absurd habit of scientists to ignore an egg in hand if the hen that
laid it is nowhere to be seen. The core idea of astrology has been
proved right as rain. Possible causes for effects all around us come
by the skyful!
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

**************** COSMIC DIVISIONS - ASTRONOMY ****************
[APEX] As published in American Astrology 1959-1972, a collection
of Garth Allen's letters and essays on the APEX OF SUN'S WAY, the
direction in which the Sun is traveling in the universe. This
collection contains Allen's thinking on the Solar Apex as a possible
astronomical fiducial (a standard of reference, as for measuring) for
the Sidereal Zodiac, which would be in addition to the fixed stars as
fiducials. (See Allen's 8/60 "Another Milestone," as well as his 3/71
and 3/72 essays. See also related file [4SPHERES] for astronomical
notes related to APEX.)
However, [in 1997] it came to my attention that the "new" Apex
position in Professors A. N. Vyssotsky and Peter van de Kamp's
research, upon which Allen based his thinking, was in ERROR. In this
regard, see the 11/10/97 post at the beginning of the file [APEX] from
Ken Irving, Editor of American Astrology Magazine, who was good enough
to write me on this matter, and gave permission to use his letter.
Additionally, I wrote to the publisher of the yearly Astronomical
Calendar, astronomer Guy Ottewell, Dept. of Physics, Furman University
in South Carolina, who said according to his knowledge, the Solar Apex
was the classical one.
The final 3 essays in this file include reports (one by Cyril
Fagan) of Allen's statistical studies on the 12 divisions of the
constellations, which of themselves are sufficient to indicate the
validity of the 12 divisions.
* * * * * * * *


NOTES on the APEX of the Sun's Way (the direction in the heavens
in which Sun is traveling in the universe). Garth Allen's attempt to
find an astronomical framework for the division of the Sidereal
Zodiac's constellations at Capricorn was certainly worthy. Using the
Solar Apex coordinates based on Professors Vyssotsky and van de Kamp's
faulty research in the late 60's on a "new" Solar Apex, Allen attempted
to envision the connection between our Solar System and the rest of the
universe. Information then on the Solar Apex position (as to where it
crosses the ecliptic plane) from Professors V & V's research indicated
a mean longitude position near 0 degrees Capricorn in the Sidereal
Zodiac; this position is now known to be in error (see letter from Ken
Irving below). The position was seen by Allen as an validation of the
SZ Capricorn Ingress, but that data was incorrect. [See file INGRESS]
That error means the Sidereal Capricorn Ingress is not marked by
astronomical phenonema such as the Solar Apex or the winter solstice.
(Tropical 0 degrees Capricorn does however indicate the winter
solstice. To add to the confusion, ironically in the Sidereal Zodiac
the Solar Apex at 7SAG is only about 2 degrees away from the winter
solstice at 5SAG.) That error also means that the chapter on the Apex
in Fagan's last book Astrological Origins is incorrect, as well as
Fagan's & Firebrace's section on the Apex (p5) in The Primer of
Sidereal Astrology. Unfortunately as Irving pointed out, Allen's
failure to follow up on the research cast a large shadow on the
credibility of his work and others, as well as causing confusion. Yet
and still, concerning the question of what constitutes the divisions of
the constellations, Allen was one person in his time who did address an
important question astronomically and philosophically.
Regarding a natural division of the zodiac, it should be noted that
modern calculation of the mean equator of our home Milky Way Galaxy is
near the division between the anciently conceived Taurus and Gemini and
their opposites--Scorpio and Sagittarius of the Sidereal Zodiac. If
one connects by a line the alpha (00SAG12 26s36) and beta stars
indicating the Flame on the Altar, located in the Milky Way below
Sagittarius, one sees a line indicating an approximate parallel of our
Galaxy's equator. Yes, that is "zero" Sagittarius! The Greeks who
conceived the constellations as we know them, as based on other ancient
zodiacs, considered the Altar an important constellation. This is
another example of a division indicated by marking stars.

So why this file on the Solar Apex? Even though Allen's theory was
not correctly based, his thinking was quite insightful. If the basic
data had been correct, Allen's Apex theory would have been a mainstay.
What was the crux of it? By reference to the Earth's Equatorial
System, a first step in observational astronomy is to establish the
north pole. A perpendicular line can be drawn from the North Pole down
to the plane of the horizon, continuing in a circle through the South
Pole, around the celestial sphere through the zenith and back to the
North Pole, thus generating the local north-south Meridian Circle which
establishes the Earth's directional orientation, which directions are
specific to the earth only. By analogy Allen thought that the APEX
(the direction the Sun is traveling in the universe) gave a kind of
pole/pointer, from which a line can be drawn down to and across the
ecliptic plane, establishing a "cosmic" direction in the heavens. The
Solar Apex crossing at the Ecliptic plane is one factor marking the
direction in the heavens along which our sun and its solar system are
moving. (However, these astronomical functions--earth's north pole and
the solar apex--are not an exact analogy as regards their function.) To
restate the error: Allen's theory was based on an incorrect coordinate
(about 0 Capricorn of the SZ) for the Solar Apex.
The actual APEX position is still thought to be the classic one,
near Nu Hercules, and indicated by Sidereal Zodiac coordinates of
7SAG24 ecliptic longitude 53n26 ecliptic latitude, a considerably
"extra" zodiacal position. The crossing of our Earth's orbit around
our Sun with our Sun's orbit around our Milky Way Galaxy constitutes a
powerful cosmic intersection. Research and publication of same on the
yearly return of the 'apparent' Sun to the actual Solar Apex at 7SAG24
remains to be accomplished.
* * * * * * * * *


11/10/97 POST FROM KEN IRVING, EDITOR, AMERICAN ASTROLOGY:
"Re Garth Allen's use of the Solar Apex as an SVP fiducial, all
of Allen's speculation on the apex is based on a value later identified
as erroneous by one of its own proponents. Allen, in his inimitable
style, never gave a precise reference for the so-called Vyssotsky/Van
de Kamp apex, but about twenty years ago, I managed to track down the
original report in the University of Arizona science library. I have
long since lost the original reference, but recall it as one in a
series of reports on various astronomical subjects from the Leander
McCormick Observatory at the University of Virginia. There is in fact a
report by V and V, and it does in fact give the value for the apex
listed by Allen.
HOWEVER (and this is, indeed, a big HOWEVER), in a later report
(which I think was by Vyssotsky and Emma T. R. Williams), this earlier
value is definitely identified as a serious mistake, and the adjusted
value is very close to that which one will find listed in most
astronomical references - and nowhere near any identifiable point in
the Fagan/Allen zodiac. I should also add that BOTH reports were
published several years before he first wrote about the apex, so he
should have known better, especially since he was an amateur
astronomer. I think I may have dealt with this in American Astrology,
perhaps in "Many Things," but it would have been some time ago. I no
longer have access to a library which has this information, but I
suggest that those who do check me (and Allen) out on this before
buying into his flawed theory."

Kenneth Irving
P.O. Box 140713
Staten Island, NY 10314-0713
718-720-9341 voice/fax

"Planetos" - http://members.aol.com/kirving
********************************************************************


* * * *
Both Fagan's PRIMER OF SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY and his ASTROLOGICAL
ORIGINS reference Allen's APEX concept. From the PRIMER:
Together with its planetary escort, the Sun is swirling at the rate
of 375 million miles a year and at a radius of some 30,000 'light-
years' from the centre of our City-Universe; it is estimated some
220,000,000 years will pass before the completion of the circuit. The
direction in the Galaxy taken by the Sun is known as the "Solar Apex."
The astrological world is greatly indebted to Garth Allen for bringing
to its notice the latest determination of the position of this point in
space made by two professors, A.N. Vyssotsky and Peter van de Kamp...
With regard to epoch, 1950.0 they located it in: R.A. 19h 00m plus or
minus a maximum error of six minutes, Decl N 36d00' plus or minus a
maximum error of 1d30'. 1950.0 mean obliquity of the ecliptic
23d26'45".
If we reduce these tropical co-ordinates to those of the sidereal
zodiac, it will be found that the minimum longitude is Sagittarius
26d38', and mean Sagittarius 29d24'; maximum Capricorn is 2d35'; mean
latitude is N 58d14'. In short, the sidereal ongitude of the mean
position of th Apex lies a little over half a degree from Capricorn 0
of the ancient Egypto-babylonian zodiac! These seems little doubt
that, when astronomers eventually succeed in determining the position
of the Apex with greater precision, their result will be found to tally
closely, if not precisely, with the longitude of Capricorn 0 degrees as
computed from Garth Allen's work, "S.V.P. Ephemeris."
Astrologically speaking, this is one of the most important
determinations of modern times. Why? Because it indubitably suggests
that the zodiac of ancient Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Chaldea and India
had its fiducial in only one fixed star, namely, 'the Sun, itself,' and
not in any of its neighbors in the Galaxy. This seem all the more
certain when it is remembered that no fixed star of any magnitude
marked the commencement of any one of the four 'cardinal'
constellations.
* * * *

Garth Allen, "Your Corner," A.A. 12/59
ABOUT ORBITRY...
The Space Age is now well into its third year, counting from the
epoch of Sputnik I's first whoosh around the earth. At this writing,
no less than nine artificial satellites are making their effortless
rounds, while here on the surface the average grandmother and typical
fourth-grader, and all of us in between, have already become used to
the mechanics and terminology of at least elementary astronautics.
"ORBIT" used to be a word with the ring of remoteness to it; now it is
one of the commonest words in our small-talk vocabularies in the
breakfast nook and at the office water-cooler. Nowadays the man and
woman on the street know that the orbit of a satellite is fixed in
space and the reason why it passes over virtually every place below in
predictable succession is that the earth is turning beneath the orbit -
-and not the other way around. In fact, if there were no imbalances in
masses involved to "perturb" the orbit and make it shift in small
amounts, the orbit would be rigidly aligned in space for all time. In
other words, the first principle of orbitry is that any orbit in space
is "sidereal."
We are wondering to what depth the implications of this simplest of
astronomical facts have penetrated the thinking processes of
astrological students. If the zodiac is an eternal verity and has no
physical mass, it cannot be affected by perturbations, so must
logically be fixed in space, in rigid alignment with the stellar
backdrop of the celestial sphere. Give this a good thinking-over, this
law that alignments in space are necessarily sidereal and that shifting
of numerical values in orbits are essentially secondary, local and
physical. And the next time you spy the twinkle of an artificial
satellite racing across the dome of the sky, knowing that it is obeying
cosmic law and maintaining its original relationship to the starry
universe, while you were only accidentally shuttled beneath it by
virtue of the earth's rotation, ask yourself if your astrological
concepts are in keeping with the facts. Don't try to rationalize your
"established convictions" by thinking in terms of interlinking rings
and "Nature's rhythms," and so on, because that would be like trotting
out the casualty list to prove that television wrestling is on the
level. Is your zodiac a natural or a seeming thing? Is the
fundamental plane you conceive of only an illusion of the same kind
that makes you think of the artificial satellite as visiting your area
rather than the truth, that you are visiting its area?
* * *

Garth Allen, "Many Things," A.A. 3/60
The sun's apparent annual path around the celestial sphere is the
ecliptic, so the sun has no latitude in the sense the other planets
have. The ecliptic is not a belt in the sky, but an imaginary line.
The zodiac is traditionally associated with the neighborhood of this
line, leading to the common misbelief that the zodiac is a belt some 16
degrees wide. The width of this belt is quite arbitrary for zodiacal
longitude applies to the entire sphere from ecliptic pole to ecliptic
pole.
It appears that you have confused heliocentric orbiting of the
planets with geocentric phenomena. The planets cross the plane of our
ecliptic twice during their heliocentric cycles of revolution, these
crossing points being the planetary nodes. Geocentrically, these
crossings appear to take place at random around the zodiac; they are
not really random, but there seems to be no consistency between the
date of crossing and position in longitude, though there are repeating
cycles, i.e., Mercury's pattern repeats in 13 years. Astrologically,
therefore, the events could not represent sameness of the influence.
Distance apparently is not a vital factor in astrology, but this is
not surprising in the light of the Theory of Relativity. The key
proposition of relativity is that light reaches an observer at the same
speed, no matter what the speed, either toward or away from the source
of light, of the observer! This is opposed to all common sense and
experience, but this proposition has been proved to be a basic law of
the universe. That influential bodies in astrology, of differing
masses and distances, seem to have equal intensity and significances,
is therefore no more implausible than the same-velocity characteristic
of light. It is hard to believe, but true!
* * * *

Garth Allen, "Your Corner," A.A. 5/60
Getting the Message
Though we have long harped on the theme that the standard zodiac is
a purely terrestrial affair, not existing in space and surely not
adaptable to a heliocentric scheme (which has been done, strangely
enough, to the point where a tropical-heliocentric zodiac represents
one of modern astrology's "schools"), the simple astronomical truth
just doesn't seem to be grasped by most students. It is to be lamented
that the average devotee of our subject carries in his mind a blurry
picture of a great solar system encompassing zodiacal fence with
sharply defined posts commencing with one marked by the classical Aires
symbol. We are entering the space age and soon there will be human
beings detached from their home planet, circulating in regions where
tropical coordinates will have no meaning whatever. Are space
travelers to be zodiacless? Of course not, for the natural zodiac is a
celestial frame of reference completely independent of Earthbound
calendaric peculiarities.
Only weeks after Sputnik I had the world in a lather of excitement,
a bevy of scientists, members of the American Geophysical Union,
converged on the joint campuses of the Harvard College Observatory and
the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, for a Conference on
Contemporary Geodesy. While space navigation was not on the agenda of
the meeting, the matter inevitably came up. Having read the papers and
the recorded notes of the discussions, I was impressed by the
similarity of the problem of an astronautical reference system to this
matter of the tropical zodiac's nonexistence in outer space. Away from
the Earth there is no right ascension, declination, or tropical
longitude, which calls for a purely sidereal reference point--the stars
are always there.
The Air Force's Directorate of Operations, Missile Branch, Mr.
Claude F. Gilchrist, remarked during one session: "We cannot use
celestial latitude and longitude since the vernal equinox is inherent
to the position of the Earth and would be of little use when we are
millions of miles from the Earth. We then must adopt another zero
point for outer space. I just wondered how much thought you had given
to this." MIT's Walter Wrigley responded with "The reference would
probably be Sun-centered with a major star-oriented reference." The
missile specialist countered, "One suggestion would be to adopt the
ecliptic as the plane of reference and the star Regulus as the zero
point. Regulus is only slightly inclined to the ecliptic and satisfies
the condition for a fixed point."
In the time since, astronautics has developed at an amazingly rapid
clip to become a major concern of the public and of the world's
governments. In a recent technical release the USAF outlines the issue
of the problem of reference points in considerable detail, and we quote
at length, knowing the subject to be of deep interest to astrological
students:
"From the viewpoint of an inhabitant of the Earth, attached to this
planet and navigating solely on the ground, sea, or in the thin layer
of air forming the atmosphere which rotates with the Earth in space, a
co-ordinate reference system (either rectangular or polar) attached to
the Earth is fully satisfactory. The situation is radically changed,
however, when it is planned to navigate the vehicle in outer space.
First, and quite obviously, a co-ordinate system with respect to which
a vehicle's positions and velocities will be measured must be
completely detached from the Earth's surface. Furthermore, a co-
ordinate reference system adequate for space navigation must be of the
so-called inertial type--that is, it must be non-rotating and
nonaccelerating....
"A necessity for stellar reference points in space arises from the
imperfections of the basic inertial device, the gyroscope. The
gyroscope is the only fully practical instrument which permits direct
and independent stabilization in inertial space and theoretically, if
perfect, would suffice to establish an inertial co-ordinate reference
system for a space vehicle. The imperfections of the gyroscope are due
to so-called 'drift,' that is, gradual wandering of the spin axis in
space under the influence of various spurious turning moments or
torques. These torques acting on the gyroscope result primarily from
minute unbalances coupled with forces due to accelerations acting on
the instrument....A nonrotating co-ordinate system is required for
space navigation...."
If you followed all that, you got the message! Notice that the
whole issue is identical with the astrological problem of the zodiacs.
It's all there, including the artificialness of a perspective based on
the action of PRECESSION. The tropical zodiac is purely Earth-based
and has a strictly spurious "drift" called precession, which is just a
local effect caused by the fact that the Sun, Moon and planets do not
lie in the plane of the Earth's equator. Positions referred to this
spurious movement have no relationship to anything extant in creation.
The infinitely surrounding universe is not beholden to, or amenable to
logical division by, anything so trivial as the tinker-toy system based
upon seasonal orientations. Now as long as everything in astrology
that has "influence" is apart from the Earth, any natural zodiac cannot
possibly be defined by local reference points. It seems that the boys
in training for Project Mercury know more about the essentials of
horoscopy than those who claim the art as their own! If the zodiac
exists in the cosmos "it must be nonrotating and nonaccelerating." Get
the message now?
* * *

GARTH ALLEN, "Your Corner." A.A. 5/63
It just struck us: When astronauts finally set foot on the Moon's
surface, what new gimmicks will arise to affect their personal
horoscopes? Horoscopewise, will the planet Earth represent a new
influential fearture and the Moon, "Luna Firma" under their feet, cease
to have its usual significance? There surely won't be a tropical
zodiac "up there" since you have to be on the Earth's surface to have
the tropical zodiac "exist" at all, even mathematically. The sidereal
zodiac, of course, will be there in all its power and glory, with
nothing diminished and nothing "displace." But will our boys
experience Terra Returns in lieu of Lunar Returns? Imagine trying to
cpy with a Demi-Terra. Astronomically, there is no real problem in all
this--unless you are still thinking in tropical terms, when the move to
the Moon poses real troubles. But then there are real troubles for the
tropical scheme here on Earth, too. Think about this.
* * *

GARTH ALLEN, "Your Corner," A.A. 8/60
ANOTHER MILESTONE
It is the fate of any writer that readers generally seldom agree
with him about the evaluation of a written contribution. Around once a
year [this column] comes forth with something this writer considers
momentous in the advancement of astrology as a science, because it
solves a major problem in theory or represents a significant discovery
having practical use. Sometimes it even hurts that "nobody" seems to
have noticed a thing, while readers by the droves think something of
space-filling lighter vein is Simply Wonderful and they go out of
their way to let us know they liked it. Well, here's a piece that
yours truly considers the MOST VALUABLE development in many a moon,
perhaps in years.
In the roughly fifteen years since the search for the dynamic basis
originally underlying the science of astrology, we have known that the
framework was sidereal, that is astronomical and not geographical.
During all this time, we have made remarkable progress toward an
astrological reconstruction, thanks primarily to Cyril Fagan, but we
have always been handicapped by a lack of something natural which we
could point to as the mainspring of the zodiacal circuit. We latched
merrily onto the Spica ultraviolet nebula, because its discovery by
rocket astronomy gave the boundary of 0 degrees Libra a physical
uniqueness in the sky.
And now, finally, modern astronomy has been overhauling many of its
own constants and come up with an astounding fact--that the position of
the SOLAR APEX in the sky is several degrees of declination, and an
hour of right ascension "off" of where the textbooks have placed it for
almost a century! Scientists have not actually been "wrong" because
for decades they have known that the true Apex was quite removed from
the position being used, so they called it the "classical Apex,"
meaning that it was more traditional than actual. The classical Apex
was located through study of the relative motions of stars near the
neighborhood of the solar system in space. But the Galaxy contains
more than a billion stars and the determination had been based only
upon a few hundred near-by stars. Recently, the results of a new study
of 18,000 telescopic stars were published, settling once and for all,
within one and a half degrees on the celestial sphere, where this
pivotal point really lies.
The scholarly among our readers will appreciate the feelings we had
when we "astrologized" this point and, wonder of wonders, its ecliptic
longitude for the epoch 1950.0 fell at 24 degrees of the tropical sign
Capricorn!
That one sentence was worth setting off as a whole paragraph. Just
think this over. THE MOST BASIC ASTRONOMICAL POINT IN THE ENTIRE
HEAVENS "JUST HAPPENS" TO HAVE 0 DEGREES SIDEREAL CAPRICORN AS ITS
ECLIPTIC LONGITUDE. At long last the sidereal zodiac has been provided
with an incontrovertible fiducial that exists both mechanically and
dynamically in the universe as the primum mobile of our galactic
existence. The very structure and rotation of our Galaxy turns out to
be the key to the zodiacal concept and in a very literal, physical
sense.
What gives the Solar Apex this distinction? Why is it so important?
For the benefit of students and readers not quite hep to astronomy,
we'll try to demonstrate the answers.
Figure 3 [OMITTED]: The Earth's orbit through space is a
corkscrew motion.
We are so accustomed to visualizing the Earth's orbit around the Sun
as a flat ellipse on paper that we often forget that the path of our
planet through space is in reality a kind of gigantic corkscrew.
Figure 3 makes this easy to understand, illustrating the fact that in
the year's time it takes the Earth to move around the Sun once (roughly
Pi times 2 times 93 million miles, or 584 million miles per
revolution), the Sun itself has forged on through space, revolving
around the center of our galaxy a distance of 375 million miles, which
means that every day we are 375 million miles away from where we were
just one year ago even though we are again in the very same degree of
longitude, and likewise the Sun, that we occupied 365 1/4 days back.
We spiral through space to keep pace with the Sun. And the direction
the Sun is moving is called the Solar Apex. The opposite point on the
celestial sphere, away from which we are moving, is called the Antapex.
How this direction is ascertained is apple-pie easy, theoretically,
for it is a simple matter of watching other objects apparently move in
relationship to our own motion. The difficulty, in actual practice, of
locating the Apex exactly was because stars are all at varying
distances and the rate of their shift against the background of each
other is a matter of distance. When you drive your car down the
highway the near-by telephone poles, billboards and buildings zip by
fast while structures a block away on either side seem to pass more
slowly, while distant hills barely budge. Yet all these things are
moving relative to your car.
In the old days when astronomers did not have the equipment blessing
their efforts nowadays, they made their estimates of the position of
the Apex only from telephone poles, as it were. With all the
technological advances of recent years they were able to tackle the
Apex problem more accurately--using the country-side as a whole. Old
astronomy books, therefore, place the "Standard Apex of the Sun's Way"
at right ascension 18h 0m, north declination 30d. Medium old books
list it at 18h 04m and variously 30d, 31d or 34d north declination. It
was Benjamine Boss of star-catalog fame who pushed it several degrees
north of its classical declination. Then, as now, the coordinates of
the Apex remain in round numbers, as degrees, because the specific
point is actually indeterminate.
Through the massive research of Professors A. N. Vyssotsky and Peter
van de Kamp, the radically changed position turns out to be 19h 0m,
plus or minus a tenth of an hour or 6 minutes (in arc, 1-1/2 degrees),
36 degrees north, plus or minus 1-1/2 degrees. As you can see, there
is still a margin for error because the precise point is undetectable
for geometrical reasons. (Most stellar shifts in a year's time amount
to mere thousandths of a second of arc, and these microscopic streaks
are projected, from all parts of the sky, to their general juncture in
the Apex region. Naturally, working with such tiny values is maddening
and only a "statistical" value, based upon averages, is achievable.)
Figure 4 [OMITTED]: The stars en masse appear to diverge
away from the Apex and converge toward the Antapex.
The practical effect of solar movement toward the Apex is shown in
figure 4, and we have taken the liberty of entering the sidereal
zodiac's lines marking 0d Cancer and Capricorn to dramatize the fact
that the principal motion of the solar system is geared to the true
zodiac, after all. The stars' shifts are exaggerated for graphic
purposes, of course, but you can see that as the Sun and its family of
planets move through space toward the Apex, the stars appear to be
shooting away from the point we are headed for. Similarly, the stars
all over the sky appear to verge toward the Antapex. In a circle 90
degrees from these axial points, the shifts are longest, which is why
it is easiest to measure these arcs that are farthest from the points
of Apex and Antapex where the stars seem hardly to move at all (the old
railroad-track illusion, caused by perspective and distance).
Figure 5 [OMITTED]: The Cygnus-Lyra Region of the sky showing
how the longitude of the SOLAR APEX coincides with 0 Capricorn
of the sidereal zodiac.
The last figure, 5, is a star map for the Apex region of the sky
occupied by the familiar constellations Lyra and Cygnus and the bright
stars Vega, Deneb and Albireo. The circled area is the established
place of the Apex with its possible margin for error (1-1/2 degrees).
Naturally, as with anything celestial, the coordinates of the Apex are
subject to precessional change, which means the point is "fixed" to all
intents and purposes among the stars. Across the diagram we have drawn
the line of 0 degrees Capricorn in the sidereal zodiac. Measurement
shows this line to pierce the Apex circle and cross the Vyssotsky
center within less than a degree! This can hardly be a "coincidence."
Astrology finally has something literally cosmic to go on now for we
have found the long-sought "missing link" that puts the true zodiac on
physical footing. For the benefit of serious students we have computed
the exact 1950.0 right ascensions of the line of 0d00'00" Capricorn for
every degree of declination within 4 degrees of Vyssotsky's declination
of the Apex, as follows:

1950.0 EQUATORIAL EQUIVALENTS OF THE GREAT-CIRCLE LINE
DEFINING SYNETIC LONGITUDE 270d00'00".00
North Right Ascension
Declination Time ARC
d ' " h m s d ' "
32 00 00.00 19 07 27.305 286 51 49.57
33 00 00.00 19 06 33.098 286 38 16.47
34 00 00.00 19 05 37.402 286 24 21.03
35 00 00.00 19 04 40.123 286 10 01.84
36 00 00.00 19 03 41.162 285 55 17.43
37 00 00.00 19 02 40.412 285 40 06.18
38 00 00.00 19 01 37.763 285 24 26.35
39 00 00.00 19 00 33.072 285 08 16.08
40 00 00.00 18 59 26.233 284 51 33.49

Assuming that the Apex is precisely at 36d north declination (which
it cannot possibly be for obvious reasons, even if precession were not
a fact), the difference of 221.162 seconds in right ascension equates
to an actual great-circle arc of 0d32'29".34, hardly more than half a
degree! This finding surely represents the most startling development
on the astrological scene in years. When Cyril Fagan dug up the Spica
fiducial, then improved it via discovering the rationale of the
exaltation degrees, followed by revelation of further improvement that
led to coinage of the term synetic longitude, we had nothing more to go
on than that the "thing" worked and made sense out of the hodge podge
of astrological lore.
And again we face the apparent enigma of ancient adeptness: How did
astrology's founders, without real instrumentation that we know of,
discern the true skeleton of zodiacal organization in the sky, when
even modern scientists had to await the middle of the twentieth century
before they were able to pinpoint the Apex? The answer, quite
automatically, is that astrology was founded upon observation of
astrological effects and our forebears discovered the coordinates of
the zodiac in much the same manner we tracked down the synetic vernal
point, to wit, through study of actual observed effects. Take careful
note of the fact that the bulk of the opposition to sidereal astrology
nowadays comes from people who do not, because they will not, and are
provocatively frank in not wanting to, study actual cases. They prefer
to believe, and oppose.
* * *

Garth Allen, "Your Corner," A.A. 2/61
NATURE'S GEOMETRY
Ever hear of a terella? Neither had we until we braved the
formidably technical pages of the 56 scientific papers bound together
as a book named Electromagnetic Phenomena in Cosmical Physics. With
financial help from UNESCO, the International Astronomical Union was
able to publish the full set of papers presented during the several
sessions of the last world-wide contention of astronomers in 1956. The
IAU Symposium on Electromagnetic Phenomena in Cosmical Physics was held
in Sweden as one of six different conclaves devoted to various
subjects.
One of the papers described laboratory experiments with a terella.
Well, a terella turns out to be a metal ball used as a model of the
planet Earth. The experiments showed how neatly such a model actually
duplicates the known natural reactions of the Earth to internal electro
-magnetism and external radiation forces. Photographs of the terella
taken in the light of its own glow-patterns impressively illustrate the
characteristic seasonal changes in auroral activity, proving the
eccentricity of the auroral zones to be a result of the obliquity of
the ecliptic. There is also a diurnal variation in the frequency of
auroras which the mental ball faithfully reproduces.
Such demonstrations are of interest to astrologers chiefly for what
light they may shed on the problems of planetary influences. The
terella stunt, for a good example, proves that it would be an error to
try to causally connect seasonal patterns with the tropical zodiac
framework, or the sidereal for that matter, unless astrological
concepts are given a drastic overhaul. The reason: the Earth's
magnetic field is not aligned with the standard geographical coordinate
system, but with geomagnetic latitudes and longitudes which differ
considerably from their geographical counterparts. Perhaps one day a
form of magnetic-field astrology will come into use, though not in our
lifetimes, and when it does, it will bear little or no resemblance to
present-day horoscopy.
Other revelations in that same volume, however, are more immediately
helpful to our present understanding of astrology. Papers 36 through
40, each by a different scientist, are awesomely to the point. To give
you an idea of their topics, and perhaps whet the curiosity of the
brainier sort of reader, consider these titles: The 27-Day Variation
in Cosmic Ray Intensity and in Geomagnetic Activity; Correlation
between Cosmic Ray Intensity and Geomagnetic Activity; Solar Production
and Modulation of Cosmic Rays, and Their Propagation Through
Interplanetary Space; The Anisotropy of Primary Cosmic Radiation and
the Electromagnetic State in Interplanetary Space; Separation of
Extraterrestrial Variations in Cosmic Ray Intensity and Atmospheric
Effects.
Forbidding titles, true, but what each exposition is trying to put
across can be grasped by the nontechnical reader who reads slowly and
carefully. What they all boil down to is that there definitely are
interlinking geometric phenomenal fields through which forces
(influences, to you) are propagated through space from one body to
another, all hooked up with a backdrop field to which all the lesser
fields are subordinate. This is the interstellar field, aligned with
the universe of stars and having natural coordinates arising from the
galactic layout. In plainer words, the structure of all radiative
activity in space is sidereal. There is not scientific evidence of any
kind, not even when it comes to study of seasonal effects, for a
tropical-based system of reference. To scientifically-mined students
of astrology, of course, this is no surprise. No particle, plasma,
beam or "vibration" of extra-terrestrial origin can possibly "know
about" the tropical zodiac until its strikes the Earth and look back,
as it were, for the tropical zodiac is a purely man-made scheme of
things.
Guess where on the celestial sphere physicists found the lines of
magnetic force to be emanating from? Yes, just ninety degrees from the
SOLAR APEX--at that point in great-circle square aspect from both the
center of the Galaxy and the Apex! Readers will recall that in a
recent installment of [Your Powwow Corner] we proved that the position
of the Solar Apex agrees exactly with the fiducial point of the
sidereal zodiac. Now scientists come up with the fact that serves as
another missing link in celestial geometrics. Lo and behold, Fagan's
reconstructed zodiac is independently given all-out corroboration by
scientists to whom the very word zodiac is apt to require a cuss for an
adjective.
Where to get hold of Symposium No. 6 of the IAU? It sells for
$10.00 through the publisher, Cambridge University Press, whose
American branch office is at 32 East 57th St., New York 22, N.Y. We
doubt, however, that many astrologers will want to part with half a
sawbuck for something that is guaranteed to puncture any and all
equinoctial balloons. Not even those effects known to be of a seasonal
nature, and hence apparently tied in with the global gimmick that gives
rise to the equinoxes and solstices, have any real connection with the
geometric scheme that has come to be accepted as the zodiac.
* * *

"Many Things," American Astrology 3/71
[Regarding the commonest misunderstanding about the sidereal
zodiac.] The term constellation is used by an astrologer only to
distinguish the dozen zodiacal zones, which are all exactly 30 degrees
of longitude in width, from the word sign which through broad usage has
come to be more closely associated with the tropical scheme (even
though the word sign itself is clearly sidereal in derivation!)
Sidereally speaking, a sign is a great lune representing one-twelfth of
the entire celestial sphere, with the horns of the lune converging at
the ecliptic poles--and therefore has nothing directly to do with the
classical star-outlined figure straddling the ecliptic which gave the
zone its name.
Modern astronomers have allocated various areas on the celestial
sphere to "constellations" roughly grouped according to tradition but
using the equatorial system for their boundaries; right ascension and
declination are more convenient coordinates for astronomical purposes.
In this nonastrological set-up, the modern boundaries of Ophiuchus and
Cetus do protrude into what is called the "zodiacal belt" even though,
as far as astrologers are concerned, the zodiac should never be thought
of as a belt or band of discrete width centered on the ecliptic. For
instance, no matter how far from the ecliptic they may be, each of the
stars of the Little Dipper--including Polaris itself--has a zodiacal
longitude and latitude, expressible in either tropical or sidereal
terms.
To repeat for emphasis, the 12 zones of the sidereal zodiac are
each 30 degrees in extent and are absolutely independent of the
individual stars and the artifices of star lore. The FIDUCIAL LINE,
technically speaking, is determined by a perpendicular drawn to the
ecliptic from the SOLAR APEX in absolute space; it is only a welcome
happenstance that certain of the brighter stars have longitudes close
to convenient divisions in the sidereal signs, such as Aldebaran at 15
degrees Taurus, Antares at 15 degrees Scorpio, Alcyone and Regulus at 5
degrees of Taurus and Leo respectively, and the traditional "tail
stars" in the last two degrees of the sidereal divisions they belong
to.
* * *

"Many Things - Research Dept.(G. Allen)," A.A. 3/72
A question from a reader dated Nov. 21, 1971: In your Many Things
for 12/71, you comment that "no single star, owing to proper motion,
could possibly be the sole determinant of the sidereal zodiac. In
fact, the stars and traditional constellations are not at all
germane to the structure of the sidereal zodiac." ...Just what does
determine the sidereal zodiac?

COMMENT: The simplest, most basic things are often the most
difficult to describe in elementary terms, but we'll try. Let's start
with the PHYSICS OF THE PENDULUM. The reason the swinging-plane of a
pendulum gradually rotates as the hours of a day pass by is that its
mass in motion is beholden to the rest of the universe and not to the
immediate environment or to you, the observer of the phenomenon. The
friction-free pendulum keeps swinging in the same direction, with
respect to the stars in their entirety, and the apparent rotation of
this direction is due to the turning of the Earth on its axis. The
pendulum ignores terrestrial rotation in favor of the totality of mass
within the whole universe.
In fact, anything and everything in motion moves within the frame of
reference of the universe as a whole. There are now thousands of
artificial satellites revolving around the Earth. If one of them, for
example, is seen to pass overhead, a couple of hours later it will
cross your sky considerably to the west of the zenith. It hasn't
changed the plane in which it revolves, but you on the Earth's surface
have changed position with respect to the body's orbital plane. Within
our Machian cosmos, anything and everything in motion moves only in
terms of sidereal space, by which is meant the total distribution of
matter throughout the continuum of the universe. When you twirl an
object on a string around your head, the centrifugal pull away from
you, more intense the faster the motion, is the net result of all the
matter in existence tugging at the object from all directions.
Take a toy gyroscope and hold it while it is spinning. It will
fiercely resist any of your efforts to shift its angular position,
because it is directionally locked to all the stars and galaxies
existing throughout space-time. Gyrocompasses in modern aircraft and
ocean-going vessels keep perfect track of directions free of even
magnetic interference by virtue of this same sidereal principle. No
object in space, no pebble and no planet, knows anything about the
vernal equinox, for instance, or any other imaginary parameter of the
ambient. All existence is geared to the sidereal universe. This is
why it is meaningless to describe a planet's period of revolution
around the Sun in other than sidereal terms. And this is why we state
that the zodiac exists in space-time independently of individual stars,
and certainly independently of cultural artifices like constellation-
visualizing. The divisions of the sidereal zodiac are similar to the
planes of crystallization within a mineral--from every point of
observation within the crystal the directional planes are the same to
the observer who always seems to be at the center of the molecular
lattice.
The artifices of ancient culture provide us with handy names and
definitions of the structure and functions of the zodiac as used in
astrology. But the zodiac would still be there whether or not there
was a human being around to label its parts and interpret its contents.
And the zodiac would still be there, quite intact as the natural
"grain" of space-time, even it there weren't a single star outside the
solar system bright enough to be visible here, let alone bright enough
to earn a name and accumulate a traditional significance.
For all practical purposes, however, one may legitimately refer to
constellations when speaking of the sectors of the sidereal zodiac--but
these are not to be taken literally as the classical figures. It has
been established beyond question that the civilizations which
originated the zodiacal concept considered the divisions of the zodiac
to be exactly 30 degrees (or six pentades) in width, and that these
divisions themselves, rather than the happenstance star arrangements
within them, are the astrologically viable signs. Knowledge along this
line is so readily accessible, it is a mystery why there are so many
astrological writers and "teachers" who continue to exhibit ignorance
by confusing what is popularly called "constellations," as reorganized
by the International Astronomical Union into meaningless areas bounded
by right ascension and declination, with the astrologically valid
structuring of the celestial sphere. It is not a question of
differences of opinion; it is a matter of knowing what one is talking
about.
From astrology's earliest formalizations, the conspicuous groups of
the brighter stars which have visual appeal have not been essential to
the actual makeup of the zodiac. The manner in which the sky was
anciently divided alone proves this. This is why we deplored the
widespread amount of misinformation one can encounter in connection
with this subject--even some of the most enthusiastic devotees of
sidereal astrology tend to think of their zodiac more in terms of
nighttime vistas and Renaissance woodcuts than in terms of astronomical
and historical realities.
The fixed stars are not really fixed, of course, and earn that
adjective only by dint of the slowness with which they move against the
infinite backdrop. They have small motions of their own as well as
apparent motions dictated by the solar system's own movement around the
galactic center. The point on the celestial sphere toward which we are
being carried is called the APEX OF THE SUN'S WAY. The Apex may be
crucial in any ultimate definition of just what the zodiac is and why.
How important the Apex is can be appreciated by a little mental
exercise. Imagine having a wide-angle camera that takes a picture of
the night sky centered on the Apex once every 100 years. Take one
photograph every century for millions of years, and then project them
rapidly in sequence as a motion picture. On the screen you would see
what resembles a meteor shower with the stars apparently shooting out
of the apical radiant. Viewing the film would give the sensation of
riding a topless elevator through ever-changing starfields. A similar
string of pictures of the Anti-apex, the opposite pivot on the
celestial sphere, would look like a remote point of convergence for the
shooting stars--a backward view fro the rising elevator. So you see,
the individual stars come and go, and their patterns keep changing with
time, but the overall framework of sidereal space remains intact.
It is not known for certain, at this stage of astrology's
development, if the axis of the spherical sidereal zodiac is exactly or
only nearly parallel to the direction of the Apex. However, a
perpendicular dropped from this point on the celestial sphere to the
plane of the ecliptic (and to the invariable plane of the solar system,
within reasonable limits) appears to define the point and plane of 0
degrees Capricorn. If so, then the sidereal zodiac is spatially local
and is being continuously generated by the Sun's tunneling through
space. (Don't let the idea of a local system disturb you; by contrast,
the tropical zodiac is so much more localized that it momentarily
ceases to exist for anyone who jumps one inch off the Earth's surface!)
But even if restricted to local parameters, the fact remains that the
components of any and all motions within this great "zodiacal cell,"
whose nucleus is the solar system, are oriented sidereally--it couldn't
be otherwise. In fact, that simple phrase says it best in answer to
all questions regarding the zodiac--that is, it couldn't be otherwise.
**********************************************************************


Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," A. A. August 1956
COSMIC DIVISION?
Is the division of the zodiacal circle into twelve equal
constellations artificial--a mere schematic convenience--or is it
natural and cosmic in character? We are, of course, aware that the
zodiac was divided into twelve unequal constellations in the Graeco-
Roman star maps of the late period, and modified versions of these are
reproduced in modern star atlases. But the zodiac was always divided
into twelve equal constellations by the Babylonians and Egyptians as
abundantly testified by the numerous cuneiform and demotic texts that
have been preserved. In antiquity the year was lunar, and in a solar
year there are twelve lunar months with eleven days remaining over, and
it is generally held that the zodiac was duodenarly divided to
approximate the twelve months of the lunar year, and that such a
division was a mere schematic convenience having no intrinsic
astronomical or astrological basis.
The credit of scientifically establishing that the duodenary
division is, in fact truly cosmic in character, not mere schematism,
rests with Donald A. Bradley, who in his Profession and Birthdate
statistically demonstrates such to be the case. In his review of
Bradley's book, Peter Roberts, himself an able statistician, remarks,
"Mr. Bradley...employs an interesting statistical technique to find
simultaneously whether there is a duodenary cycle of distribution among
the 360 degree length of the ecliptic and if this is so, the position
of the starting point for each 30 degree interval which gives rise to
the greatest disparity, with a chance distribution. The first part of
this test is tantamount to asking whether there are twelve signs: and
the answer is very satisfactorily in accord with astrological
tradition. It emerges that the arrangement of twelve 30 degree
intervals yields a better interpretation of the results, than say,
seven signs of 41.3/7 degrees or thirteen signs of 27.9/13 degrees.
This result is, I think, of tremendous importance. However confident
we may feel of the validity of traditional astrology, a carefully
conducted test of this character is most necessary and alone suffices
to disturb the less bigoted skeptics..." Bradley, himself, writes of
his results: "The implications are startling; the 30 degree
fundamental interval has successfully passed the test of significance.
One peak and one trough is in evidence, with the peak itself far
exceeding the .05 and .01 levels, approaching the .00l mark with the
trough dropping low beneath the necessary .05 line....The peak of
influence found is the seventh degree of the tropical signs! and...it
is astonishing to say the least, that the constellation center at 7d
58' of the tropical signs..."
So in this remarkable brochure, which should be in the hands of all
earnest students of astrology, Bradley not merely demonstrates that the
duodenary division of the zodiac is a fact in nature, but also that the
troughs of the distribution synchronize with the beginnings of the
ancient Babylonian constellations, while the peaks with their centers.
In short, Bradley is the first investigator, using scientifically
approved statistical methods, to demonstrate the verity of the Sidereal
zodiac.
* * *


Garth Allen, "Your Corner," A.A. February 1960
THERE IS A WAY
There is a way--a simple, obvious way--to win for astrology the
respect of the rational professions, both religious and scientific, and
to once and for all make official efforts to suppress horoscopy a thing
of the past. This way is merely to prove that astrology is a sound
concept, verifiable by both scientific test and personal experience.
There is a fly in the ointment here, though, so far as the vast
majority in our field are concerned. Enough genuine research has
already been racked up in modern astrology to represent a solid core of
evidence that our science is valid. This appreciable progress has been
achieved despite the henhouse din and demand that astrology be kept oh-
so-folksy at the public level. If such research has been accomplished,
what then is wrong? The answer is simple: The facts that have been
garnered so far, while clearly proving the existence of zodiacal and
planetary influences, have a flavoring that is distasteful to many who
class themselves as professional practitioners.
It seems that the findings have proved something more than they
should rightfully have proved, and that unwelcome revelation is the
necessity for a wholesale reformation of concept and working-base.
This state of affairs has, of course, been unpalatable to the pros who
have reacted to the disclosures with a more unscientific attitude than
they justly accuse the skeptics of having. This reaction has kept
astrology in a kind of limbo that permits the suppression campaigns to
wax hotly and, sad to say, successfully. Every inch of ground gained
by these campaigns is an indictment of every "qualified" astrologer who
read a genuine research report, went to bed and woke the next morning
without altering what he had believed two days before.
The basis of astrology is so easy to prove sound that it has always
struck yours truly as ridiculous that my colleague's eyes glaze over
confusedly when the subject or research is brought up. This is
strange, because every few weeks we run across batches of data which
consistently furnish the needed ammunition. For instance, on the heels
of last month's statistical array of prize fighters' birthdates, we
were furnished by Rupert Gleadow with a tabulation of the Sun's degree
frequencies on the birthdates of no less than 7,354 British physicians.
The stream of workable data is slow but continuous and, what is more,
reliable. There's no real shortage of raw information to subject to
either statistical or individual analysis. Lack of usable material
cannot be used as an excuse for failure to help the cause of
astrology's respectability.
The very first premise on which all of astrology rests is the
existence of the zodiac. By zodiac we mean a division of celestial
longitude into twelve equal sectors which act as modulators on
planetary influences. There is a remarkably easy method for
ascertaining the existence of such a twelvefold compartmentalizing of
the celestial sphere. Regular readers of this department are already
familiar with the technique, or at least it final stages, and anybody
versed in statistical methodology automatically knows the how and why
of it. It is called the chi-square test and there is not one single
science where learning it can be avoided at the college level, if a
degree is to be earned. You need not be college-educated to master it,
either, for all you have to have is a dollar and a free evening and the
gumption to put both to good use.
It was a mental thrill to us when Mr. Gleadow kindly supplied us
with the degree-frequency list because samples as large as 7,354 items
for a single category--in this case, the medical profession--are rarely
come by. Not being a mathematics enthusiast by temperament, Rupert
Gleadow had not himself given the array a statistical treatment and was
probably unaware of what would emerge from one. What emerged was proof
of the existence of the zodiac--pure, unadulterated proof of the kind
that scientists respect.
The rub is that the zodiac it proved doesn't jibe with the divisions
of the sky which our professionals insist it should. And guess where
this literally existing zodiac falls? Yep, right where the sidereal
astrologers say it does. The "heretics," as a prominent British
astrologer of tropical persuasion recently described siderealists, have
again been proved right--as per usual in the history of any science.
It doesn't take much gray matter to appreciate the message in the
accompanying diagram. As with the other now-familiar graphs of the
chi-square test, the values marked are for thirty different theoretical
zodiacs, each with "signs" having centers at successively numbered
degrees of the so-called standard tropical zodiac. The center of the
graph, at the line marked 15 degrees, represents the doctor's Sun-sign
distribution as ordinarily conceived.
SCIENTIFIC THEORY REQUIRES THAT IF A TWELVEFOLD DIVISION OF THE
ECLIPTIC is VALID, A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF ALL POSSIBLE DIVISIONS
IN NATURAL SEQUENCE WILL SHOW ONE GENERAL CREST OF HIGH VALUES AND ONE
GENERAL TROUGH. If the peak of the variations falls in significantly
high regions, and the dip in a mathematically insignificant area, the
test validates the authenticity of the system of divisions originally
used which, in this case, is the "zodiac." The validation stems from
the fact that the element of chance is reasonably ruled out as an
acceptable cause for the variations observed.
Study the illustration--it is an inspiring demonstration of the
reality of the sidereal zodiac. As for the tropical: Sorry, fellows--
like many another such test, it falls only accidentally between the
peak and trough. But then, in no real astrological test that we have
knowledge of has it ever been otherwise.
[Graph Omitted: Natal Suns of 7,354 Medics. Chi-Square Values of
Each of Thirty Hypothetical Zodiacs]
The chi-square test by itself does not directly answer the question
whether the true zodiac is off by 6 or 7 degrees from the centers of
the "signs" of the tropical division, or by its sign-complement of 23
or 24 degrees in the other direction. This is where subjective
treatment must be resorted to. As with our pugilists last month, this
is only too easy for the medics. The division of the tropical zodiac
with the very lowest number of doctors' births is the sign Sagittarius-
-traditionally the physician's sign in astrological history! (This is
reminiscent of the fact that the tropical sign with the fewest prize-
fighters is Scorpio, traditionally the fightingest of all the signs.)
This writer finds it difficult to accuse astronomers and priests of
unreasoning prejudice in pronouncing astrology to be rubbish, when the
most elementary of "standard" astrology's precepts fall flat in a nose-
count.
By shifting the twelve sections so that the tradition commences to
justify itself and genuine astrology is vindicated, it becomes apparent
that the true [sidereal] zodiac is 23 or 24 degrees out of step with
the conventional [tropical] one--the one that causes all the trouble
because it causes so little of anything else. Such statements arouse
protests galore among those who are most to blame for the predicament
modern astrology finds itself in from time to time--at the mercy of
those star witnesses for the prosecution to whom our "science" is so
senile it doesn't have enough intellectual appeal to warrant honest
investigation. * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

Garth Allen, "Your Corner," A.A. January 1960
IN THIS CORNER
DOWN FOR THE COUNT: ...The table herewith shows the individual
degree frequencies of the Sun's placement at Greenwich noon for every
boxer in the Boxing Encyclopedia whose birthdate was given, a total of
1,113 men in all. The framework here is entirely tropical and the
degrees are used as spaces and not points. That is, the degree called
1d is the space between 0d00' and 0d59' of each sign, and so on. The
table that everybody is interested in, though, is the following tally
of the actual numbers born under the twelve signs and the twelve
constellations.

NATAL SUNS OF 1,113 PUGILISTS Tropical Sidereal
Aries 97 95
Taurus 102 97
Gemini 95 102
Cancer 94 88
Leo 86 76
Virgo 76 100
Libra 105 74
Scorpio 72 90
Sagittarius 96 97
Capricorn 92 95
Aquarius 108 95
Pisces 90 104

The three highest in the tropical series are Aquarius, Libra and
Taurus, Hey, what's Libra doing in there? The lowest is Sco--is
Scorpio!? And by a statistically significant ratio, too. In fact, the
only "critical ration" that is scientifically significant in the whole
shebang of both zodiacs in this shortage of fighters born under
tropical Scorpio!
SCORPIO THE SCRAPPER: It doesn't take much gray matter to see that
something is terribly wrong here, and to appreciate the utter failure
of the tropical system in this distribution alone. Libra one of the
leaders and Scorpio the scarcest of the lot! Again we see that
whenever an actual test is conducted, the sidereal comes out ahead when
the ballots are counted. In the sidereal division of the ecliptic the
lowest rating is Libra, in truth the least violence-prone of the
zodiacal groups. Runner-up for lowest score is Leo, which sidereally
is held to be a mild-mannered constellation or, as Manilius himself
wrote it, "But plain and honest, in all their thoughts sincere; pure as
the sun, and like the water clear." Evidently the crudity of the
boxing game is not attractive to Leonians....
Of all the signs, Scorpio is perennially caricatured as "the
scrapper of the zodiac," the born fighter, of unparalleled courage to
the point of scorning pain if a prize or cause is at stake, and on and
on with similar stock phrases. One would suppose that, if astrology as
taught is true, the sign Scorpio would be prominently represented in
the fighting profession. But it doesn't even approach its rightful
share, its "average" expectancy. On the other hand, its celestial
neighbor Libra is right in there punching.
Now let's not hear any talk that the "natural 7th sign" accords with
the "natural 7th house," and the 7th is the house of war, and war is
fighting, so Libra is a natural fighting sign, ad nauseam. What
happened to "partnership, matrimony, union"? The whole structure of
astrological doctrine and history is flatly opposed to such a modernly-
evolved scheme to make discrepancies otherwise make sense. This house-
sign swapping is of recent vintage and in astrology's vast literature
there is not one shred of justification for it. Either the zodiacal
divisions stand as represented or they don't. Are fighters essentially
Martian or Venusian? The question is that simple.
THE POLLUX FRATERNITY: With mixed emotions I point with pride born
of suspicions confirmed, to sidereal Gemini's showing. In case after
case we find that the ancient myths contain literal truths. Pollux,
the god of boxing, is one of the constellated Twins. It may or may not
mean anything that of the total 102 Geminian pugilists, 59 were born
with the Sun in the last half of the constellation, against 43 in the
first half--enough of a different to warrant investigation. As for
Virgo's high frequency, the ancient harping on the them that Virgo is
the "bravest" of the constellations (vide both Fagan and Dr.
Neugebauer) seems to settle the issue. Physical agility and
fearlessness are the two traits ascribed most often to Mercurian types
in astrology's source materials.
Highest number of boxers in the sidereal sequence, not so deep a
mystery as one might suppose upon realization that the sidereal concept
of Pisces is a far cry from the clammy-handed, soulful-eyed stereotype
in tropical astrology Pisces can be a real devil, hence its
consignment to pitchfork-welding Neptune. The legend of imps and
demons is directly connected with Neptune-Pisces symbolism. In
Manilius' famous old poem, which we often find quotable, war is
mentioned only three times, one of which is in his Pisces section: "To
fight at sea, to stain the waves with blood, whilst war lies floating
on the unstable flood." In fact, it is only under Pisces that he
mentions bloodletting in battle, which is certainly provocative,
because his other references to war speak rather of the excitement,
clangor and plunder. In any case, the sidereal distribution makes
astrological sense, whereas the tropical distribution contradicts
"established" tropical theory. Par for the course, eh what?
[Omitted: Table of Degree Frequencies of Natal Suns:
1,113 Prizefighters and FIG 1: Natal Signs of 1,113 Boxers in
12 Divisions of Both Zodiacs]
A FEW STEPS FURTHER: ...let us now take this chance to illustrate
the practical value and vitality of such statistics to learn something
useful. Too often we are content to note the highs and lows in a
series and let it go at that, and thereby usually miss much that the
figures teach us if we only go a few steps further in analysis. For
example, in the table of degree frequencies, observe that the greatest
clustering of births occurred with the Sun between 19d and 25d of
tropical Aquarius. When we find such a concentration (twice the
normally expected number), it is always well to check for any possible
fixed-star influence. In this case we find something even more
interesting, for this flurry of births of prize fighters centers on the
27th and 28th degrees of sidereal Capricornus, which you should
automatically recognize as the implicit "throne of Mars"--the ancient
exaltation degree of the warrior planet!...

* * * * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

This introduction to file [FIRST] in the archive Sidereal.zip includes a chronology of publishing "firsts" in Sidereal Astrology, especially by Cyril Fagan, the founder of modern Western Sidereal Astrology. This reflects an attempt to document and collect beginning writings in Sidereal Astrology. Contributions or corrections are appreciated. Email Kay Cavender at [wdgw87d@prodigy.com]

SIDEREAL ASTROLOGY PUBLISHING "FIRSTS"
On FEBRUARY 17, 1944, Cyril Fagan first accepted the truth of Sidereal Astrology and within a week 'invented' the Sidereal Lunar Return, as reported by Brigadier R. C. Firebrace in his "Farewell to Cyril Fagan," April 1970 SPICA. On APRIL 30, 1944, Fagan reported he first accepted the Sidereal Solar Return (viz. Fagan, April 1968 Spica). In 1947, possibly July*, Cyril Fagan first published on the Sidereal Zodiac in the USA in his 10-part series "THE INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS OF ASTROLOGY" in the AFA BULLETIN under editorship of Ernest Grant, the founder and first president of the AFA. In this series, Fagan announced the star constellation origin of the zodiac, as well as championing the solar and lunar returns in the Sidereal Zodiac. By the time of this series, he considered the Sidereal origins of the zodiac a fact accomplished, and his focus was on sorting out delineation
techniques.

[*The AFA has recently verified that August 1947 AFA Bulletin has Part 2 of Fagan's 10 part series "The Incidents and Accidents of Astrology" wherein Fagan first published on the SZ in the USA. This implies that "Part 1" (if published consecutively, without division) would have been in the JULY 18, 1947 issue. Because the AFA Bulletins were published on the lunation (new moon), by pushing the envelope one might further infer a time of 04:15 AM GMT when the Sun and Moon were conjunct in Sidereal 00CAN42' which could be cast for Fagan's birth and location Dublin 6w15 53n21, as well as for Washington D.C. where the American Federation of Astrologers was then located. [U.S. Capitol is 77w00'35.7" and 38n53'20.4"]

In 1947, Fagan also produced the first research paper for the AFA, Research Bulletin #1, "THE FUNDAMENTALS OF HOUSE DIVISION." Cyril Fagan also published the first Sidereal Ephemerides, 1947 and 1948.

There were 3 years between 1944 and 1947, and Fagan was a prolific thinker and writer at his peak. Because Fagan often published simultaneously in several places, he likely published abroad in Europe and India on the Sidereal Zodiac before 1947. In Part 9, June 7, 1948 of his 10 part AFA BULLETIN series, Fagan refers to a letter from Rupert Gleadow dated February 19, 1947, congratulating him on Part 8 "on the magnificent mystery revolution No. V (one of CF's mystery Solars or Lunars) which is terrific." Thus Fagan was already circulating the transcript well before it saw its first American
publication in the (possibly *July 18) 1947 AFA Bulletin.

In JULY 1950 American Astrology in the first essay therein on Sidereal Astrology, Rupert Gleadow refers to his own publication in (the then defunct) October 1948 "ASTROLOGICAL BULLETIN" of Bournemouth, England about a month before the American Presidential election, wherein Gleadow said he made a "completely categoric prediction" on the basis of the Solar Returns for President Truman's election. Fagan may have published in the same above source as Gleadow, or Dr. B. V. Raman's THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE in India, or others. For instance, WORLD ASTROLOGY, June 1940, Vol.4, No. 6, on its title page lists "Cyril Fagan, President, Irish Astrological Society, Dublin, Ireland" as one of the Board of Advisory Editors. These sources are not readily available in the United States but might be located abroad.

However, most probably Fagan would have published something in the prestigious Theosophical Society in Dublin, out of which he founded the
Irish Astrological Society in 1922, and which (T.S.) was the premises for the IAS meetings. The IAS was supported by his friend William Butler Yeats, Nobel Poet Laureate. Fagan said that he "taught Yeats astrology in his living room."

Fagan said to me with Pauline in the room smiling and agreeing with him, that on MAY 14, 1949, he made his greatest discovery -- that of the origins of the HYPSOMATA or Exaltation degrees while dancing with his wife Pauline. One might suppose the time was evening. In 1950 Fagan published ZODIACS OLD AND NEW with his discoveries in archaeoastronomy, especially of the Exaltation origins as recorded in 786 B.C. in Babylon under Assyria. There was both an English and an American publication of ZODIACS, with additional text in the American publication. During this time he lived in Dublin. Notably Fagan also received recognition for this work presented to, I believe he said, the Royal Society and British Academy in London.

In AUGUST 1950 American Astrology, Rupert Gleadow published a most lucid essay "THE ZODIAC IN THE ANCIENT WORLD" (below) on the origins of
the 'first' astrology as anchored to the stars, not to the equinoxes. Gleadow was a history and language scholar who translated from original sources in classical Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Gleadow's was the first actual first essay in American Astrology (JULY 1950) on Sidereal Astrology and was entitled "How To Predict--The Sidereal Method of the Ancients" on the superior use of the Sidereal Solar Return with presidential elections and President Truman.

The same July 1950 issue of American Astrology "Many Things" column included Fagan's letter on Solar Returns [see file SOLAR100] dated May 21, 1950, titled "Solar Revolution." Fagan used the same quote in this letter also in the earlier 1947-8 AFA series. However, after this time Fagan had a correspondence for several months with the Editor of American Astrology "too voluminous to include" as to the validity of the Sidereal Zodiac, some of which as reported in the column "Many Things" beginning in January 1951. Fagan convinced Editor Clancy.

Another major siderealist, Donald Bradley, or Garth Allen as he was known astrologically, who was Research Director of The Llewellyn Foundation for Astrological Research in Los Angeles, was also convinced before 1950 of the efficacy of the Sidereal Zodiac. Neil Llewellyn Block or Gary Duncan as he was known astrologically was an associate of Bradley's and collaborated with him on the research for Bradley/Allen's PROFESSION AND BIRTHDATE, a statistical analysis of planetary positions at the birthdates of 2492 eminent clergyman. According to Gary Duncan's "Some Historical Notes" in the first CONSTELLATIONS of August 1975, they worked on the data for some three years prior to that time, and they had approached that data scientifically as statisticians. Duncan says that it was due to their work with the clergy's birthdata that they were forced to realize the Tropical Zodiac was not signficant statistically. "It came as a shock, however, when the initial data reduction of the solar longitudes showed no preference for the Tropical
signs of Sagittarius or Pisces. And, when the Chi-square test showed that the Tropical coordinate system lacked the strength of several other choices...we knew our thinking needed to be re-examined. Certainly the works of Fagan were well known to us both at that time, but it was not until the statistical results of the clergyman study were known that Bradley and I were faced with making a revolutionary change in our fundamental methods." Duncan says that they had also corresponded with Fagan. Duncan's essay is included in Sidereal.zip, file [AYANAMSA].

Donald Bradley's SOLAR AND LUNAR RETURNS was also published in 1950, which included a complete ephemeris of the Vernal Point 1849 to 1960 and incorporated Fagan's concepts with respect to the Solar and Lunar Returns in the Sidereal Zodiac. This astrological treatise was significant for many reasons, but one of them was Bradley's very clear focus on LOCALITY ANGLES AND CHARTS. By page 14, Bradley says, "All transits are referred to the nativity equated to the locality rather than to the birthplace, unless no change of residence or position has taken place." This book prominantly featured examples of events indicated as signficant because of the locality angles, which became a staple of Western Sidereal Astrology. (Bradley as Garth Allen wrote for nearly 20 years for American Astrology as well.)

Brigadier R. C. Firebrace in London followed suit with the application of locality angles in his research reported in SPICA. In Volume 1, No 2, JANUARY 1962 SPICA, Firebrace presented an essay on "The Capricorn Ingress" which featured a world map showing where the planets were angular over the whole world, with the planetary Meridians in drawn blue (MC-IC), and the planetary Horizons drawn in red (Ascendant-Descendant). This locality map was drawn by and had a copyright by Mary Austin, the Associate Editor of SPICA, and was the first sidereal publication of a world map showing locality angles.

Gary Duncan, an important statistical research astrologer of this century and an associate of Garth Allen, became convinced of the validity of the Sidereal Zodiac because of his statistical research. According to a memorial essay by Michael Erlewine On Matrix Space website, Duncan helped develop "advanced lunar equations used by NASA for space work while working at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena" and he was proud "that he was the first astrologer to produce astro-geography maps on a computer in the 1950's." Duncan's astro-geography maps were later published in Llewellyn's MOON SIGN BOOK in 1966. According to Duncan's essay "Some Historical Notes" published in the first issue of R.O.S.A.'s CONSTELLATIONS, August 1975, he supplied the Synodic Ephemeris used by Donald Bradley/Garth Allen and his co-workers on rainfall research.

Tropicalist Jim Lewis, who in 1975 created the computer service Astro*Carto*Graphy to show where natal planets were angular over the whole world, studied with Donald A. Bradley and dedicated his book in 1976 on angular planets called ASTRO*CARTO*GRAPHY to Bradley. Lewis' work on Astro*Carto*Graphy earned him the Marc Edmund Jones Award for the outstanding contribution to astrology, but the concept came from and was first used by siderealists.

In JULY 1953 American Astrology, Cyril Fagan's first essay in his 17 year "SOLUNARS" series (below) dealt with Tropical vs. Sidereal Solunars again in terms of "the incidents and accidents of astrology," the same theme as his first SZ series. This first "Solunars" essay was a reprint from 1953 issue Annual Number of The Astrological Magazine of Bangalore, India, as were the next three issues of "Solunars," September through November 1953. August 1953 was the only skipped issue of 200 consecutive "Solunars" from July 1953 through March 1970, nearly 17 years.

(Fagan's very first essay in American Astrology on "The Horoscope of Jesus Christ" was published in April 1953, as republished from its precursor, THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ASTROLOGY, Winter Issue, 1937. In his essay, Christ's chart was in the Tropical Zodiac framework, which was then off only a few degrees from the Sidereal Zodiac. Subtracting SPICA's positions as calculated by Fagan for then--25VIRGO55', from now--29VIRGO06' with Garth Allen's 06'05" SVP correction, gives 3d 11' difference in the zodiacs for Christ's time, which difference did not exist for the ancients since their astrology was sidereal. Another extraordinary research paper by Fagan titled "THE EMPEROR NERO" was published before the above in 1936 Autumn Edition of The American Journal of Astrology, and was of course then also in the Tropical measurement of the zodiac.

One might say that the first SOLUNARS essays written 'specifically' for American Astrology were in December 1953 and January 1954; these were rewritten from Fagan's ZODIACS OLD AND NEW. The topic was Fagan's identification of 'first' ancient calendar dates which are dependant on reading the ancient Egyptian decans as PENTADS (as 5 day divisions, another of CF's significant discoveries). These FIRST calendar dates were:

the HARAKHTE EPOCH, for the moment of Spica's heliacal rising
at Heliopolis (later determined to occur not in September, but)
on July 15, 3130 B.C., which was New Year's Day of The Ancients;

and the SOTHIC EPOCH, July 16 (O.S.) 2767 B.C., the horoscope for
the moment of Sirius' heliacal rising at Heliopolis, New Year's
Day.

Fagan also published the January 1954 SOLUNARS issue on the Sothic Cycle simultaneously in Professor B.V. Raman's ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, Bangalore, India under the title "The Most Ancient Horoscope in the World." (viz. Fagan, "Solunars," 7/1969 A.A.).

Of the latter SOTHIC EPOCH, Fagan says (in 7/1969 American Astrology under the heading "Tomb of Imhotep") that this beginning of the Sothic Cycle is enshrined as the World's Most Ancient Horoscope (another 'first'): "Inscribed in hieroglyphic characters on the walls of Egyptian death chambers a mysterious chart of the heavens was frequently found....Many such were found in royal tombs and in those of high officials of different dynasties. Although differing in decorative details all copies were essentially the same....In short, they were copies of the horoscope for the beginning of a Sothic Cycle (Sothis, Greek for Sirius)....Styling copies of the diagrams as "Charts of Eternity" and deeming them to have magical properties, the Egyptians inscribed them on tomb walls as talismans to insure for the deceased an eternity of happiness in the afterworld." These topics are also
presented in Fagan's posthumous 1971 ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS.

It should be noted also that Fagan also wrote another unique series under the name I. COWLEY in American Astrology (February 1966 - March 1970) using the Lunar Return on "THE PRESIDENT'S OUTLOOK." Brigadier R. C. Firebrace credited Fagan with 'inventing' the Lunar Return. In April 1978 SPICA, Fagan specifically addressed the modus operandi of "Interpreting The Lunar Return." As examples of key points he emphasized on the Lunar, Fagan says, "Moreover as the chart is purely mundane in character, zodiacal (ecliptical) aspects do not apply in it at all. But as the mundane conjunction and opposition more or less tally with their zodiacal counterparts, these latter may be taken into consideration as well as the zodiacal square when it approximates in value to its mundane equivalent." "As the Moon is the prime significator in the Solar Return so is the Sun the prime signifiator in the Lunar Return. Close mundane aspects of the current (transiting) planets to the Sun should be considered as being angular."

Concerning astrological references to Fagan's life, the October 1956 "MANY THINGS" column in AMERICAN ASTROLOGY consisted of Fagan's responses to questions. These include several of the few specific references about Fagan by Fagan in American Astrology. Regarding the founding of the Irish Astrological Society in 1922 and later of his acceptance of the Sidereal Zodiac in 1944, he says, "...for in regard to transits to the Midheaven and Ascendant, transits 'in mundo' are alone valid. When in 1922 Uranus transited in opposition to my natal Ascendant, the IRISH ASTROLOGICAL SOCIETY was founded, and I had the honor to be elected its first president; and the transit of Uranus over my Midheaven in 1944 synchronized with the discovery of the ancient Egypto-Babylonian zodiac...." (Regarding the inauguration of the Irish Astrological Society, in his 8/1966 "Solunars," Fagan mentions the inauguration date as February 7, 1922, apparent noon at Dublin.)

Also in October 1956 "MANY THINGS," in regard to his beginning experience with astrology in 1916, and referring to his prophecy (14 years ahead of time) made at the IAS in 1923 regarding who would be crowned king, Fagan says: "...The effects of the fixed stars that compose the constellations may be considered statically, because they are relatively static; but to comprehend the influences of the planets, they must be thought of in terms that rightly apply to them, namely dynamically. They signify processes, movement, action, challenge and response, the mutations of consciousness that "...arise and pass away..." Thus Venus signifies the movement of affection, Mars of passion, Neptune of entrancement and so forth. My experience, which dates from the beginning of 1916, when E.S.C. [author of the letter to whom Fagan was responding] was still an infant in arms, demonstrated to me that directions to the conjunction, square or opposition of Jupiter synchronized with increased status, honors, emoluments, distinctions, the winning of prizes, the conferring of academic degrees and the like, precisely as taught by the ancient masters; but I cannot recall a
single case where they tallied with distant travel, unless directions to the Moon were also involved. The prophecy made at a public lecture, held in September 1923, under the auspices of the Irish Astrological Society, with the late Dr. W. B. Yeats (Nobel Prize) in the chair, that the, then, Duke of York would be crowned King of England in the summer of 1937, was based on the direction of the Sun to the opposition of Jupiter retrograde."
* * * * *

Included in this file [FIRST], Rupert Gleadow's 1950 and Cyril Fagan's 1953 "first" essays in AMERICAN ASTROLOGY, respectively on star constellation origins and on Solunars, are still interesting and instructive. Many of the delineation ideas which were clarified and should have been discarded are still with us--"good and bad" aspects, signs and their element associations, horary house rulerships, etc.

One primary question about Fagan's thinking: besides the Solunars (Solar and Lunar Returns) as predictive tools, what particular issue "FIRST" convinced Fagan of the validity of the Sidereal Zodiac? A subject dealt with in Fagan's first series in the 1947-8 AFA BULLETIN suggests itself. PART 8 of "The INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS OF ASTROLOGY" deals with and is titled "THE AYANAMSHA." Fagan's beginning definition: "Ayanamsha, i.e., the number of degrees of the ecliptic that separate the regressing vernal equinox from the first point of ASVINI--the first asterism of the Hindu Zodiac--at any given time." According to his references, Fagan had been intensively researching this topic about the same time as he accepted the Sidereal zodiac. For example, in Part 8 of his first SZ series, Fagan has a specific reference to Robert DeLuce's article in the "APRIL 1944" AFA Bulletin also titled "Ayanamsha" for the calculation of the Ayanamsha due to Spica's (Alpha Virginis) vs. Revati's (Zeta Piscium) ecliptic position.

Fagan's Part 8: "THE AYANAMSHA" is below. Also below, Fagan's later 1952 AFA essay "THE AQUARIAN AGE" adds significant conclusions to the argument over the marking place of the Hindu lunar asterisms. One may suppose in a general way that in addition to precession, every other answer in Sidereal Astrology involves SPICA. See also related files [WHAT_AGE] and [AYANAMSA]. The issue is precession--a matter of astronomical fact.
* * * * * *




THE ZODIAC IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
Rupert Gleadow, M.A. (Oxon)
August 1950, American Astrology

Astrologers often claim for their science a fabulous antiquity; but
as a matter of fact very little is known about astrology of more than
two thousand years ago. The only ancient textbook most astrologers
have read is Claudius Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, which is no older than
1800 years. This, of course, is because no other is available to the
general public. Manilius has not been translated into English since
the eighteenth century, and Manetho as a rule has not even been heard
of.
Now when we claim that astrology is ancient, we imply that the
astrology of the ancients was in most ways similar to our own. This
however is not always true. Most modern astrologers, for example,
believe that squares and oppositions can only produce "bad" (i.e.
uncomfortable) effects, and that trines and sextiles can only produce
comfortable effects. This is contrary to much of the ancient
teachings, besides being, in my opinion, contrary to experience.
Ptolemy makes it quite clear (Book III, chapter 10) that a man can be
killed by the "good" aspect of a malefic and saved by the "bad" aspect
of a benefic. And the Michigan Papyrus says expressly that the
benefics are more potent in square and opposition.
Nor do the ancients all agree with us in the attribution of the
signs to the elements. Ptolemy makes Capricorn a marine sign, and
Virgo winged, both of which qualities are now ignored. Hephaestion
gives as earthy signs Aries, Taurus, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, while
Rhetorius makes the watery signs extend from the middle of Capricorn to
the end of Pisces, Cancer being attributed to both water and earth, and
Virgo to air on account of her wings. So altogether we must not be
surprised if we find ancient astrologers disagreeing at times with
modern practice.
It may, however, come as rather a shock to discover that they
disagree with us over the zodiac itself! Ptolemy, it is true, does not
overty do so, and I shall therefore leave him to the last; but the
statements of other ancient writers are categoric.

MANETHO
Manetho, an astrologer and friend of Ptolemy, was born in Alexandria
in A.D. 80. He wrote a work on astrology in Greek verse which has come
down to us intact, and he defines the summer solstice in the following
terms (Book II. lines 77-82): "The circle that turns the season of
fiery summer is described in the sky by the all-seeing sun in its
course upon the eighth degree of Cancer."
So the summer solstice does not occur at the Sun's entrance into
Cancer! At least, not according to Manetho. Let us see what other
ancient writers can tell us.

MANILIUS
Manilius, who lived perhaps a century earlier, concludes the third
book of his poem Astronomicon with this passage: "So one degree in
tropical signs is to be distinguished, which moves the world and alters
the seasons....Some place this power in the eighth degree, others
prefer the tenth, and there has even been a writer who has allotted to
the first degree the alteration and shortening of days."
Worse and worse! For, according to Manilius, nobody really knew
where the solstice fell! And the same impression of doubt is given by
Achilles Tatius (Isag. in Arat. 23): "Some place the tropic near the
beginning of Cancer, others around the eighth degree, others around the
twelfth, and others around the fifteenth." The elder Pliny too, in his
Natural History (XVIII, 59) speaks to much the same effect.

COLUMELLA
A more reasoned account is given by Columella, who wrote on
gardening about A.D. 60. He says (De Re Rustica IX, 14, 12): "Winter
begins about 8 days before the first of January, in the eighth degree
of Capricorn." (According to us winter does indeed begin about eight
days before the first of January, but not in the eighth degree of
Capricorn!) He proceeds: "I am not unaware of the argument of
Hipparchus, according to which the solstices and equinoxes take place
not in the eighth but in the first degrees of signs; but in this rural
study I follow the calendars of Eudoxus and Meton and the ancient
astrologers, which fit in with the public festivals, because that
opinion was held by the farmers of old time and is better known, and
also because the subtlety of Hipparchus is not needed in the supposedly
rougher science of the countryside."

From these various quotations one things emerges very plainly. To
the Greek and Roman astrologers it was a very difficult problem to
decide where exactly the solstices and equinoxes did fall. And if you
cannot locate your equinox, you cannot use it as a fixed point from
which to measure your zodiac. In other words, you must catch your hare
before you cook it.
The ancients, therefore did not use the modern zodiac defined by the
equinoxes. I am aware that this revelation will come as a shock to
those astrologers who like to believe that the ancients knew a great
deal more than we do. That cannot be helped. The modern student's
wish to believe cannot be weighed in the balance against the formal
statements of Manilius, Achilles Tatius, and Columella. The question
is, therefore, what Zodiac did the ancients use?
The general consensus of opinion in the second century A.D. seems to
have been that the equinoxes and solstices fell in the eighth degrees
of the Ram, the Crab, the Scales, and the Goat. This arrangement is
what is usually meant by the term "the Hellenistic Zodiac," and it
implies a zodiac defined, like ours, by the position of the vernal
equinox, but with a difference of eight degrees in all its
measurements.
But one can hardly imagine that the zodiac was traditionally defined
as beginning eight degrees east of a point which most astrologers were
incapable of locating! That would be absurd. And if we say that it
was so defined, how can we explain the contradictory traditions that
the equinoxes fell in the first, eighth, tenth, twelfth, and even
fifteenth degrees? No, the theory that the ancients measured the
zodiac from the equinoxes simply will not stand up. They must
therefore have had some other point of reference. What was it?
The notion that the zodiac was originally measured from an invisible
point like the equinox, which can only be found by year-long and very
delicate observations and calculations, makes it necessary to suppose
that astrology was invented suddenly among a people already proficient
in astronomy. But is it not far more likely that it grew up gradually
with astronomy itself? And is it not perfectly obvious that, until a
high degree of sophistication has been obtained, all measurements in
the sky are bound to be made from some visible fixed point, namely a
star, and not from an invisible point? We still speak of the stars as
fixed, and the ancients, as is well known, used them extensively for
timing the operations of their agriculture. It was by the fixed stars,
and not by the erratic Moon,, their undependable calendar, or the
uncertain season, that they knew how soon to sow their spring corn or
winter wheat. It is therefore not in the least degree probable that
they would have complicated their astrology by referring it, not to the
reliable stars, but to an invisible moving point.
Thus ancient records tell us that the zodiac was not measured from
the equinox, and reason tells us why not. Reason tells us, moreover,
that it must have been measured from a star. But what star?
Oddly enough, none of the Greek or Roman writers mentions the
fiducial star. Possibly they thought the equinox was as good a
fiducial point as any. For it did not occur to most of them to imagine
that the equinox itself could be on the move. And the proof is, that
the location of the equinoxes in the eighth degrees, which as we saw
was generally accepted in the second century A.D., was about 500 years
out of date! This determination of the place of the equinox had been
made about 350 B.C. by a Babylonian astronomer called Kidinnu, or in
Greek Cidenas; people simply assumed that what had been right for
Cidenas would go on being right for them. They were wrong.
To astrologers, of course, the position of the equinox did not
matter. They observed visible bodies, not invisible points, and their
ephemerides, of which several have survived to this day, are calculated
by reference to the fixed stars. But what fixed stars? Obviously the
brightest and most convenient ones, in other words the brightest stars
in the ecliptic belt. These are: Aldebaran in the Bull, Regulus in
the Lion, Spica Virginis, and the Scorpion's Heart (Antares). To
rediscover the zodiac of the ancients, then, all we need do is to find
out the degrees in which they placed one or more of these stars. This
sounds like a difficult job, but it can be done. One proceeds as
follows:
We know that Kidinnu located the equinox in 8 Aries in or about 350
B.C. His predecessor Naburiannu located it in 10 Aries in or about 500
B.C.; and as it moves 2 degrees in 144 years, the pair of them are
agreed. These are the oldest reliable statements to which we can go
back. At the other end of our period, there exist in the Catalogus
Codicum Astrologorum Graecorum several horoscopes calculated by the
Byzantine astrologer Palchus about 475 A.D. If we re-calculate these
by our modern zodiac, we find the positions of the planets average
consistently three degrees less than the positions given by Palchus.
This shows, not that Palchus was inaccurate, but that he was using a
fiducial point some three degrees west of the equinox; in other words,
he was using a zodiac in which the vernal equinox happened of fall in
27 Pisces.
But besides NABURIANNU, KIDINNU, and PALCHUS, we have some ancient
ephemerides covering part of the first and second centuries, and in
these again the positions given for the planets are consistently just
so much out that we cannot only calculate the difference between their
fiducial and the equinox, but can also see this interval slowly
diminishing with the passage of time.

ANCIENT RECORDS
Now let us put together the statements of all these ancient records,
and see what we find. Since the equinox moves one degree in 72 years,
we can work out the following table:


SIDEREAL LONGITUDE
DATE OF EQUINOX ANCIENT RECORDS

507 B.C. 10 Aries As stated by Naburiannu about 500 B.C.
363 B.C. 8 Aries As stated by Kidinnu about 350 B.C.
219 B.C. 6 Aries
75 B.C. 4 Aries Berlin Papyrus P8279 gives 4 Aries for 30 B.C.
3 B.C. 3 Aries
69 A.D. 2 Aries Stobart Tablets give 2 Aries for A.D. 71
213 A.D. 0 Aries
429 A.D. 27 Pisces As used by Palchus about A.D. 475.


It can be seen that throughout these thousand years the same zodiac
was being used, within a margin of error of well under one degree! We
can therefore discover the zodiac of the ancients by calculating the
longitude of our four fixed stars in this zodiac, and the conclusion
which emerges is as follows: that Aldebaran marked the 15th degree of
Taurus; that Regulus marked 5 degrees Leo; that Spica marked the end
(29 degrees) of Virgo; and that Antares marked the heart (15 degrees)
of the Scorpion.
So now we know what the original zodiac was like. It was measured
from the fixed stars, primarily from Spica, and consisted of twelve
constellations of 30 degrees each, through which the tropics and
equinoxes moved slowly backwards. I must add that this discovery was
made by Mr. Cyril Fagan of Ireland and is explained in his book ZODIACS
OLD AND NEW.
Now although the preceding arguments are sound and, in my opinion,
irrefutable, they do lead us to a hard and horny problem. How did it
come about that Ptolemy in his Tetrabiblos expressly set out to measure
the zodiac from the equinox? Fortunately he gives us his reason; and I
have never met any astrologer who took it seriously. In fact it simply
does not hold water. His reason is (Book I, Chapter 22): "The
following, however, upon which it is worth while to dwell, we shall not
pass by, namely, that it is reasonable to reckon the beginnings of the
signs also from the equinoxes and solstices, partly because the writers
make this quite clear, and particularly because from our previous
demonstrations we observe that their natures, and familiarities take
their cause from the solsticial and equinoctial starting-places, and
from not other source." But this is only true if and insofar as the
cardinal quality of the cardinal signs is in fact derived from their
relation to the Sun's four cardinal points. But is it really? And
surely Ptolemy' argument would apply more strongly if the turning-
points fell in the middles of the signs! So the argument proves
nothing at all.
Furthermore, Ptolemy's reason for making Aries the first sign is
(Book I, Chapter 10) that it corresponds to the moist time of year and
is therefore analogous to youth in animals and plants. If this is to
have any reference to astrology, and not merely to the seasons, it
demands that Aries should be the most moist of signs. But Ptolemy
makes it hot, fiery, and dry!
Now we can easily tell that Ptolemy was brought up on the older
sidereal zodiac and really thought in those terms. He speaks
consistently of such things as "the sting of Scorpio" (III, 12), "the
eyes of Cancer" (I, 9), "The face of Capricorn" (IV, 5), and the north
and southern parts of all the signs (II, 11). Further he says (I, 14):
that "signs equidistant from the same equinoctial sign" (NB. not from
the equinox!) "ascend in equal periods of time." But this is only true
if the equinox is in the middle of a sign! So here Ptolemy has slipped
up and allowed a piece of ancient lore (as given for example in the
Michigan Papyrus) to creep in where he ought to have rejected it.
So Ptolemy's reason for measuring the zodiac from the equinox boils
down to this: that the idea had been suggested by Hipparchus, who
noticed that the equinox was getting very close to the beginning of
Aries, and that it appealed to Ptolemy's systematizing mind as a nice,
tidy, symmetrical arrangement.
It can now be seen why, in spite of the title of this article, I
have so far made no allusion to ancient Indian records. The Indians
have always used the sidereal zodiac of the ancients, and many of them
still measure it from Spica.
So the original zodiac, the zodiac to which Ptolemy's aphorisms were
intended to apply, was not the zodiac most astrologers use today. And
that leads us to one final question--what are we going to do about it?
*****************************


************
September 1950, American Astrology: MICHIGAN ASTROLOGICAL PAPYRUS
Translation and Commentary by Rupert Gleadow, M.A. (Oxon), and October
1950, American Astrology: MICHIGAN ASTROLOGICAL PAPYRUS, CONCLUSION,
Translation and Conclusion by Rupert Gleadow, M.A. (Oxon).
************



THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC, ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
November 1950, American Astrology
Rupert Gleadow, M.A. (Oxon)

In my preceding articles I have shown that the original zodiac, in
terms of which astrology was developed, was rather naturally measured,
not from an invisible moving point like our modern zodiac, but from a
fixed star. To the modern bookish astrologer who has all his
measurements served up to him in an ephemeris this may possibly seem
odd; but to anyone who looks at the sky and is accustomed to make his
measurements for himself, be he an ancient Phoenician sailor or a
modern patrol in the Sahara, the only possible starting-point is
something which he can see--in other words, a star.
The zodiac, then, as originally devised, was measured from the fixed
stars Spica, Antares, Regulus and Aldebaran. And it may be that this
original zodiac will even now given us better results. At any rate it
is only natural to wish to experiment with it, and I intend therefore
to point out some of the differences between it and the ordinary
zodiac.
The modern zodiac as commonly used is a tropical zodiac, that is to
say, it is measured from the tropical and equinoctial points; Cancer is
a name given to the first 30 degrees after the summer solstice, instead
of the summer solstice falling in so-many degrees of Cancer. The
fiducial or measuring-point of this zodiac is the vernal equinox, which
is by definition always on the equator; and this is very convenient
because it means that each degree of this zodiac remains always at a
fixed distance from the equator, and therefore all tables of houses for
it will remain valid indefinitely so long as the obliquity of the
ecliptic does not sensibly change....
The zodiac of the ancients was a sidereal zodiac, that is to say, it
was based on the apparent revolutions of the fixed stars (ignoring
"proper motion") and accordingly in it the fixed stars are fixed. For
that reason it has also been called the fixed zodiac. But
correspondingly it has the disadvantage that its fiducials, which can
be easily seen on any starry night, do not remain at a fixed distance
from the equator; and consequently the right ascension and declination
of each degree is always gradually changing, and a table of houses does
not remain valid very long. In fact in the sidereal zodiac a table of
houses must be calculated for some definite year, and it will then be
correct to within thirty seconds for 36 years before or after. Tables
of houses for the sidereal zodiac are usually calculated for 1940
because at that date the difference between the sidereal and tropical
zodiacs was exactly 24 degrees; but these tables can quite well be used
for 1840 by adding 1d 23' to the readings.
It not infrequently happens, however, that the experimenter is
without a sidereal table of houses for the latitude he requires. In
that case he simply looks up the cusps in the ordinary tropical table
of houses and then makes a correction according to the date. The
correction for January 1, 1950, for instance, is - 24 degrees, 8' 36";
and this is usually applied by adding its arithmetical complement (30
degrees - 24d 8' 36" = 5d 51' 24") and then deducting a whole sign.
Should the midheaven, for example, fall in 18d 53' Gemini of the
tropical zodiac (TZ), by adding 5d 51' and subtracting a sign, we find
it in 24d 44' Taurus of the sidereal zodiac (SZ). Thus a whole
horoscope can be easily converted by putting each planet and cusp into
the preceding sign and then increasing its longitude by whatever the
amount may be for the year in question; but so long as the difference
between the two zodiacs is 24 degrees, planets and cusps in the last 6
degrees of any sign will remain in the same sign.
Next, it is advisable to remember that solar and lunar returns will
always occur 'later' in the sidereal zodiac. The reason for this is
that in the tropical zodiac the fiducial is moving backwards at the
rate of 50" per year, while the planets are moving forward; the two
will therefore meet sooner than they would if they had a fiducial which
remained in the same place. This backward movement is known as the
Precession of the Equinoxes.
The amount of difference in time between a solar return in the
tropical and one in the sidereal zodiac is approximately 20 minutes for
every year of the native's age; for it takes the sun about 20 minutes
to go 50" of arc, and the distance to be made up increases by 50' per
year. At the age of eighteen, therefore, the difference in time
between the two revolutions will be about 6 hours; and the age of 36 it
will be about 12 hours; and at the age of 72 a whole day....This means
that throughout adult life the angular planets in the two charts will
be different.

[Jim Eshelman]

TIMING OF PLANETS
But solar and lunar returns are not the only phenomena which differ
between the two zodiacs. There is also a perceptible difference in the
timing of the slower transits. To give an example, the present Duke of
Windsor was born with Jupiter in 18.23 Gemini tropical, and on the date
of his abdication Neptune was transiting in square to his natal Jupiter
in 18.56 Virgo tropical, the Sun being on the final afternoon in 18d
30' Sagittarius. In the sidereal zodiac, however, the natal Jupiter
was in 25.01 Taurus, and the transiting Neptune in 24.59 Leo, only 2
minutes of arc from the perfect square and therefore measuring much
more closely to the date.
The two zodiacs coincided in A.D. 213, that being the year when the
equinox precessed back to the beginning of the ancient constellation
Aries; and the marking-stars of the ancients then had the same
longitude in both zodiacs. The difference between the two zodiacs has
of course been growing ever since, and amounted to exactly 23 degrees
in 1868, and exactly 24 degrees in 1940. This means that all persons
having their Sun, Moon or Ascendant in the first 23 or 24 degrees of a
sign of the Tropical Zodiac have them in the preceding constellation of
the sidereal zodiac. At first, of course, this seems intolerable to
most of us, because we wildly assume that the sidereal Leo has just
about the same characteristics and tropical Leo, and we say to
ourselves: "I have always been Virgo, I cannot suddenly become Leo."
But this line of argument is what is known as the Homonymous Fallacy.
It consists in assuming that two things which bear the same name must
also have the same nature--in other words, that the sidereal Leo must
have the same characteristics as the tropical Leo. This assumption is
quite unjustified. The characters of the tropical signs have been
derived very largely from experience, and there is no excuse for trying
to glue them on to the constellations. In a future articles I shall
discuss what the ancient writers have to say about character and the
constellations; and it will be seen that the characters of the
constellations are not at all the same as those of the signs.
If we observe the sky at night we can see the sidereal zodiac above
us. It is true that the constellations do not all look equally large,
although the astrologers of old made all twelve of them 30 degrees in
length. None the less in terms of the sidereal zodiac the Bull's eye
and horns are in the Bull and not, as the tropical zodiac makes out, in
the Twins; and a planet seen between the claws of the Scorpion [in the
sidereal zodiac] is actually in Scorpio instead of being labelled
"Sagittarius." By this method one can actually see the Moon's sign-
position instead of having to work it out from an ephemeris.

PTOLEMY
The man chiefly responsible for abandoning the original zodiac was
Claudius Ptolemy; and we should never guess his reasons, so it is
fortunate that he gives them. To begin with, he maintains that
childhood exceeds in moisture, youth in heat, maturity in dryness, and
old age in cold; and since this is analogous to the four seasons of
spring, summer, autumn and winter, it therefore follows that the zodiac
must begin with the beginning of spring. But this is no more than an
agreeable comparison; it cannot be taken as a serious argument, more
especially since it does not work out; for if spring really exceeds in
moisture, it must follow that Aries is the most moist of all the signs.
But Ptolemy ignores this point, and calls Aries hot and dry!
After this frankly egregious beginning, his reason for measuring the
signs from the actual solstices and equinoxes is even more problematic.
We find it in Book I of the Tetrabiblos, chapters 11 and 22. In one
place he says of the signs that "their more general temperaments are
each analogous to the seasons that take place in them," and in the
other "their natures, powers, and familiarities take their cause from
the solsticial and equinoctial starting-places, 'and from no other
source'." (Robbins' translation, my italics.)
This can only mean that the character of [the tropical sign] Aries
is derived simply and solely from the fact that it immediately follows
the vernal equinox, and that the figure of the Ram, the rulership of
Mars, and the attribution to cardinal fire, are mere descriptions
having no influence at all on the actual nature of the sign. In a
similar way the character of [the tropical sign] Taurus must depend
solely on the fact that it lies half way between the vernal equinox and
the summer solstice.
Frankly, these are not arguments which anyone can now take
seriously. In fact nobody does take them seriously. If we believe in
the tropical zodiac we do so on the basis of our own experience and not
because of what Ptolemy said. But the fact is that, as we now see,
Ptolemy, who launched the tropical zodiac, did so for reasons which we
can only consider totally inadequate, namely because a nice tidy scheme
appealed to his nice tidy mind. If we have minds like Ptolemy we shall
probably want to stick to the tropical zodiac; but, if we do, let us
remember how shakey are its foundations both historically and
theoretically. It may have worked well for some time, but who knows if
the original zodiac may not work better?
Another difference between the two zodiacs is in the attribution of
three signs to each of the four elements. This piece of schematism is
just the sort of thing that appealed to Ptolemy; but before his time
the attributions were different and rather uncertain. They were based
on what one can only call a principle of common sense, according to
which the Crab, the Sea-Goat's tail, the Waterman, and the Fishes, were
all signs of water, Leo was fiery as being the sign of the Sun, Virgo
was airy of account of her wings, and earth included such terrestrial
creatures as the Ram, the Bull, the Scorpion, the equine half of
Sagittarius, and the terrestrial foreparts of the Goat. Regarding
Gemini, Libra and the rest of Sagittarius there seems to have been some
doubt.
It will be seen, therefore, that the original zodiac of the ancients
differed from the modern zodiac in three ways: first, it was measured
from the stars instead of the tropics, and so tables of houses do not
remain constant; secondly, although the rulerships and exaltations are
the same, the natures of the constellations are not the same as those
of the signs of the same name, and their influence on character and
temperament is different; and thirdly, the predictive methods are
different, the revolutions of Sun and Moon occurring later and being
more expressive, and the slower transits being also affected.


"But the highest of all learning is the knowledge of the
stars. To trace their course is to untangle the threads
of the mystery of life from beginning to end. If we could
follow them perfectly, nothing would be hidden from us."
Henry Van Dyke

* * * *




****************************************
July 1953 American Astrology, by Cyril Fagan,
SOLUNARS, A MODERN APPROACH TO AN ANCIENT METHOD
(Reprint from 1953 Annual Issue of
The Astrological Magazine of Bangalore, India)

The astrological chart of the nativity, frequently referred to as
the geniture, can be likened to a germinating seed. In the course of
time a seed will break through the soil and produce its foliage,
flowers and fruit. Such internal growth is but an extension of the
seed itself and "incidental" to it: for the promise of the future plant
was already hidden in the seed. But the growth and well-being of the
plant can be affected from outside sources. It can be trampled
underfoot by animal or man, uprooted before it has time to put forth
its flower, withered for want of rain, blighted by disease and
otherwise at the mercy of the elements. These effects not being
inherent in its growth or foreordained in the seed are termed
"accidents." The "incidents" being subjective, are astrologically
indicated by Primary and Secondary Directions, by lunar progressions
and in Hindu astrology by the Dasa and Antardasa planetary periods;
while the "accidents," being objective, are denoted by the celestial
changes occurring in the ambient, that is by transits and transit-
charts, such as 'solunars' (i.e., solar and lunar revolutions or
returns).
If we would understand astrology aright these "incidents" and
"accidents" must be clearly differentiated. For example, if in his
24th year an individual becomes insane as a result of a hereditary
taint, this would be an "incident" in his life and hence would be
revealed in the directions in force at the time. But if an otherwise
healthy individual is knocked down by an automobile and so injured as
to impair his sanity, this would be an "accident" and would be
indicated in the current solunar returns, or in other transit-charts,
but it would not be shown in directions or progressions--primary or
secondary, direct or converse. Of course there are times where
incidents may occasion accidents, as when, for example, an elderly
lady, enfeebled by age, loses her nerve in traffic and gets killed. In
this case we should expect to find an interaction between transits and
progressions. The common notion that all that can befall one is
decreed in the geniture and its progressions is contradicted by the
facts of experience and by common sense. Epidemics, earthquakes, wars
and so forth are usually predictable from various mundane charts, which
are nothing else but transit-charts. If some 10,000 people should be
killed as the result of an earthquake, predicted from a solar eclipse
(a transit), then it would be absurd to look to these people's
directions or progressions to account for their untimely end when the
obvious cause of their death was that very eclipse which must have
fallen on some vulnerable spot in their natal themes.

TROPICAL VERSUS SIDEREAL SOLUNARS
Why have solunars fallen into disuse today? True, their method of
computation is included in most of the standard text-books on
astrology; but for all that they are only accorded a subsidiary place
in the prophetic art with merely perfunctory attention. Scan through
the leading astrological magazines and rarely will one find an allusion
to them, or in general they never figure in annual or monthly
forecasts. Why then are they so neglected in modern times? Obviously
because they have not been found reliable.
The failure of solunars to fulfil expectations is due to the
following causes:
(A) In ancient time, down to as late as the 5th century A.D., all
revolutions were computed in terms of the fixed or sidereal zodiac,
which is not affected by precession; whereas in modern times these
returns are computed with reference to the tropical zodiac invented in
error by Hipparchus about B.C. 139 and which the author of the
Tetrabiblos (2nd century A.D.) strove to popularize. It was the
tragedy of the Greek genius that it could never divest itself of the
conviction that the equinoctial points, which perpetually rose and set
due east and west respectively were 'fixed absolutely' in space; hence
their invention of a 'series' of tropical zodiacs. Had they suspected
otherwise, they would have discovered that the earth itself was moving.
In the Cleostratus version the vernal point is believed to have been
'fixed' in Aries 12 degrees, in that according to Naburiannu ("System
No. 2") in Aries 10 degrees in the Callippic or Hellenistic version,
according to Kidinnu ("System No. 1") in Aries 8 degrees, while
Hipparchus fixed it absolutley in Aries 0 degrees (its true position
being then Aries 4d 51').
(B) Solunars, being adjuncts to the geniture, should be judged by
the unalloyed rules of Genethliacs and not be medieval or modern text-
book astrology, which is an incoherent jumble of genethliacal and
horary aphorisms, with the latter predominating.

With regard to (A) all astrologers are aware that the solar
revolution (or return) is a figure of the heavens struck for the moment
the Sun returns to the place in the heavens it occupied at birth, and
which occurs annually about the time of the birthday anniversary. Now
if the Sun was in precise conjunction with a fixed star at birth it
should always be in precise conjunction with the same fixed star at
every successive solar return. (As a fixed star, by virtue of its
proper motion, on the average moves 1 degree in about 120,000 years,
its motion during one's life span would be so small as to be
negligible.) Suppose, for example, an individual was born on August
22, 1900 at 0:38 a.m. G.M.T., the tropical longitude of the Sun would
then be 148d 26' and hence in exact conjunction with Regulus (Alpha
Leonis), whose tropical longitude for that year was also 148d 26'.
According to the method of calculating solar returns in common use, the
50th solar return would occur on August 22, 2950 at 2:31 a.m. G.M.T.
when the Sun's tropical longitude would again be 148d 26'. But in 1950
Regulus' tropical longitude was 149d 06' and hence the Sun would not be
in exact conjunction with Regulus until August 22, 0:03pm G.M.T. or 17
1/2 hours later! This illustration completely exposes the fallacy of
the modern method of computing solar and lunar returns.


Tropical Sidereal
Sun's longitude 188d 55' 30" 165d 54' 37"
Moon's longitude 139 56' 116d 55'

D H M S
Tropical solar return 1947 October 2 23 44 57
Sidereal solar return 1947 October 4 2 16 05

Difference in time = 26h 31m 1 2 31 08

Tropical lunar return 1948 January 26 15 31
Sidereal lunar return 1948 January 27 7 52

Difference in time = 16h 21m 16 21



TIME DIFFERENCE
The time difference between the tropical and sidereal method of
calculating these returns as roughly in proportion to the age of the
native. This is best illustrated by reference to the tropical and
sidereal solunars preceding the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, given
below.
We thus see that Gandhi's tropical solar and lunar returns, covering
the date of his assassination January 30, 1948, occurred 26h 31m and
16h 21m respectively too early; little wonder therefore that solunars
have fallen into disrepute.
Some thoughtful astrologers, being mindful of this anomaly, have
tried to effect a compromise by applying precision, equivalent to the
native's age to the tropical longitude of the Sun at birth and
computing the solar return for this new position. While this
undoubtedly produces a makeshift solar return approximating in time (no
allowance being made for the effects of solar and lunar mutation) with
that of the sidereal return, the procedure is astronomically untenable.
The 'raison d'etre' of the tropical system lies in the fact that it is
'inviolably precessional' because its fiducials are vernal and autumnal
points, which are continuous shifting 'backwards' among the zodiacal
constellations at the rate of 1 degrees in approximately 71.6 years. In
relation to the fixed stars precession is therefore a negative term and
to add precession to the Sun's natal position is to cancel altogether
the effects of the accrued precession, and thereby convert the Sun's
position into a quasi-fixed longitude, which violates the integrity of
the tropical system, while conceding that of the sidereal.
In the prophetic art of antiquity pride of place was given to the
Solunars and all forecasts that have been so sensationally fulfilled as
to cause the fame of the Chaldeans to spread far and wide in the old
world and to induce even the Emperors of Imperial Rome to study
astrology were based on such figures, and not on progressions. Hermes
in his De Revolutionibus Nativitatum as cited by Bouche-Leclerc
(L.Astrologie Grecque, Paris 1899) says:

"The Babylonians, Persians, Indians and Egyptians, both kings and
private persons, undertook nothing in any year without examining their
revolutions: and if they found the year good they set to work,
otherwise they refrained. The kings examined the nativities of their
generals and observed their revolutions and if they found that for one
of them the return indicated power and victory they sent him against
the enemy, otherwise they left him aside. And they observed the
genitures not only of their generals but of ambassadors to see if their
anniversary (solar return) indicated a successful result. If it
signified prosperity they sent for them, but if not they appointed
instead others whose anniversary did presage success. In the same
manner kings and citizens chose food, drink, medicine; bought, sold and
did everything according to their returns: and they used these things
and left aside those likely to be hurtful that year. They deduced from
their own nativities and those of others and acted accordingly....So
the study of revolutions is very useful and expedient...."

From this it will be seen that the delineation of revolutions not
only took pride of place in the predictive art of antiquity but it was
given attention that has no parallel in the astrology of today.

A ROYAL "INCIDENT"
Physical disintegration consequent on constitutional delicacy is an
"incident" and is therefore predictable from directions. Most
astrologers are aware that the measure of death, especially that to old
age, is the primary direction of the ascendant to the conjunction or
oppostion of the radical Saturn. This is splendidly exemplified in the
case of Queen Mary who, according to the official bulletin, was born at
Kensington Palace, London, Latitude 51N30'20" (Geocentric = 51N19'02"),
Longitude 0W12'45" on Sunday May 26, 1867 at 11:59pm GMT.

QUEEN MARY: May 26, 1867, 11:59pm GMT, Latitude 51N30', Longitude
0W21'. MC 12SCO32; ASC 13CAP10; Jupiter 13AQU03, Moon 15AQU23,
Neptune 21PIS23, Venus 10ARI26, Pluto 22ARI21, Mercury 6TAU22, SUN
12TAU12'45" (and angular on IC), Uranus 13GEM38, Mars 22CAN28, North
Node 26LEO41, Saturn 26LIB41.

Her birth must have been remarkably closely timed for had she
arrived one minute later it would have occurred on Monday May 27th!
The Queen died in her sleep at Marlboro House, London, on Tuesday,
March 24, 1953 at 10:30pm GMT. Saturn's declination was 15S20'20"
therefore its semi-arc, computed for the geocentric latitude of the
birthplace was 69d 57'55". Its R.A. ws 227d 56'00' and the R.A. of MC
243d 37'00". The orthodox or Ptolemaic art (1 degree = 1 year of life)
= 85d 50' while the mean arc (59" 08" = l year of life) = 84d 36'.

(a) Asc. conjoined Saturn in zodiaco converse = 83d 57'.
(b) Asc. conjoined Saturn in mundo converse = 85d 39'.
Geographical latitude gives the arc as 85d 30'.

A rectification of only minus 44 seconds in time to the recorded
birthtime 11:59 (i.e. 11:58:16) would make (b) EXACT; a rectification
that would 'increase' the time of birth by more than one minute is
hardly permissable as it would make the Queen's birth occur on the next
day. From this case the following conclusions may reasonably be
deduced:

(1) that Primary Directions of the angles are effective.
(2) that directions of the Asc. to Saturn are Anaeretic
(destructive).
(3) that the true "arc of direction" is the Ptolemaic.
(4) that directions must be made "in mundo" and not "in zodiaco."
(5) that the semi-arc must be computed for the geocentric latitude
of birth.

Such a rigorous test is ony possible in the case of a person
advanced in age and whose birth-time was precisely recorded. Hence its
importance. Not only does it uphold the "Classical Tradition"--which
will gladden the hearts of Countess Wasilko and her confreres of the
Austrian Astrological Society--but is a complete vindication of
astrology in general.
************************************



****************************************
"THE INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS OF ASTROLOGY"
PART 8 (of 10) "THE AYANAMSHA"
Cyril Fagan, FAFA,
AFA Bulletin, April 9, 1948

Ayanamsha, i.e., the number of degrees of the ecliptic that separate
the regressing vernal equinox from the first point of ASVINI--the first
asterism of the Hindu Zodiac--at any given time.

Most readers of the AFA BULLETIN know that before the introduction
of the Egyptian Zodiac into India, the ecliptic circle of the Hindu
heavens was divided into 27 lunar asterisms, called NAKSHATRAS, each
containing 13d 20', approximately equivalent to the mean daily motion
of the Moon, and commencing with the asterism Asvini. To each
nakshatra was allotted a fixed star, called its YOGATARA or junction-
star. While many of these junction-stars were zodiacal, others were
not. In several of the Hindu siddhantas (or ancient books of
astrology), the distances of many of these yogataras from the
commencement of their asterisms are given, notably in the Pancha-
siddhanta, edited by Vahara Mihara, and in the Surya-siddhanta. The
complete list of the nakshatras and their yogataras, given on page 78
of the FIXED ZODIAC EPHEMERIS for 1948 is derived from the later work.
Opinions differ among Hindu scholars as to the identities of several of
these junction stars.
A peculiarity of ancient Hindu astrology is that measurements are
expressed in DHRUVAKS (polar longitudes) and VIKSHEPAS (polar
latitudes). The polar longitude is the distance of a celestial body's
circle of declination (which is a great circle of the sphere and must
not be confused with a parallel of declination, which is a small circle
of the sphere cutting the former at right angles) from the first point
of Asvini measured along the ecliptic; while its polar latitude is the
distance of the body, above or below the ecliptic, measured along its
circle of declination.
Unfortunately, for many years Hindu opinion has been sharply
divided as to what constitutes the true starting point of the their
nakshatras and later of their zodiac. Chapter and verse from their
revered siddhantas have been cited time and again in support of the
rival claims of the fixed star Revati - which Indian scholars (with
some dissentients) identify with ZETA PISCIUM (a small star of the 5th
magnitude in the constellation Pisces and almost exactly on the
ecliptic circle) - and Chitra or SPICA (a brilliant star of the 1st
magnitude, situated in the constellation Virgo and about two degrees
below the ecliptic circle). In support of their convictions frequent
appeals have been made to the yogatara lists in the Pancha, Surya and
other siddhantas. The position is complicated by the fact that the
dates of these lists are also matters of dispute, while no little doubt
exists as to the identity of many of the junction-stars, despite the
fact that their dhruvaks and vikshepas are given. Moreover, several of
the yogataras in one list do not tally as regards position or latitudes
with stars of the same asterisms in other lists.
Robert DeLuce, MAFA, well known to readers of the AFA BULLETIN and
a recognised authority on Hindu Jyotisha (astrology), points out that
the data respecting the two yogataras of Pushya and Aslesha given in
the Pancha-siddhanta (acknowledged to be at least several centuries
older than the 'modern' version of the Surya-siddhanta) is widely
divergent from the data given in the Surya-siddhanta list, and
therefore these cannot be identical. Having regard to their dhruvaks
and vikshepas, Mr. DeLuce suggests that in the Panch-siddhanta list,
these should be identified with Mu and Delta Cancri, respectively,
which seems reasonable. In this connection, attention is directed to
Mr. DeLuce's thoughtful and informative article on the same subject
which appeared in the AFA BULLETIN for April 1944. [!!!]

Although this problem has been ventilated by Mr. DeLuce himself in
the AFA BULLETIN (ibid) and by Prof. R. Krishnamurti, Messrs. S.R. Kar,
R. V. Vaidya and others in the pages of the THE ASTROLOGER'S MAGAZINE,
edited by Dr. Raman of Bangalore, it may not be inopportune to consider
the problem afresh and the questions that arise therefrom. Let us
examine the seven yogataras given by Vahara Mihira in his Pancha-
siddhanta. As the table given on page 3 of his article on the
Ayanamsha was defective, Mr. DeLuce, in correspondence, kindly amended
it to read as follows:

(a) (b) (c) (d)
Identified Nakshatra DHRUVAKA VIKSHEPA
Yogatara Position (Polar (Polar
Longitude) Latitude)

1. Alcyone 6d Krittika 32d 40' 3N10'
2. Aldebaran 8d Rohini 48d 00' 4S59'
3. Pollux 8d Punarvasu 88d 00' 7N15'
4. Mu Cancri 4d Pushya 97d 20' 3N10'
5. Delta Cancri 1d Aslesha 107d 40' 0N54'
6. Regulus 6d Magha 126d 00' 0 00'
7. Spica 7-1/2d Chitra 180d 50' 2S43'


We are indebted to Prof. R. Krishnamurti (ASTROLOGERS' MAGAZINE,
October 1947, p.637) for the following formula which enables us to
determine ecliptic longitude in the fixed zodiac, i.e., from the first
point of Asvini, given polar longitude and polar latitude:

cos polar long. tan polar lat.
Tan d = --------------------------------
cos polar long. plus cot obliquity of ecliptic

where "d" is the difference between polar and ecliptic longitude. If
polar longitude falls between 90d and 270d and polar latitude is north,
"d" must be deducted from polar longitude to obtain ecliptic longitude
in the fixed zodiac; but if polar latitude is south, it must be added.
If polar longitude falls between 270 degrees and 90 degrees and polar
latitude is north, "d" must be added to polar longitude, but if south,
it must be subtracted.

(e) (f) (g) (h)
Calculated Fixed Zodiac Moving Zodiac Indicated
Value of "d" Longitude Longitude for Ayanamsha
1920 for 1920

1. +1d 05' 33d 45' 58d 52' 25d 07'
2. -1d 24' 46d 36' 68d 40' 22d 04'
3. +0d 07' 88d 07' 112d 07' 24d 00'
4. -0d 11' 97d 09' 117d 33' 20d 24'
5. -0d 07' 107d 33' 127d 36' 20d 03
6. 0 00 126d 00' 148d 43' 22d 43'
7. +0d 52' 181d 43' 202d 43' 21d 01'
--------
Mean value of indicated ayanamsha . . . . . 22d 12'
Spica's ayanamsha for 1920 . . . . . . . . 22d 43'
--------
Difference only . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0d 31'
Revati's ayanamsha for 1920 . . . . . . . . 18d 45'
Difference as much as . . . . . . . . . . 3d 37' !!!

(Spica's polar ayanamsha for 1920 . . . . . 21d 55'
Revati's polar ayanamsha for 1920 . . . . 18d 51')


By adding or deducting, as indicated, "d" to the polar longitudes
in column (c), the fixed zodiac longitudes in column (f) were obtained;
and if these are deducted from the longitudes of the fixed stars in the
moving zodiac for the epoch 1920 (g), the difference will be the
indicated ecliptic ayanamsha for that year (h). Of these seven
junction-stars the lowest value of ayanamsha is 20d 03' which is still
greater by 1d 18' over that due to Revati (18d 45'), while the highest
value falls short by 2d 21' of the ayanamsha 27d 28' computed for the
beginning of the Vikrama era (autumn equinox B.C. 57) stated to be
established by King Vikramaditya of Ujjain when the vernal-point was
supposed to be identical with the first point of Asvini or beginning of
Aries (i.e., the zero-regressional year). The mean ayanamsha, as can
be seen, is within half a degree of SPICA'S true ecliptic ayanamsha.
Indeed, REGULUS, which is almost on the ecliptic circle enjoys an
ayanamsha identical with the latter. It is clear therefore that this
table indicates that SPICA was the true marking star. [!!!]

Prof. P.S. Sastri and others (including Mr. DeLuce have produced
evidence to prove that Vahara Mihara, who edited the BRIHAT SAMHITA and
the PANCHA-SIDDHANTA was "one of the nine jewels that graced the court
of King Vikramaditya" and, therefore, must have lived in the first
century B.C. and not, as commonly supposed, in the 5th century A.D.
(Salivahama era). Now the "Brihat Samhita" has frequently been cited
to prove that in Vahara's time the summer solstice was in the beginning
of the constellation Cancer, and the winter in that of Capricorn (vide,
Sepharial's SCIENCE OF FOREKNOWLEDGE, p.69), and this has led many
scholars to believe that the Vikrama era was established to commemorate
the fact that the fixed and moving zodiacs coincided at this period.
Hence, some scholars have computed their ayanamshas from the beginning
of the Vikrama era despite the fact that not one of the yogatara lists
lend any support. But Prof. Sastri (ASTROLOGERS' MAGAZINE, 1947
January, p.48) points out that this is a misreading and that
Bhattotpada, in his commentary on the Pancha-siddhanta shows that
Vahara Mihara meant that "in his time" the Sun's southern course
(Dakshinayana) commenced when it was at the end of the nakshatra
Purnarvasu, that is, in Cancer 3d 20', but that in the time of the
Maharishis Garga and Parasa, it was in the middle of the nakshatra
Aslesha, that is, in Cancer 23d 20'. Reference to Table IV of THE
FIXED ZODIAC EPHEMERIS FOR 1948 shows that the summer solstice was in
Cancer 3d 20' in A.D. 44 and in Cancer 23d 20' in B.C. 1396, thus
confirming that Vahara Mihara flourished about the time of Manilius,
and a generation or two before Claudius Ptolemy and the pseudo-Manetho.
Hence, the theory that the two zodiacs coincided at the beginning of
the Christian era collapses.
The foregoing makes it clear that Chitra (SPICA) must have been the
origin-star of the Hindu zodiac for if Revati is taken as marking the
beginning of Asvini, then the summer solstice would not be in Cancer 3d
20' until A.D. 331, a period that agrees with neither datings in terms
of the Vikrama or the Salivahana eras.
From the evidence of "The Egyptian Planetary Ephemerides" for B.C
16 to A.D. 11 (Demotic Berlin Papyrus P. 8279) and those for A.D. 71 to
A.D. 132 (Stobat Demotic Tablets) as well as the Babylonian ephemerides
for the last two centuries B.C., discovered by Father Kugler, S.J.
(Sternkunde u. Sterndienst in Babel), we know beyond all shadow of
doubt that at the beginning of the Christian era the summer and winter
solstices were in the 4th degree of Cancer and Capricorn, respectively,
and as there is no reason to suppose that the zodiac of India differed
in any degree from that of Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, China or of the
Hebrews, we must conclude that Chitra (SPICA) was the true marking star
of the earliest Hindus.
One would expect to find in the other siddhantas confirmation of
the positions of the yogataras as given in the Pancha-siddhanta, but,
for some inexplicable reason, this, unfortunately, is far from being
the case. For example, in the Surya, Soma, Vriddha-Vasishtha, and
Brahma siddhanta, SPICA's polar longitude is given as 'precisely' Libra
0d 00' with polar latitude S 2 degrees. This suggests that as far as
these four siddhantas are concerned the ayanamsha was measured in
polar, rather than ecliptic longitude. It would be, indeed, strange,
if it were otherwise, seeing that the positions of all the yogataras
are recorded in this manner. The corresponding position of SPICA,
measured in ecliptic degrees would be Libra 0d 48'. At the same time
the position of Revati i the Surya, Vriddha-Vasishtah and Brahma
siddhantas is given as Aries 0d 00' with zero polar latitude, thus
making the polar distance them 'exactly' 180 degrees, lending colour to
the opinion that originally Revati was but the opposition-point to
SPICA, and only a mathematical abstraction. This opinion was
strengthened by the fact that the ecliptic difference between SPICA and
Zeta Piscium - identified with Revati - is 176d 02', revealing the
large error of 3d 12'! The Pitamaha siddhanta, however, gives SPICA's
polar longitude as Libra 3d and its latitude as S 2d, and the polar
longitude of Revati (here obviously identified with Zeta Piscium) as
Pisces 29d 50'. As the corresponding ecliptic longitude of SPICA is
Libra 3d 32', the distance between them becomes 176d 18', which is
close to the true value, hence this siddhanta definitely favors Revati
(the star), as the beginning of Asvini. The date or period of this
siddhanta is unknown to the writer. The other siddhantas are equivocal
and ambiguous. Attention is drawn to the fact that in the Pancha
siddhanta the position of Regulus - a star of the 1st magnitude and
almost exactly on the ecliptic circle - is given as Leo 6d, which is
precisely its position in the SPICA zodiac. Yet in the Araya-Bhattya
and Lallya siddhantas, it is given as Leo 8d, while in the Pitamaha,
Surya, Soma, Vriddha-Vasishtah, Brahma and Prahma-Gupta siddhantas, it
is given as Leo 9d (vide, VEXED QUESTION OF THE AYANAMSHA by Mr. Susil
Kumar Kar in ASTROLOGERS' MAGAZINE, 1947 April).
R. V. Vaidya in his interesting contribution to THE ASTROLOGERS'
MAGAZINE for January 1948, on the "Junction-stars in the Surya-
siddhanta," ventures to determine the mean value of the ayansmsha for
A.D. 1945 from the positions of the yogataras as listed in that work.
As was to be expected, he was up against the usual inconsistencies and,
in regard to several found it expedient to substitute other stars for
those commonly accepted and for the most cogent reasons. In other
cases he questions the correctness of the positions (Liptika) and is
forced to suggest, and adopt, alternative renderings. From this list
as thus amended he derives the mean value of the ayanamsha (ecliptical)
as 20d 27', and the zero-regressional year as A.D. 469. Needless to
say, his findings are substantially at variance with those of Mr. Kumar
Kar, Mr. Narain Roa and others. But assuming his amendments are
justified, it remains an incontrovertible fact that as Revati's true
ecliptic ayanamsha for 1945 was 19d 06' 23" and SPICA's 23d 04' 25",
this value and that of Mr. Kumar Kar (1900--19d 19') must be erroneous.

And this leads me to the signficant part of this paper. The
calculation of the ayanamsha due to Revati's (Zeta Piscium) or SPICA's
(Alpha virginis) ecliptic (or polar) position can be computed direct
from the Nautical Almanac or similar official publication, with the
highest degree of accuracy by anyone who is capable of converting right
ascension and declination into geocentric longitude, quite regardless
of ancient tables or of the date of the zero-regressional year. If the
polar ayanamsha is required, it can be computed from the following
formula:

cot. polar longitude = cot. R.A. cos obliquity of ecliptic

But if a polar ayanamsha is deemed to be the correct measure, then,
to be consistent, the position of the Moon and planets must also be
expressed in a like manner which will alter their ephemeral positions
considerably; a change hardly likely to be welcomed by the majority of
our modern compilers of Panchangas (Hindu Ephemerides).
For the year 1883 Revati's true ayanamsha was 18d 14'28" (polar
ayanamsha = 18d 20') and SPICA's 22d 12'32" (polar ayanamsha = 21d
23'), yet for that year the estimates fo the following authorities,
cited by Robert DeLuce in his AYANAMSHA (AFA BULLETIN, 1944 April)
were:

1. Bombay Almanac 18d14'20"
2. Mr. Vijayaraghavula of Madras 18d25'25"
3. Mr. Chidambarem Aiyer 20d24'24"
4. Siddhanta Almanac 20d46'15"
5. Benares Almanac 21d58'29"
6. Madras Almanac 22d02'39"
7. Smamikannu's INDIAN EPHEMERIS 22d06'31"
8. Vadha Almanac 22d41'44"
----------
Mean of #3 to #8, inclusive 21d40 00" 21d40'00"
Spica's true ayan. for 1883 22d12'32 Revati's ayan. 18d14'28"
---------- ---------
Difference only 0d 32'32" Differs as
much as 3d25'32"

Whatever case is made for Revati as marking the beginning of Asvini,
it is apparent (with the exception of 1 and 2, which doubtlessly
computed their ayanamsha with some regard to Revati's factual position)
that these ayanamsha approximate much more closely to SPICA than to
Revati; and the situation today differs but little from that of 1883.
Of what avail is it to assert that Revati is the marking-star when in
fact the published ayanamshas diverge as much as 3 or 4 degrees from
its true astronomical value? For the year 1947 Revati's mean
ayanamsha, at the beginning of the year, was 19d 08'04" which means
that Ravi (the Sun) entered Asvini (Aries) on Wednesday, April 9th,
whereas the majority of Panchangas agree in giving the date of the
Sun's ingress as April 14th, a difference of 5 days!!! But if Chitra
(SPICA) is accepted as the Hindu "sothis", then its ayanamsha, 23d
06'06", gives the correct data of entry of the Sun into Asvini as April
14th, at 3:00 a.m., Indian Standard Time. THE ASTROLOGERS' MAGAZINE
EPHEMERIS for April 1947, compiled by L. Narain Roa, gives the time of
entry as 2:39 a.m., I.S.T. April 14th, indicating ONLY A DIFFERENCE OF
0h 21m! It is therefore abundantly clear that SPICA was 'de facto' the
real marking-star.
This is amply testified by the fact that Mr. Roa in his excellent
article "Ayanamsha - No Longer a Speculation" (ASTROLOGERS' MAGAZINE,
1947, January) gives, for January 1, 1947, the value as 23d 05'39",
while that due to SPICA's factual position is 23d 06'06", a difference
of only 0d 00'27"!!! At the same time he gives the zero-regressional
year as A.D. 291, which compared with that of SPICA, A.D. 285, gives
only a difference of 6 years! Moreover for the summer solstice for the
same year Prof. Sastri gives the ayanamsha as 23d 05'29"! Others who
have adopted an ayanamsha agreeing closely with SPICA's true value are
Prof. Rajkumar Sen, Prof. Radhaballava Jyotisirtha, Mr. Ketker and F.
C. Dutt.
This confusion in regard to the ayanamsha is caused by the fact
that in remote antiquity the Hindus, like the Egyptians, Babylonians,
Assyrians, and Chinese began their sacerdotal and civil years at the
acronychal (evening) and heliacal (morning) rising of Chitra (SPICA),
respectively; the precursors of the Feast of the Passover (Easter) and
of the Tabernacles. In Egypt frequent reference is made to two
distinct years, the well-known sothic year which commenced about the
middle of July with the heliacal rising of Sothis (Sirius), and the
"Year of the Ancients" which began with the heliacal rising of Menat
(SPICA). Thus, it is recorded in the Calendar of Esneh, of the time of
Ptolemy Euergetes II, that the beginning of "The Year of the Ancients"
fell on 9 Thoth (of the ordinary or wandering calendar), and another
New Year's Day fell on 26 Payne (EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY, Duncan
Macnaughton). Calculation shows that the former date occurred on
September 30, B.C. 118, which was the precise date of Menat's heliacal
rising, while the latter fell on July 13th of the year following, which
was the date of Sirius' heliacal rising. Moreover, the position of the
planets in the celestial diagram of the high priest Keter tally with
October 4, A.D. 93, which was also the date of Menat's heliacal rising.
Like the Babylonians, whom Karl Schoch assures us were persistent
and accurate observers of the heliacal and acronychal risings of the
stars for 3000 years, the Hindus in those bye-gone times depended on
naked-eye observations for their determinations. As no stars are
visible when the Sun is shining (with rare exceptions) all observations
must be made between sunset and sunrise. It would be impossible to
OBSERVE that the Sun had entered this or that nakshatra or was in
conjunction with this or that yogatara. The acronychal co-rising of
Spica at sunset (i.e., its ecliptical opposition to the Sun) may have
been computed but it could never be observed by the unaided eye
(although Sir Norman Lockyer in his DAWN OF ASTRONOMY maintained that
each Egyptian temple was orientated to the rising of a particular fixed
star, which owing to its darkened interiors and its long telescopic
construction, could be seen in broad daylight flooding the high altar
with its silvery light as it rose in the East). Consequently the Hindu
years began when Chitra (SPICA) was VISIBLE on Lanka's (Ujjain)
horizon, immediately after sunset (acronychal rising) or when it was
first VISIBLE at dawn (heliacal rising).

(Part VIII, together with the Mystery Solar Returns will be
continued in the next issue of the AFA Bulletin.)
***************************



[NOTE: Below Excerpt from Fagan's later essay "The Aquarian Age"
indicates his further conclusions on the subject of the Ayanamsha and
the Hindu asterisms. The essay in full follows this excerpt.]

Excerpt from
Cyril Fagan, FAFA, "THE AQUARIAN AGE," AFA BULLETIN,
Sep 1, 1951, Vol. 13, No. 9.

"Contrary to common opinion neither Chitra (SPICA) or Revati (ZETA
PISCIUM) were the fiducial of the Hindu Nirayana (Sidereal) zodiac.
The position of the yogataras in the Siddhanta lists are expressed in
meridian longitudes and latitudes and in terms of the Sayana (Tropical
zodiac. The degree of the ecliptic that simultaneously culminated with
a fixed star was the Dhruvak of the latter, and the distance of the
star from the ecliptic measured along the meridian circle at its
culmination was its Vikshepa. When the Dhruvaks and Vikshepas of the
various Siddhanta lists are reduced trigometrically to R.A. and
declination, they give a date, according to the year of compilation, in
or around 500 A.D. Revati was just a convenient star that happened at
this period to mark the beginning of the Sayana (tropical) zodiac (A.D.
575) and of the commencement in Saka 455 (523 A.D.) of the surya-
siddhanta and Arya-siddhanta solar years. From many beautiful slokas
in the Rig Veda, it is obvious that the true fiducial of the Hindu
Nakshatras of the late period was the paranatellonta of Aswini
(Sharatan), and calculation proves, for the latitude of Ujjain, that
its zero-year was 210 A.D. As the zero-year of the Egypto-Babylonian
zodiac was 213 A.D., it is apparent that the Hindu nakshatras and the
Near Eastern zodiac, at the beginning of the Christian era, had the
same starting point....
************************************



Cyril Fagan, FAFA, "THE AQUARIAN AGE," AFA BULLETIN,
September 1, 1951, Vol. 13, No. 9.

With reference to the article under the above caption from the pen
of our esteemed colleague Robert DeLuce, FAFA, that appeared in the May
1951 issue of the AFA BULLETIN, may I hasten to offer that the true
historical date of the entry of the vernal-point into the constellation
Pisces - THE ZERO YEAR - is no longer a matter for conjecture. It can
be derived, with the greatest assurance of authenticity, from the
monumental and textual records of ancient Egypt and Babylonia. These
historical details are set out in ZODIACS, OLD AND NEW (Llewellyn
Publications, Ltd) but as Mr. DeLuce did not refer to this conclusive
evidence, it is presumed he has not read the book. For the benefit of
those who have not yet procured a copy I shall summarize the evidence
as follows:

(a) The mean sidereal longitude of the vernal-point was Aries 13.8
degrees for the Babylonian year commencing April 4th (1st Nisan) 786
B.C., the only year in which the planets were in their 'exact'
exaltation degrees at their heliacal phenomena, and during which the
famous temple and college of astrology at Kalakh, dedicated to Nabu,
was inaugurated.

(b) In the luni-solar tables ("System No. 2") inscribed in
cuneiform characters on baked clay tablets, of the Babylonian
astronomer Naburiannu, compiled in 500 B.C., the longitude of the
vernal point is given as Aries 10 degrees.

(c) In the similar tables (System No. 1") of the Babylonian
astronomer Kiddinnu, compiled in 373 B.C., the sidereal longitude of
the vernal-point is given as Aries 8 degrees.

(d) The mean sidereal longitude of the vernal-point (equated to the
equinox of 100 B.C.) in the Neo-Babylonian Planetary Texts for the
years 210-60 B.C. was Aries 4.3 degrees.

(e) In the Egyptian (Demotic) Planetary Tablets, catalogued as
"Berlin Papyrus P 8279," which cover (with gaps) the years 17 B.C. to
11 A.D., the position of the vernal-point at the commencement of the
reign of Augustus was Aries 4 degrees.

(f) In the Stobart (Demotic) Planetary Tablets, covering (with
gaps) 17 A.D. to 132 A.D., the sidereal longitude of the vernal-point
is given as Aries 2 degrees, decreasing with time.

If the reader takes a sheet of square-ruled paper and graphs these
values he will discover that the resulting 'curve' is almost a
faultless straight line sweeping diagonally across the sheet, and
indicating 213 A.D. as the Zero-Year, or that in which the vernal-point
retrograded into the end of the constellation Pisces. [See below.]
'Inter alia' this curve proves that SPICA (Menyet = "the Peg") was the
fiducial in Virgo 29 degrees. Consequently the spring-point will not
recede into the constellation Aquarius until 2369 A.D., which,
theoretically, marks the beginning of the "Aquarian Age."


[Following GRAPH copied from ZODIACS, OLD AND NEW. Note that "ascii
text may distort the graph form.]

DIAGONAL LINE = SIDEREAL LONGITUDE OF THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOCTIAL
POINT MEASURED FROM SPICA IN 29 VIRGO 00'
Babylonian Planetary Texts (V.P. reduced to ecliptic of-100
by Van Der Waerden)


YEARS B.C. YEARS A.D.
-800 -700 -600 -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 -0 +100 +200
| | | | | | | | | | |
LIB 15__________________________________________________________
\
14___\ __13.8 LIB _________________________________________
S * Hypsomata B.C. 786
I 13________\ _______________________________________________
D \
E 12____________\ ___________________________________________
R \
E 11________________\ _______________________________________
A Naburiannu
L 10___________ 10 LIB * B.C. 500 ___________________________
\
L 9______________________ \ _________________________________
O Kidinnu
N 8__________________ 8 LIB * B.C. 373 ____________________
G
I 7_____________________________ \ __________________________
T \
U 6_________________________________ \ 5.3 LIB ____________
D \ * B.C. 116-60
E 5____________________________________ ___________________
4 LIB
4_____________ 4.2 LIB B.C. 160-130 *\ *Berlin Demotic
3.5 LIB B.C. 210-160 * \ Papyrus P8279
3___________________________________________ B.C. 15 - A.D. 11
\
2_________________________ 2 LIB A.D. 71-132 * ________
Strobart Egyptian \
1__________________________ Tables (Demotic) ______ \ ____
\
LIB 0______________________________________________________ \ _
\
VIR 29__________________________________________________________

VIR 28__________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | |
-800 -700 -600 -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 -0 +100 +200
YEARS B.C. YEARS A.D.



Seeing that the zodiac was of Egyptian, and not Hebrew, origin
(opp. cit. p.39, et. seq.) it is not understood why the Piscean Age
should necessarily commence with the Dionysian date for the birth of
Christ. It would be just as logical to assume that it commenced with
the birth of Gautama, the Buddha, some 500 years before Christ, and
whose religion is today the largest in the world, or, even with
Mahomet, born some 500 years after Christ. Surely it is no credit to
the lowly Nazarene to record that "His Age" witnessed the evolution of
the bow and arrow to the atomic bomb?

It is a fallacy to assume that the theoretical beginnings of
astronomical eras should necessarily coincide with the commencement of
ecclesiastical or civil eras. Like the colours of the rainbow, no
drastic demarcation lines divide one era from another. The regression
of the vernal-point into the tail-end of a constellation constituted
only a theoretical beginning, and in antiquity was without importance.
The true beginning of an Age was sought among the dates when the
crescent-moon of 1st Nisan (Easter), which commenced the ecclesiastical
"New Year's Day," was seen to fall among the stars of the constellation
that indicated the "New Age." This crescent moon was observed
immediately after sunset on the first or second day following the
syzygy (conjunction of the Sun and Moon) according to the hour at which
this took place. Viewed in this light it is apparent from the
following brief list of the approximate sidereal longitude of the
crescent as compared with the sidereal longitude of the vernal-point
itself, Pisces 5d 50' (1951) that we have a very long way to go before
it can be said that the "Aquarian Age" has commenced. The list reveals
that we are not yet even in the middle of the Piscean Age (sic!), let
alone near its termination, which will occur when the longitude of the
crescent is Pisces 0d 00'.

Sidereal longitude Sidereal long. (approx)
of SYZYGY of Crescent of 1st Nisan.
1948 March 10 Aquarius 27d 06' Pisces 18d 51'
1949 March 29 Pisces 15d 28' Pisces 27d 42'
1950 March 18 Pisces 3d 19' Pisces 16d 43'
1951 March 7 Aquarius 22d 19' Pisces 17d 03'
1952 March 25 Pisces 10d 57' Pisces 23d 41'
1953 March 15 Pisces 0d 23' Pisces 19d 51'

There appears to be an unsuspected justification for identifying
the constellation Aquarius with the "son of Man" (Matt. 26, 30), that
is one born of 'mortal parents.' In the corrupt and fanciful Graeco-
Roman star atlases of the late period, to which Mr. DeLuce refers, and
which have created so much unnecessary confusion, this constellation
was represented by a bearded man, reclining naked beside "Fluvius
Aquarii," but in the earlier Greek version Aquarius was personified by
Ganymede, the most beautiful boy born of 'moral parents' and the cup-
bearer and favorite of Zeus, the God-father (op. cit p. 40). The
archetype, however, was that of Hap (or Hapuy = the two Haps), the
naked boygod of the Nile, who is depicted pouring the waters of the
Nile, from his two urns, on to the two lands (Upper and Lower) of
Egypt; because when this constellation was seen to rise immediately
after sunset, the Nile overflowed its banks and the annual innundations
of Egypt commenced.
As the Babylonian zodiac was not introduced into Greece by
Cleostratus of Tenedos until the middle of the 6th century B.C., when
the vernal-point was in Aries 12 degrees, Graeco-Roman star atlases are
of comparatively late date. Their division of the zodiac into twelve
'unequal' parts is due to Hellenistic license and ignorance. And
examination of the Neo-Babylonian and Egyptian ephemerides show that
each zodiacal constellation was rigorously 30 degrees in longitude and
this is abundantly confirmed from the longitudes of the "exaltation
degrees" of the planets for the Hypsomatic year 786-85 B.C. Hence it
is futile to search in these Graeco-Roman star-atlases among the
inconspicuous stars between Pisces and Aries for the initial point of
the Sidereal zodiac. The Egyptian and Babylonian zodiac was not
measured from any star in Aries or Pisces but from SPICA in Virgo 29
degrees, ALDEBARAN in Taurus 15 degrees, ANTARES in Scorpio 15 degrees,
TSHA NEFRE "The Beautiful Boy" (VINDEMIATRIX) in Virgo 15 degrees, the
PLEIADES in Taurus 5 degrees, and REGULUS in Leo 5 degrees, the
longitudes of which were originally fixed in relationship to the
Pedjeshes or "Stretched cord" [op. cit. p. 25 - ZODIACS OLD AND NEW]

Contrary to common opinion neither Chitra (SPICA) or Revati (ZETA
PISCIUM) were the fiducial of the Hindu Nirayana (Sidereal) zodiac.
The position of the yogataras in the Siddhanta lists are expressed in
meridian longitudes and latitudes and in terms of the Sayana (Tropical
zodiac. The degree of the ecliptic that simultaneously culminated with
a fixed star was the Dhruvak of the latter, and the distance of the
star from the ecliptic measured along the meridian circle at its
culmination was its Vikshepa. When the Dhruvaks and Vikshepas of the
various Siddhanta lists are reduced trigometrically to R.A. and
declination, they give a date, according to the year of compilation, in
or around 500 A.D. Revati was just a convenient star that happened at
this period to mark the beginning of the Sayana (tropical) zodiac (A.D.
575) and of the commencement in Saka 455 (523 A.D.) of the surya-
siddhanta and Arya-siddhanta solar years. From many beautiful slokas
in the Rig Veda, it is obvious that the true fiducial of the Hindu
Nakshatras of the late period was the paranatellonta of Aswini
(Sharatan), and calculation proves, for the latitude of Ujjain, that
its zero-year was 210 A.D. As the zero-year of the Egypto-Babylonian
zodiac was 213 A.D., it is apparent that the Hindu nakshatras and the
Near Eastern zodiac, at the beginning of the Christian era, had the
same starting point.
It must be remembered that when we refer to the "Aquarian Age" we
are talking in terms of the 'sidereal' zodiac and to identify the
observed influences of the sign Aquarius with the constellation
Aquarius is to be guilty of the homonymous error [to mistake similar
names for similar natures]....
The Aquarian Age...theoretically will be ushered in in 2369 A.D.
[as derived from]...the records of ancient Egypt and Babylon.
*******************

[Jim Eshelman]

[EGYPTIAN] A companion file to Cyril Fagan's writing in
[ORIGINS1], on the Naming of the Constellations. Even though
the original Egyptian and Babylonian astrology were sidereal in
framework, the Egyptian wandering calendar was tropical. Most of the
icons we have come to know for the "signs" (Taurus, Gemini, etc) were
originally connected with the Egyptian wandering calendar and mistaken
by later Greek culture as constellations. According to Fagan, these
months were named according to the seasonal and agricultural events
that took place when the Moon rose in the constellations in Egypt.
In his explanation of the Egyptian "sign" name origins as well as
the hieroglyphic ideograms for those seasonal months, Fagan's early
writing completely divorces the icons of the signs taken from the
ancient Egyptian (tropical) calendar (as bullish for Taurus, fishy for
Pisces, etc.,) in favor of a definition of the constellations based on
empirical observation and reference to the ruling planets and
Exaltation degrees, the latter of which were recorded in and valid only
in the constellations.
See especially the last file, Fagan's June 1961 "SOLUNARS" with the
section on Egyptian Beliefs. Another related file is DISCREPANCIES in
Names and Symbols in file [DISCREP] in archive Sidereal.zip.
It should be noted the there are other historical scholars who cite
ancient sources indicating the archaic antiquity of the constellations
regardless of the Egyptian calendars.
* * * *


JUNE 1959 American Astrology
"Many Things" - Cyril Fagan Letter

NAMES AND LABELS
By way of clarification, let us suppose that there lived in the 3rd
century A.D., two competent astrologers, with a wide experience of
human character, one living in Greece and the other in India, and that
they recorded their impressions on the character of the people born
during, say, the first half of November. Allowing for the difference
due to racial conditioning, their delineations, when compared, would be
found to be substantially the same, would they not? Both of them would
label these people Scorpians, for during the 3rd century A.D. not only
did the two zodiacs tally, but the Julian and Gregorian (modern)
calendars also tallied; a coincidence that is worth noting. Now let us
suppose that the same two astrologers were living today, and that they
recorded their impressions of the character of the people also born
during the first half of November. When these records are compared
would they not also prove to be substantially the same, with this
difference that the Greek, about the middle of the 6th century B.C.
being an adherent of the new or tropical zodiac, which is precessional,
would continue to label them Scorpians, while the Indian, being an
adherent of the old or sidereal (Nirayana) zodiac, which is not
precessional, would label them Librans. Provided the delineations were
based on pure empiricism, i.e., on direct experience, and not on the
supposed attributes of the Scorpion or the Scales, they would be more
or less identical.
Siderealists do not quarrel with such 'bona fides' delineations.
They must be identical for both zodiacs for the same periods of time of
the Gregorian calendar; otherwise astrology would be largely falsified.
Their quarrel is with the labels. As will be seen the label has no
astrological significance in itself, being merely fluvial and pastoral,
but by implication it has significance in that the label Libra implies
that Venus is the ruling planet, while the label Scorpio implies that
it is Mars. What the astrologers have got to determine, regardless of
the label, is whether the general character of the people and their
predilections, born in modern times, during th first half of November,
conform more to the attributes of Venus or Mars. Siderealists,
unhesitatingly, say Venus, thus implying that the correct label is
Libra.
When the delineations of the 3rd century A.D., for the first half
of November, are compared with the delineations for the same period of
the year in modern times, they will be found to be substantially
different. Why? According to the adherents of the modern [Tropical]
zodiac, there should be no marked difference between them at all; the
Sun's "phase" in respect of the vernal equinox being the same! But
they are different! The characters of those born during the first half
of November of the 3rd century A.D. are conspicuously martial; while
the character of those born during the first half of present century
are manifestly venereal. This is not a theory; one has only to study
the character delineations of the zodiacal signs, as given in the works
of such classical authors as Manilius (who flourished during the reigns
of the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius), Firmicus Maternus, Manetho and
others and compare them with modern delineations, to be aware of the
lack of conformity.
The cause, of course, lies in the phenomena of precession. Our
modern calendar is tropical, with the vernal-equinoctial point
permanently dated for March 21st. Being tropical, it is receding at
the rate of one degree in about 72 years in respect of the zodiacal
constellations, so that the Sun's position on, say, November 1, 1959,
will not be in the same position in the heavens as it was on, say,
November 1, 220 A.D. On the latter date it was in the sidereal
longitude Scorpio 8d 42' and on the former Libra 13d 38' at midnight
(GMT). It is, therefore, obvious that it is not the Sun's "phase"
(elongation) in respect of the vernal point--which is a mere
mathematical abstraction--that "conditions" the Sun, but its apparent
position in the star-fields of the constellations: hence the difference
in the delineations.
As already explained in the Solunar series, the representations of
the twelve zodiacal constellations are only Egyptian heiroglyphic
ideograms, indicating the fluvial and pastoral events that occurred
from month to month in Egypt--and in Egypt only--when the constellatons
rose immediately after sunset. It is, therefore, apparent that they
cannot have any astrological signficance whatsoever. To liken those
born when the Sun was passing through the sidereal or tropical Aries to
"gamboling, upspringing rams," or those born under Taurus to "stolid
bulls" and so forth, is just sheer fanciful nonsense, which, alas, is
just as prevalent today as it was in the classical period, to the
enduring discredit of the science.
If the delineations of the twelve zodiacal signs, as given in our
popular textbooks and magazines are carefully scrutinized, they will be
found to be a concoction of (a) modern empirical observations and (b)
the supposed significances of the associated zodiacal symbols. Insofar
as they are based on authentic empirical research they are applicable
to both the tropical and sidereal zodiacs, for the same dates of the
year. But when they are intermingled with the fanciful meaning given
to the zodiacal labels, they cease to be applicable to either the
tropical or sidereal zodiacs. As Rupert Gleadow would succinctly put
it "...The sign Scorpio is only the constellation Libra misnamed..."
The "...actual astronomical constellations..." are the modern
astronomical versions of the Greek constellation figures, which were of
unequal length. According to Dr. J. K. Fotheringham of Oxford
University they were introduced into Greece by Cleostratus of Tendos.
But the original and much more ancient Egyptian and Babylonian zodiacal
constellations were each precisely 30 degrees in longitude. A
complicated mind, functioning in the field of the obtuse, anticipates a
complicated solution, and when it gets it, it is gratified. But,
although profound, truth is simple. The merits of the Egyptian
duodenary division of the fixed zodiac have yet to be assayed by the
astrological world, and cannot be dismissed as being "really too
crudely simple," as witness the statistical findings of Donald A.
Bradley in his PROFESSION AND BIRTHDATE (Llewellyn Publications, Ltd.,
California).
It is fully agreed that after a brief acquaintance it is possible to
guess correctly both the Ascendant and Sun-sign of an acquaintance; but
this does not detract from the fact that wrong lables are being used
most of the time.
Chapters on how to compute the solar return in terms of the new
[Tropical] zodiac will be found in most standard textbooks of this and
the previous century, and were even known to Kepler and Tycho Brahe.
They are therefore not new. A few articles have appeared, many years
ago, in the pages of Modern Astrology edited by Alan Leo, on the
calculation of lunar returns, but again in terms of the new zodiac;
while to this day, almost every astrological magazine publishes
annually the horoscope for the Sun's ingress into Aries, also in terms
of the new zodiac. What is claimed to be original is the computation
of solar and lunar returns in terms of the old or sidereal zodiac. For
a man of, say 60 years of age, the difference in time betweenthe
tropical and sidereal versions of the solar return can exceed 21 hours,
witha consequent difference in the longitude of the Moon and the
mundane positions of the planets, the sidereal yielding a distinctly
different interpretation to that of the tropical version.
*******



From Cyril Fagan's 3/56 and 2/72 "SOLUNARS"

EGYPTIAN ROOTS
Egyptian texts on astronomy and astrology, whether written in
hieroglyphics, hieratic or demotic, abound in the use of cryptograms to
indicate the zodiacal constellations, planets, their positions and
configurations, and to one not conversant with astrological symbolism
in its original form they can be completely mystifying.
For example Mercury was frequently represented by a band of string,
which was used to bind papyrus books. This symbol is quite
appropriate, seeing that books of all descriptions come under the
dominion of Mercury. Most astrologers incorrectly assume that the
well-known glyph for what is now the eighth constellation represents "a
scorpion." It is, in fact, the demotic ideogram for "a cobra," and
what is taken to be the point of the "sting" is actually the cobra's
head, which faces to the right, as Egyptian script was usually read
from right to left. The serpent was the Egyptian symbol for storms and
gales, which became prevalent when this constellation rose at sunset.
But the majority of these cryptograms take the form of homophones; a
homophone being one of two or more ideograms showing entirely different
representations but having similar sound values. In short, a homophone
is merely a rebus on the on the original word. In some tests, for
example, Venus is represented by the numeral 9, usually depicted by
nine dots arranged in the form of a rectangle. Now the phonetics for 9
are the same as those for "one that shines," namely the planet Venus,
but differently arranged. For another example, the phonetics for
"twins" are the same as those for "brothers," while those for Pisces
are also the phonetics for "a pair of soles" and "a pair sandals,"
which partly explain the development of the association of the feet
with this constellation.
Both the constellation Leo and the planet Mars were symbolized by
the ideogram of "a knife," which is probably due to the fact that Mars
rose in Leo at the time of the inauguration of the Harakhte (Mars) era,
September 15, 3030 B.C. In sculpture the god Harakhte is represented
by the human-headed lion know as the Sphinx. To the stargazer the
constellation of Leo is noteworthy for its conspicuous "sickle" formed
by its leading stars, and to this day it is symbolized by the device of
a sickle, wrongly thought to be that of a lion's tail. The Egyptian
for "sickle" happens to be similar to the phonetics for "a lion," and
so for probably euphemistic and calligraphic reasons the ideogram for a
lion was substituted for that of a sickle to identify this
constellation. In short, the symbol for a lion is merely a charade for
that of the sickle.
The absurdity, therefore, of attributing lion-like qualities to one
born under the "sickle" constellation is too obvious to stress. Yet no
small part of Ptolemaic astrology is based on nothing more tangible
than homophonic similarities. Incidentally, this fact is one of the
strongest arguments that astrology originated with the Egyptians and
not the Babylonians. TO ERECT AN INTERPRETATIVE EDIFICE ON A SYMBOL,
BEFORE THE SYMBOL'S ORIGIN IS KNOWN, IS SURELY THE HEIGHT OF FOLLY.
In the zodiac from the Temple of Khunum at Esneh (137 B.C.) the
"sickle" is personified by the goddess Satis. In her hand she holds a
knife, sicklewise, over her head, while her right hand grasps a set of
arrows. These arrows represent the conspicuous swarm of shooting
stars, known as the Leonids, that are still seen to this day, darting
in all directions from the radiant point situated near the center of
the Sickle. The Leonids are one of several meteoric showers and
certainly the most spectacular of them all when they intensify at
intervals of 33 years when the Earth passes through the densest part of
the stream.
As certain meteoric streams and comets have identical orbits, like
those of the Orionids and Halley's Comet, it is now believed that
meteor showers are streams of cometary particles which follow the
associated comet's elliptical or parabolic path in the solar system.
Only the showers that actually pass through the Earth's orbit are seen,
and then only when the Earth is moving through the swarm. The stream
of the Leonids cuts the Earth's path at about Aries 28 degrees,
heliocentrically speaking, and hence they become conspicuous about
November 15th when the Sun's apparent sidereal longitude is Libra 28
deg. While some meteoric showers famed in the past seem to have
vanished, it is interesting to note that the Leonids were known to the
Egyptians over 2,000 years ago. The sidereal longitude of the present
radiant point is about Leo 2d17', still within the "Sickle of Leo," and
it is not surprising to find that some of the world's most meteoric
characters, like Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte, were born
when the Sun was in conjunction with this point. It is worth noting
that these two most famous conquerors in history were born with the Sun
in the same degree, sidereally speaking, whereas in the tropical zodiac
the natal Suns of Alexander and Napoleon are separated by nearly 30d.!

Degree Symbolism
This brings up the whole problem of the symbols attached to each
degree of the zodiac.... Symbols have been allotted to the zodiacal
degrees by a variety of methods, the most common being based on
unadulterated schematism, having no natural or astronomical content
whatsoever. In this method a zodiacal constellation or sign--it does
not matter which--is divided into a number of small divisions, each
subdivision being identified with a planet or a microzodiacal sign....
To make any claims to validity, such a system must be anchored to
the sidereal zodiac, for in terms of the tropical zodiac, it would be
quite meaningless. If it can be established that any degree of the
zodiac does emit a distinct and unique influence, then the influence
could only be due to a fixed star or group of fixed stars, both visible
and invisible, that lie as a backdrop to that degree. In itself a
zodiacal degree is a mere mathematical abstraction, and obviously can
emit no such influence whatsoever....
The symbolical degrees of antiquity were, for the most part, based
on the paranatellonta of the fixed stars, and several lists of the
latter, such as those of Aratus, Hyginus, Manilius and Firmicus, have
come down to us. These relate only to the rising degrees of the
zodiacs, and are only true for the geographical latitude for which they
were computed, and then only for a limited time because the rising and
setting of the stars are affected by precession, despite the fact that
their longitudes may be expressed in terms of the sidereal zodiac....
How did the astrologers of antiquity discover so correctly the
influences of the planets? How did they ascertain that Mercury was the
significator of words, penmanship, and accountancy, seeing that their
ephemerides of this planet were so defective, because of the proximity
to the Sun. How did they discover that Venus was the significator of
love, Mars of war, Jupiter of joy, and Saturn of sorrow. Was their
knowledge the fruit of many thousands of years of tedious empirical
research, or had they a more direct approach?
....
While we can afford to take Simplicius' statement in his commentary
of the De Caelo of Aristotle (that he had heard the Egyptians possessed
written observations of the stars extending over no less than 630,000
years, and that the Babylonians possessed them for 1,444,000 years)
with a grain of salt, it is nevertheless true that a large quantity of
observation tablets with their omens were found in Ashurbanipal's
library at Nineveh and elsewhere. But there is nothing in these
Babylonian tablets which would lead us to believe that the astrology of
Manetho and Ptolemy, was derived from them. Unfortunately, our
knowledge of ancient Egyptian astrology is deduced solely form the
monuments and the few texts that have survived destruction. Of the
Heliopolian library nothing remains, and the famous library of
Alexandria, which was so severely damaged in 48 B.C. when Julius Caeser
was besieged in that city, was ruthlessly destroyed, with all its
precious contents, in 641 A.D.
* * * * * *



Cyril Fagan's June 1961 "SOLUNARS, A Study of the Sidereal Zodiac"

Unquestionably the greatest tragedy of our science is that modern
astrologers are not historically-minded. If they were astrology would
be spared the blunders, piled on blunders, that keep recurring daily.
It is not that we astrologers are devoid of intelligence, but we are
considerably handicapped in that we lack a knowledge of the historical
background, which is essential to a true understanding of our art,
otherwise we will continue to grope blindly in the dark. If astrology
as a science is to take its rightful place as an academy of earning, no
effort should be spared to have authentic ckpies of all the most
ancient works, and records on the subject gathered together and housed
in a suitable building. Experts should be commissioned to translate,
collate and subject them to scholarly criticism, and such should be
published in English and made available to all earnest students.
To achieve this, considerable funds would be needed, but the
interest in the subject is so deep and universal that one feels certain
that if a right start were made the necessary endowments would soon
become available, provided such a project were organized on sound lines
and freed of all traces of partisanship. But who will undertake this
worthy task?
If astrologers only knew the primordial history of their subject;
the way, for instance, the signs of the zodiac got their names and
symbols, they would hesitate twice before claiming to see unmistakable
bovine characteristics in those born in the month of May or a feline
disposition in those born during August, nor would they be so quick to
classify Pisces as a bicorporal and Aquarius as an airy sign. Those
who are acquainted with the rudiments of Egyptology know that the
popular astrological symbols have been derived from Egyptian
hieroglyphic, hieratic, or demotic ideograms. Thus the well-known
symbols for the Sun, Moon, Libra and Aquarius are to be found in the
most hieroglyphic texts, but there is nothing in Sumerian or Akkadian
cuneiform characters even remotely resembling them.
The astrological glyph for Libra is usually regarded as being a
representation of the beam of a balance and hence the name Libra
("Balance") is given to this constellation. But this is not the case.
The glyph is a demotic ideogram depicting the Sun rising over the
horizon. Known as 'Akhet,' which means "the place on the horizon where
the sun rises," identifies Libra as the first of the constellations.
In its hieroglyphic form it shows the sun rising between two hills on
the eastern Egyptian horizon. So instead of the constellation
representing the delicate and unstable scales it symbolizes the very
solid hilltips ofthe eatern skyline of Egypt. Because, in modern
times, the 6th zodiacal sign, Pisces, is shown by a representation of
two fish with their tails tied together by a cord, this constellation
has been classed as dual or bicorporal.
If the reader refers to pentade No. 15 shown on the frontispiece of
ZODIACS OLD AND NEW, he will find Pisces illustrated by two fish
bearing the legend 'Khonuy.' But the dual representation here is an
Egyptian grammatical construction known as the 'nisbe-form,' meaning
"the pentade that belongs to the fish..." (singular), just as the
ideograms of two horizons, two towns, and so forth simply mean "he who
belongs to, or is related to, the horizon of the town," as the case may
be. A glance at the frontispiece will show that many pentades take
this nisbe-form and therefore they do not signify duality. Hence
Pisces originally only symbolized one fish and is not dual or
bicorporal. Because of Pisces' dominion over the womb, several ancient
authors attributed the birth of twins--the "two fish"--to it; but oddly
enough not to Gemini!

EGYPTIAN BELIEFS
To the Egyptian priesthood all the stars personified gods or
goddesses and the patterns formed by them in the sky were deemed so
sacred that for profane hands to copy them was a sacrilege fraught with
the most dire consequences. To obviate this difficulty in
communication, they had recourse to a rebus; that is, in place of the
original symbol they substituted an entirely different one, but having
the same phonetic intonation. Rebuses are quite common in Egyptian
astronomical inscriptions. Thus in the Egyptian planetary texts the
planet Venus was indicated by an ideogram of three rows of 3's,
arranged to form a square and totaling 9, which mystified Egyptologists
of the early days, leading them to think there were some occult
connection between this number and the planet Venus. But the number 9
is only a rebus for Venus for the phonetics for 9 is 'pesed ju' which
happens also to mean the "brilliant one," namely Venus, and also the
"crescent new-moon."
The anterior part of the constellation Leo is conspicuous for a
cluster of stars which form a resemblance to a "sickle" and in current
astronomical literature it is often referred to as the "Sickle of Leo."
The Egyptian phonetics for "sickle" is 'ma' and for a "lion" 'maa,' so
to indicate this constellation the rebus of a lion was substituted for
the sickle, and so the symbol of a lion has stuck to it ever since.
Incidentally the phonetics for "sight" is 'mau' and in his AEGYPTICA,
Manetho assures us that the lion is remarkable for his astonishing
sight! But the starry sickly also appeared to some Egyptians as
resembling 'nem' a "butcher's knife," and in the planetary texts both
the constellation Leo and the planet Mars are indicated by just such an
ideogram.
On September 15, 3130 B.C. at the helical rising of Spica in
Heliopolis, the Harakhte (Mars) era began; at which time Mars was in
conjunction with Denebola ("Lion's tail"), then a star of the first
magnitude, in the constellation of Leo. On the monuments the regent of
the constellation Taurus is shown by 'Kauy,' the nisbe-form of 'Ka,'
the ideogram of which depicts a pair of raised human arms, flexed at
right angles at the elbows, in the act of supplication. At death the
corpse was represented by 'Khat,' the oxyphynchus-fish; the astral
remains or ghost by 'Ba,' the jabiru or ba-bird, which was capable of
external manifestation and the divine spirit or intelligence by 'Ka' as
described above.
But as the 'Ka' of this constellation must never be directly
invoked by the laity, its ideogram was replaced by the rebus of the
male generative organ or by the rebus of a bull, the phonetics of both
being 'Ka.' In short the original symbol for Taurus was 'Ka,'
"Intelligence." In planetary texts Taurus is frequently indicated by
the ideogram of a phallus or by that of a bull, but never by that of
the 'Ka.'
If the reader again refers to the frontispiece of ZODIACS OLD AND
NEW, he will see that pentades Nos. 24, 25 and 26 also in the
constellation Taurus, show in nisbe-form a representation of the
crested ibis (Ibis comata). The phonetics for this bird is 'Akh' which
mean "blessed one," "glorification," "sunshine," etc., an allusion to
the fact that at the beginning of the lunar year (Easter-time) in the
3rd millennia B.C. the sun on "New Year's Day" (Babylonian--1st Nisan)
ascended in the constellation Taurus. But the phonetic 'Akh'
(masculine) and "Akhet'(feminine) are also those for the ideogram for
Libra, which signified the "New Year's Day" of the ancient sidereal
year, when Spica rose heliacally in this constellation.
Readers will now discern the folly of attributing the qualities of
the king of the jungle to those born when the Sun was in Leo: one
would be as much justified in attributing to them the qualites of a
"butcher's knife," whatever they may be. Equally fatuous is it to
interpret the rest of the zodiacal symbols too literally.
To the Egyptians and the Babylonians the zodiac was "the path of the
moon." It was the latter day Greeks who made it solar, thereby turning
zodiacal symbolism topsy-turvy. The naming of the constellations had
nothing whatsoever to do with the Sun's entry into them. On the
contrary, they were named in acordance with the annual events that took
place in ancient Egypt, during the months when they first became
visible at nightfall, that is immediately after sunset, when the first
hour of the night began; and the stars that first became visible were
those that rose in the east, i.e., crossed the Ascendant. During
daylight the stars could not be seen. It was not possible to
observation the constellaton that held the Sun, because of the
brilliancy of its light. But it was always possible to see the Moon
gliding through the constellations at night when she was visible.
When a zodiacal constellation was observed ascending above the
eastern horizon immediately after sunset, the sun itself, was obviously
in the opposite constellation that had jus set, and which was
invisible. Thus should the stars of Virgo rise at nightfall, naturally
the sun would be in the opposte constellation, Pisces. Technically
this is know as the acronychal ("nightfall") rising of Virgo. Viewed
heliocentrically the earth would always be in the constellation that
rose at sunset, as would also be the Full Moon.
To this day in India the months are named after the zodiacal
constellations that rise after sunset. Thus the month 'Caitra,' named
after 'Citra' ("Spica") in virgo, commences about March 14th, at which
day the Sun enters the opposite constellation, Pisces. The stars of
the harvest constellation, Virgo, rose after sunset in Egypt during the
month of February (Sun in Pisces); and it was during this month that
the Egyptian harvest commenced, and the ripe grain gathered by the
maidens working in the fields. Hence its name and glyph of a "sheaf of
wheat and sickle." The "Harvest Moon" was the Full Moon of Virgo which
fell in conjunction with Spica, the "Ear of Wheat." The fact that this
constellation rose acronychally during the harvesting season in Egypt
proves, in itself, that it was the Egyptians, and no other nation, for
among none of the great peoples of the ancient world did harvesting
commence so extra-ordinary early in the year.
During midsummer (Sun in Cancer) the Sun attained its highest
elevation, like a goat perched on the mountain-top, and in the Denderah
circular zodiac the summer solstice is represented by a hawk (Horus)
perched on top of a papyrus-pole. At the same time the Nile began to
flood again, the waters becoming once more plentiful with fish. So the
stars that rose at nightfall during this month were identified with a
goat (Capricorn) and it was given the tail of a fish. Bonfires were
lit on th hills and the summer festivities began with the rising of the
Full Moon; the Full Moon being, of course, in Capricorn.
The pastoral Pan and the Satyrs have always been associated with
midsummer. Being the hottest month it was for this reason considered
the most lecherous, and in classical literature lechery was attributed
to the goat. On the other hand, during midwinter (Sun in Capricorn)
the Sun appeared so close to the horizon as to seem like a celestial
eetle or a crab crawling around on the sands. So the stars that rose
at eventide were identified with the Scarabaeus or Crab (Cancer).
Conspicuous among the were Praesepe, the "Manger" and the two Aselli
"Asses," which figure so prominently in Christian festivities.

Youth and Summer
Aquarius the "Water-bearer" was so named by the Egyptians because
when it was seen to rise immediately after sunset during the month of
July, the waters of the rive Nile had risen so high as to overflow
their banks and flood the lands. Hence Aquarius was the sign of the
Great Egyptian Inundations. During the following month, at the
vespertine rising of Pisces, Egypt was so covered with water as to turn
it into a vast sea, brimful of fish. In our modern star maps, Aquarius
is pictorially represented by whitehaired old Father Winter pouring
water from an urn; a thoroughly meaningless symbol, apropos of nothing.
Originally it portrayed Hapy, the naked boy-god of the Nile pouring the
swollen waters of the river from his two urns (nisbe-form) on to the
lands of Egypt. In later times, the Romans simply called it 'Amphora,'
the "Urn," but tje Greeks identified it with GAnymede, the cup-bearer
and favorite of Zeus, and the most beautiful boy, born or mortal
parents. It is a sign of youth and summer and ot of wintry old age.
An exlanation as to how the rest of the zodiacal signs got their
symbols and names will be found in ZODIACS OLD AND NEW. The vespertine
rising of Virgo during February during the harvesting season and the
evening rising of Aquarius during July when the inundation began makes
it absolutely certain that ti was the Egyptians who names the zodiacal
signs. (The Tigris and the Euphrates overflowed their banks in March.)
In the star maps Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces and Aries (under Aries
lurked Ceturs, the sea-months) are represented as being amphibious or
entirely aquatic in form, and these four signs rose acronychally [at
nighttime] during the summer months of June, July, August and September
whenthe Nile was in full spate.
The Egyptian harvest and the rise, overlfowing and fall of the
Nile, and the events contingent on them happen every year about the
same Gregorian month, the same today as they did in remote antiquity.
That is to say they are SEASONAL, AND HENCE PURELY TROPICAL, being
solely due to the tilt of the earth's axis and Egypt's peculiar
geographical position in regard to the river Nile, whose waters are due
to the descent of rain on the Ethiopian mountains. Like all seasonal
events, they have nothing to do with the influences of the fixed stars
or constellations. The fixed stars to all intents and purposes remain
fixed, but the seasonals and the Gregorian calendar keep moving
backwards in mutual space.
In the form we now know it, the zodiac was devolved from the
pentades in the first millennium B.C., or perhaps earlier. Then the
Full Moon in Virgo heralded the harvest and that in Aquarius the
inundatin. But, because of the effects of precession, it is now the
Full Moon in Leo and Capricorn respectively that signal these events.
From these facts we learn the following:
(a) that the familiar names and signs of the zodiac are only proper to
the tropical zodiac.
(b) that they were named and identified in accordance with the
seasonal events that took place in Egypt at the time of their
acronychal [nighttime] risings.
(c) that these zodiacal names and symbols have no astrological
significance whatsoever.
(d) that the signs of the sidereal zodiac are [from ancient
history] without names and symbols although for modern convenience
those of the Egyptian tropical zodiac are applied to them.

When in the 6th century B.C. Cleostratus of Tenedos nailed the
Egypian zodiac firmly to the fixed stars of the Hellenic firmament, he
unwittingly made a cardinal mistake, because being tropical the
Egyptian [calendar] could not be fixed to any fixed stars, and its
signs, being Egyptian ideograms were interchangable with those of
others and their positions and forms varied. Moreover the twelve signs
of the Egyptian zodiac were rigorously of equal length [in contrast
with the unequal constellations of the Greco-Roman scheme].
At the beginning of the Christian era, when astrology flourished in
Greece, it made little difference, for both zodias tallied about 220
A.D. But the position is very different today where there is a
disparity of 24 degrees between them. It has already been demonstated
that the exaltation of the planets applied only to the sidereal zodiac;
the same is equally true of the rulerships, and the zodiacal character
delineations, as recorded in ancient times are also sidereal. But when
these became intermingled with the imagined influence of the Crab, the
Lion or the Scorpion, they went completely astray.
When one studies the delineations of ancient Egyptian (demotic) and
Babylonian horoscopes one is struck by the complete absence of zodiacal
aspects between the planets; only the paranatellonta being mentioned,
but planetary aspects in their abundance are to be found in the
interpretation of Greek horoscopes, making it appear that aspects are a
Greek innovation, possibly attributable to Aristotle, who was addicted
to this form of schematicism.
Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.) writing about the rulership of
the signs says: "Since of the twelve signs the most northern, which
are closer than the others to our zenith and therefore more productive
of heat and warmth, are Cancer and Leo, they assign these to the
greatest and most powerful heavenly bodies, that is the luminaries, as
house, Leo, which is masculine to the Sun and Cancer feminine to the
Moon..." (Ptolemy: TETRABIBLOS I, 17, p.79, Harvard University Press.)
Even the beginner in astrology knows that in the tropical zodiac, the
most northern signs are Gemini and Cancer--not Cancer and Leo--the most
northern point being Gemini 30 degrees or Cancer 0 degrees. Moreover
in the tropical zodiac it must always be the same. But it is otherwise
in the sidereal zodiac. About 1953 B.C. the summer solstice occurred
when the Sun was in Cancer 30 degrees or Leo 0 degrees when it was at
its most northern point. This, with many other passages in the
Tetrabiblos, clearly indicates that Ptolemy's astrology was essentially
sidereal. It would also seem to imply the theory as to the rulerships
of the signs by the planets was formulated about the 2nd millennia B.C.
* * * *

[Jim Eshelman]

ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS - PREFACE NOTES: This file [ORIGINS1] PART I:
contains excerpts on the first of two important facets of Cyril Fagan's
research on the origins of astrology. First, in PART I: from Cyril
Fagan's 1971 ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS, the earliest historical naming of
the constellations in ancient Egypt is set forth; Fagan sees the
Egyptian as the prototypic and original zodiac. At this time, circa
3000 B.C., the spring equinox occurred in Taurus, although the Egyptian
astronomical quartering of the heavens was not dependent on the
equinox. Also in other cultures from which we also have records, whose
New Years were also oriented to the first crescent Moon after the
equinox in Taurus, Taurus appeared as leading the zodiac. It is
important to note that Fagan honored that historical evidence since it
was obviously the historical record. But for the ancient Egyptians to
have reached their advanced culture and extraordinary astronomical
understanding, one must assume several thousands of years of previous
history. What did the Egyptians know and when did they know it? Over
the years in his articles, Fagan does not always make the distinction
between the historical equinoctial leader Taurus, and the original 12
constellation divisions.

At end of this file, see letters by Fagan (8/67, 4/68) and Allen
(11/59) on the naming of the constellations. These underscore Fagan's
very powerful argument, in spite of lack of specific historic records,
that only in Egypt could the naming of the constellations coincide with
the annual rise and fall of the Nile River, upon which Egypt's
livelihood depended, in synchronism with the appearance of the Full
Moon.

Second, see file [ORIGINS2] PART II: from his earlier book ZODIACS
OLD AND NEW, 1951, there is included a summary and selected excerpts of
Fagan's research on the basics of ancient Egypt's astronomical
orientation and quartering of the heavens, which, it is important to
specify, did NOT depend on the occurrence of the equinoxes in any
constellation. Such orientation was connected with the Prime Meridian
Circle running from the then pole star Thuban to SPICA, the "Peg Star"
on the ecliptic, which Great Circle was at right angles to SIRIUS, one
of the most, if not the most important Egyptian calendar star besides
SPICA. Fagan found evidence of the Egyptian quartering of the heavens
previous to the occurrence of the Taurean Age, which preceded the Arien
Age, which preceded the current Piscean Age.
That there are 12 psychological groups has been verified by
Donald Bradley's statistical analysis of planetary positions in the
birthdates of 2,492 eminent clergyment in his 1950 PROFESSION AND BIRTH
DATE, and in several follow-up studies.
* * * * * * * * *




PART I: Excerpts from Cyril Fagan's ASTROLOGICAL ORIGINS, 1971
"NAMING THE ZODIACAL CONSTELLATIONS"

We will never understand how and why the zodiacal constellations got
their popular glyphs and names unless we constantly bear in mind, as I
have so often stated in all my writings, that in ancient times in the
Near East, the day of twenty four hours began at sunset, as it still
does with the Hebrew and Islamic peoples; and as it did with the
Florentines, Bohemians and Czechs up to comparatively modern times.
Eve commenced with sunset and it marked the first hour of the day of
twenty four hours. Eve, the rib of Adam, is of course the name of the
thin crescent of the New Moon seen immediately after sunset and which
marked the commencement of the first hour of the new lunar month as
well as the first day of the new lunar year, lst Pakhon (Greek); lst
Chonsu (Coptic); lst Nisannu (Babylonian); but these lunar months must
not be confused with like names occurring in the common Egyptian
calendar.
The planets that rose at this breathtaking moment of sunset, weaved
the fortunes of the day, as the faithful in mute adoration caressed the
earth. Before they inclined upward to their culmination, these eastern
stars were for that particular moment of time the true birth stars.
They were indicative of the physical person of the native and not those
which clothed the setting Sun in the diametrically opposite
constellation. In short, anciently one was considered to be born under
those fixed stars and planets (if any) that crossed the eastern horizon
at the precise moment of one's birth. As stated elsewhere, the degree
of the ecliptic that transited the eastern horizon at this particular
moment constituted one's horoscope, also known as the Hora, or
Ascendant. In all matters of life and death, sickness, physical
injury, and health generally, this point, or its progressed or
quotidian positions, must be involved directly or by configuration,
because it alone symbolizes the physical body of the native.
Furthermore, we must never overlook the fact that ancient Egyptian
and Babylonian astronomy and astrology were observational and lunar.
They devolved on what was seen by the unaided sight. The unseen, no
matter how realistic, was rigorously excluded. When these astronomers
referred to the New Moon, for instance, in all cases they referred to
the first appearance of the fine, thin lunar crescent as first observed
in the west after sunset. They never meant the so-called syzygy, or
conjunction of the Sun and the Moon. This also is invisible except at
the eclipses. In the lunar months of antiquity the astronomical New
Moon, invariably a day of evil omen because on this day eclipses of the
Sun can occur, marked the last or the penultimate day of the preceding
lunar month.
When the astronomers of Egypt and Babylon referred to the tropics of
Capricorn and Cancer, they most certainly were not talking about the
Sun in these constellations. Has anyone ever seen the fixed stars of
any constellation when the Sun was shining within it? Of course not,
How could he? So in all such references these astronomers had in mind
the Full Moon. In fact, the Full Moon day for most people of antiquity
was the most important and often the most sacred day fo the lunar
month. Frequently it was a day of festivities. It usually commenced
at eve of the 14th day of the lunar month as did the Pasch or Passover.
Hence, for these people of antiquity, the tropic of Capricorn denoted
midsummer and the tropic of Cancer denoted midwinter. In
short, Egypto-Babylonian astronomy may aptly be called Full Moon
astronomy.
In their desire to appear highly intellectual, scientific and mathe-
matical, the Greeks, probably about the time of Alexander the Great,
adopted the solar nomenclature, thereby turning ancient zodiacal
symbolism topsy turvy and making it sheer nonsense. In direct
violation of natural symbolism, these Greeks interpreted the tropic of
Cancer as denoting midsummer and the tropic of Capricorn as denoting
midwinter!
Now let us find out how and why the zodiacal constellations got
their glyphs and names. In the long history of Egypt, the great annual
event was, of course, the overflow of the river Nile--the longest river
in the world. Every summer when this occurred, almost the whole of
ancient Egypt was so covered with water as to be turned into a vast
lake or sea. But far from being an annual calamity, it was the
greatest of blessings as the rising waters from the distant Ethiopian
highlands carried down thousands of tons of fertilizing silt and spread
it all over the land! Without this the Egyptians could not have
survived, as their land was intrinsically barren. Naturally, there-
fore, it was of vital importance to know precisely when this inundation
would happen. It would have been disastrous if such should have caught
the people unawares and unprepared. The ancient common calendar of 365
days, without any provision for a leap year day, could not really be of
help. While this was useful about the 3rd millennia B.C., it ceased to
tally with the seasonal year in the 2nd and 1st millennia B.C. The
Nilometers were only of service when the waters had commenced to rise,
which was then too late. So perforce, they had to rely on the stars to
give them the earliest warnings.
They discovered that a certain group of fixed stars seemingly always
rose above the eastern horizon immediately after sunset when the
inundation commenced. So they identified these particular stars with
Hapi, the naked boy-god of the river Nile. They noticed, too, that
when the Moon became full among the stars, the inundation was upon
them. This was because the Full Moon rises simultaneously with the
setting of the Sun, for at Full Moons the Moon is always diametrically
in opposition to the Sun. So weeks ahead it could be estimated when
the Moon would be full among the stars and thus, well in advance, the
date of the overflow could be predicted and the necessary preparations
made.
Any astute student of astrology will instantly notice that the stars
of Hapi, subsequently identified by the Romans as Aquarius, the water
bearer, solely because of their rising at sunset which is the time when
the fixed stars first become visible in the night skies, synchronized
with the overflow of the Nile. But these stars rise everywhere in the
world once every day, but such risings do not tally with the flooding
of great rivers. In ancient Egypt alone, the flooding of the Nile only
occurred when the star of Aquarius rose immediately after sunset. This
implies that the Sun was in the opposite constellation Leo. There is
no record from the old world that any great river commenced to overflow
its banks and turn the surrounding land into a vast lake when the Sun
was in tropical Leo (July). The Tigris overflowed its banks at the
beginning of March (Gregorian), attaining maximum flooding about May
10th; while the Euphrates rose in the middle of March and reached its
highest level towards the close of May. (Maspero: Dawn of
Civilization, p 549). There is no evidence that the Indus, Ganges, or
any other great rivers of India annually overflowed their banks and
swamped the land on anything like the scale the Nile swamped Egypt
during the summer months. In spite of these facts, some devout Hindus
never tire of reiterating their claim that the ancient Aryavarta
(India) was the cradle of astrology.

RISE AND FALL OF THE NILE
Lest it be assumed that the acronychal (sunset) rising of the
constellation Aquarius at the commencement of the inundation was a mere
coincidence, as some contend, let us cast an eye on the diagram of the
glyph showing the rise and fall of the Nile. Copied from a similar
diagram (Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. 16, pp. 452-453, 1962) it
represents graphically in millions of cubic feet per day, the average
rise of the Nile for every month of the Gregorian calendar for the
years 1870-1952, but transposed to the year 200 A.D. when (a) the
sidereal and tropical versions of the zodiac and (b) the Julian and
Gregorian calendars coincided. The common calendar at the bottom of
the diagram gives the actual degrees of the zodiac on the eastern
horizon at the actual (cosmical) moment of sunset. It should be noted
that while 200 A.D. is a leap year in the Julian calendar, it is not so
in the Gregorian. Here, 200 A.D. is treated as being Gregorian for the
sake of convenience. To obtain the acronychal equivalent merely add
about 7 degrees to the cosmic longitudes, because stars of the first
magnitude do not become visible to the unaided sight until the Sun has
dropped by this amount below the western horizon, or about half an hour
after apparent (true) sunset. Thus, on January 1st the stars of the
12th degree of Cancer will be on the Ascendant at the actual moment of
sunset, but because of sunlight they will not be visible. The first to
appear, if of the first magnitude, will be those about Cancer 19
degrees in mundo. In respect to the sidereal version of the zodiac,
these longitudes decrease with time at the mean rate of 13.8 degrees
every one thousand years. From the year 800 B.C, the cosmical longi-
tude would be about Cancer 26.5 degrees, and the acronychal about Leo 4
degrees. IATROMATHEMATICA
Every student of astrology is familiar with the fact that the
popular Duodennary or twelve-fold division of the mundane sphere is
divided into twelve equal divisions of time running counterclockwise.
The Hora or Ascendant was known as the Alpheta or Giver of Life,
because it was at this point of the mundane sphere that the Sun, the
symbol of life, rose above the horizon (sunrise); while the Descendant
or cusp of the 7th house was recognized as the Anaereta or Destroyer of
Life, because at this point the Sun set below the horizon and sank into
Duat or the Underworld, such setting being regarded as its death.
From the remotest times the 1st mundane house was given dominion
over the head; the 2nd over the neck and throat; the 3rd over the
shoulders and arms, and so on. In their inordinate worship of
schematism, believing such to be scientific, the Greek astronomers made
the signs of the zodiac synchronize with this Duodennary arrangement of
the houses commencing Aries with the 1st house, Taurus with the 2nd,
and so on. To this day solar synchronicity is the popular vogue among
tropical astrologers.
This arrangement implies that the day of twenty four hours commences
at sunrise--which we know is not the case. In pre-Greek or lunar
astrology, the anatomical dominions of the signs of the zodiac were
diametrically opposite to the modern notation. For instance, during
the Aries Age, that is, the period between B.C. 1955 and A.D. 221, when
the Neomenia or 1st New Moon of the lunar year occurred in the con-
stellation Aries, the anatomical dominion of the zodiacal constella-
tion ran more or less as follows:
Held dominion over:
Libra head, face, eyes and ears
Scorpio neck, throat and voice
Sagittarius shoulders and arms
Capricorn breasts, chest and lungs
Aquarius heart and diaphragm
Pisces` stomach, abdomen and navel
Aries buttocks, loins and kidneys
Taurus generative organs (phallas)
Gemini hips and thighs
Cancer knees and joints
Leo shins
Virgo feet

In considering the origin of the popular glyphs and names of the
zodiacal constellations, one must always bear in mind the above
zodiacal melothesia, or distribution of parts of the body to the
zodiacal constellations. During the Taurus Age, B.C. 4152 to B.C.
1955, Scorpio held dominion over the head and the other constellations
followed in sequence; while during the present or Pisces Age, A.D. 221
to A.D. 2376, Virgo holds dominion over the head, Libra the throat, and
so on in sequence. CAPRICORN: Scanning the graph of the rise and fall
of the Nile we find that the river is at it lowest level when
Sagittarius, the mounted archer, rose at sunset and at some places was
actually fordable by cavalry. The river began to swell with water when
Capricorn rose at eventide, that is about May-June. On the ancient
monuments, Capricorn is depicted as half-goat and half-fish. Its
acronychal rising coincided with midsummer when the Sun attained it
greatest altitude at southing, symbolized by the giddy goat climbing to
the peak of the mountain. Naturally, it was the hottest time of the
year, and around the effigy of the goat the Greeks of later times
weaved their inevitable myths. According to them, the infant Zeus
(Jupiter) was suckled by the goat-nymph Amalthaea on the island of
Crete. When Zeus became Father-of-the Gods, in gratitude he set
Amalthaea's image among the stars as the constellation Capricorn. To
this day, the she-goat is frequently alluded to as the nanny-goat and
babies' nurses are known as nannies.
In the above melothesia, it will be noticed that Capricorn held
dominion over the breasts and adjoining parts of the body, probably
extending to the armpits. In this respect, the odor which emanated
from under the armpits was known to the Romans as Capra, a she-goat.
According to the Greeks, the horned and cloven Pan the god of flocks
and shepherds, and the pastoral divinity of summer, was the foster
brother of Amalthaea (Capricorn). The Greek Sileni and Satyros with
their horns and cloven heels were associated with Capricorn. When the
Full Moon was in Capricorn (midsummer) they were given to excessive
revelry. Indulging in an extravagance of wine drinking, they were
addicted to all forms of sensual pleasure, no matter how gross, and no
mortal was safe in their company, whence the medical term satyriasis.
At this time of the year, with the rising waters of the Nile, fish
once again became abundant. As a nemonic, the Egyptian scribes affixed
the ideogram of a fish to the tail of the goat, the omen reading "when
this constellation rises at eve, or when the Moon becomes full in it,
there will be Sun above and fish below in Eqypt." This simple calendar
of acronychal phenomena, graphically illustrated by ideograms
(hieroglyphics) is what we today recognize as the ancient zodiac. It
was intended for the use of the fluvial and agricultural communities of
Egypt and it is devoid of any mysterious implications. But those who
had a hankering for mystery invested the simple names and symbols of
the constellation with a mysterius occult meaning that they simply did
not possess.
Adjacent to Capricorn are the constellations Knm.t the Vulture
(Altair) or Eagle (Aquila), and Stwy (Shetyu) the Tortoise (Lyra).
Perched high in his eyrie, the eagle also symbolized the maximum
elevation attained by the Sun at the summer solstice. In the circular
zodiac of Denderah, as already stated, the summer solstice is
represented by a crown hawk, Horus, the "Sun," perched n the top of a
papyrus pole. When a tortoise was seized, the eagle would drop it from
a great height so as to break its shell; and in Egypt, the "Tortoise"
(Lyra) was near the zenith at its culmination.
In modern astrology, it is a common error to associate the eagle
with Scorpio. Scorpio represnts Serpens, the serpent, but in ancient
symbolism both the eagle and the vulture were antiscions of Capricorn.


AQUARIUS: This particular constellation of fixed stars was identified
by the Greeks as Ganymede, the most beautiful boy born of mortal
parents (Homil, Clement 5, 17: Erathosh, 26, 30). According to one
legend, Zeus, taking the form of an eagle (Aquila), carried the boy off
from Mount Ida and made him his favorite. As cup-bearer to the gods,
he personified the "fountain" of the Nile and caused that river to
overflow its banks annually (Pindar frag. 282): Ganymede thus becomes
identified with Hapi, the god of the Nile.
Incidentally, Antinous, another youth famous for his beauty, was
associated with the constellation Aquila and with the Nile. He was the
minion of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. When Antinous was drowned in the
Nile in A.D. 130, the grief of the Emperor knew no bounds. He enrolled
him among the gods, caused numerous statues of him to be made, founded
the Eqyptian city fo Antinopolis in his honor, and erected a temple to
him at Mamtinea. Finally, in A.D. 132, he placed him in the starry
skies right below the constellation of the Eagle. Antinous thus gives
his name to Eta Aquilae in the sidereal longitude Capricorn 5 degrees
36 minutes and latitude 21 N 32. The Romans, of course, styled
Ganymede Aquarius, the water-bearer, and gave it dominion over all
large rivers and the like. Most appropriately, tm3.t (Themat) the
"river," is one of several pentades that tally with the constellation
Aquarius.
Yet the Eqyptians of the Pyramidic period made another far reaching
discovery. They noticed that the beginning of the inundation seemed to
tally with the heliacal rising of the brightest star in the heavens,
namely Sirius. This occurred annually about July 16th, Julian. So,
the beginning of the Sothic (Sirius) year began with the heliacal
rising of this star and with the acronychal sunset rising of the con-
stellation Aquarius, at which time the inundation was well under way.

PISCES: The oldest known so-called decan lists were found on coffin
lids as Asyut, which Eygptoligists assign to the 1Xth and Xth
Heracleopolite dynasties, circa 2300 B.C. One of these decans shows a
device of two fishes with the legend hnwy (khonuy). Treated as a
pentade it synchronizes snugly and nicely with the constellation
Pisces. Khonuy (Pisces) rose a sunset during August, when the Sun was
in the opposite constellation, Virgo. At this time the inundation was
so excessive as to turn almost the whole of Egypt into a sea, abounding
in fish and river life with shipping as the only means of transport.
Obviously, therefore, the Egyptians could estimate the date many months
in advance when the Moon would become full in Pisces, and when fish
plus other marine life would be swimming freely over their pastures and
tilled lands. Naturally, therefore, by means of the grammatical device
of dual fish, they indicated that this group of fixed stars "belonged
to" (the month of) the fish. Precisely the same group of stars is
known today as Pisces.
Preceding Khonuy are a group of pentades falling in the
constellation Aquarius and having the ideogram of three jars in a
stand. This is a syllabic for knt.t (khentet) which means "he who is
in front." This refers to the Full Moon in Aquarius which occurred at
the inauguration of the Sothic Cycle and which led the planetary
procession reading from west to east. In some celestial diagrams this
is illustrated by the pictogram of the disc of a Full Moon in the
middle of a boat, which bears the legend hr ib wi3 (her yeb weya) which
means "(He who is) in the middle of the boat." It should be noted,
however, that the scribes were not always scrupulous in putting these
pentades in their proper sequences, especially as they thought they
would never be seen by living eye again. When compared, decan lists
often show considerable variations in this respect.

ARIES: As we have seen, the pictograph of a ram seems to have been
used by the Eqyptians as a sort of a zodical road sign to indicate
something significant. In the later period such were used as the
places "from whence the winds blew" or to mark where the zodiacal
constellations commenced. In the Pyramidic period, the culmination of
the sr Ram and sr.t Ewe pentades, which in the aggregate constituted
the constellation Aries, heralded the rising of Sirius, the Star of
Eqypt. So these sheep stars constituted a very useful zodiacal traffic
signal for them. To the religious minded Eqyptian priests it was of
the utmost importance to know well in advance the moment Sirius would
rise.
Sr.t (Aries) rose acronychally during the month of September (Sun in
Libra). This was the month of the autumnal equinox when the inundation
was at its highest. Associated with Aries is Cetus, the Sea Monster.
The waters of the Nile were now so high that crocodiles and hippopotami
swam over the erstwhile pastures. But in those pastures that remained
dry, the ewes were separated from the rams at this period. In the
decan lists and in the circular zodiac of Denderah, the ram is shown in
a position of repose, indicative of sunset. It is depicted facing back
to front in order of the constellations with its tail foremost and its
head rearmost. It has been suggested that its position of repose was
possibly due to the fact that it was kept in its pen as the inundation
was then at its greatest.
The lunar regent of this month (Athyr) was Hathor, the cow-headed
goddess. Hathor literally means "House of Horus" (The Sun) or "the
visible heavens." In the great temple of Hathor at Denderah, the
massive head of the goddess marks the eastern horizon or place of the
Ascendant.
The Sumerians called this constellation hun.ga and the Babylonians
agaru, both words meaning a "hired laborer" (Langdon: Babylonian
Menologies, p. 3) a fact that strongly militates against the view that
the zodiac originated in Babylon. Pliny (11, 31) suggests that it was
Cleostratus of Tenedos who introduced both Aries and Sagittarius into
the Greek zodiac towards the close of the 6th century B.C. In the
demotic texts Aries is represented by the determinative for a hide, dhr
(deher), which exhibits a long tail. The Greeks identified Aries with
the Golden Fleece which was suspended in the grove of Ares (Mars) in
Colchis and was guarded day and night by a dragon (Cetus) until it was
captured by Jason. It was the last of the zodiacal constellations.

TAURUS: Taurus, the Bull, rose at eve during the lunar month of Khoiak
(October). Not only was this the month in which the cattle were
coupled, but the waters of the Nile had so far receded as to permit the
oxen to be yoked and the land to be plowed. Thus, this constellation
gets its name. The constellation melothesia table informs us that
Taurus holds dominion over the generative organs of both sexes. Now
the Eqyptian phonetics for a bull is k3 (ka), byt k3 also is the
Eqyptian for a phallus. The table shows us that Taurus holds dominion
over the phallus, thus clearly proving that the Eqyptian astrologers
read such acronychally and not as in Greek astrology which puts the
phallus under Scropio. But in Eqyptian, k3 also meant the soul, and
in several murals in the temples of Denderah, the soul (k3), in the
form of the b3 (Ba-bird) is seen leaving the body at death via the
phallus! Nowadays one rarely refers to an ox, but much more commonly
to a bull or a cow, which are connotations of gender but not of genus.
Taurus was held to be the most fertile of all the zodiacal constel-
lations for which reason it was regarded in high esteem and much
revered. When the Full Moon occurred in Taurus, the Sun was, of
course, in the opposite constellation, Scorpio.
In the decan lists from Asyut, three pentades which ended Aries and
commenced Taurus were known to the Eqyptians as 3hwy (Akhuy), the
"shining ones," because about the Pyramidic period, the Sun rose in one
or other of them on New Year's Day of the lunar calendar. In other
words, they marked the place of the vernal equinox, Taurus 11 degrees,
12 minutes, B.C. 2767. The feminine form of Akhu, namely Akhot, means
the "place of sunrise," or the Ascendant.

GEMINI: Gemini, the Twins, rose at eve during the lunar month Tybi
when the Sun was in the opposite constellation, Sagittarius. The
constellation was probably named because of its brilliant twin stars
which the Romans knew as Castor and Pollux. The Egyptians knew them as
the air-god Shu and his wife and sister Tefnut, the lion-hearted
goddess of the Sun's heat. In the Babylonian mul-APIN tablet, this
constellation is known as Mash. tab. ba. gal. gal. and Mash. tab. tur.
tur., the Great Twins and Little Twins, respectively. The Chief
agricultural pursuit was the sowing of seeds and the sending of sheep
and horses to pasture. With the acronychal rising of Gemini, birds of
passage took their departure.
The regent of Tybi was Min, the ithypallic god of Panopolis and
Koptos. On the monuments he is depicted naked and standing erect.
Crowned with the lofty plumes of Amun, he holds on high a flagellum in
the act of striking. He was the Egyptian god of procreation. Below
Taurus and Gemini shines the glory of the southern skies S3h (sah), the
"Toe," but known to us as the mighty constellation Orion. In the
celestial diagrams Sah is shown as a human figure, wearing the hdt
(hedjet) or white crown of the south and standing in his boat welcoming
the rising of Isis-Sirius, who issues at his toe! The Babylonians knew
this constellation as sib.zi.an.na, the True Shepherd of the Sky.

CANCER: Cancer, the Crab rose after dusk during the lunar month of
Mekhir (Sun in Capricorn). This was the month of the winter solstice
when the Sun had sunk to its lowest elevation (declination). From the
date of the summer solstice the Sun had been declining (dying!), but on
midwinter's day--Christmas Day in the 2nd century B.C.--it commenced to
increase its declination again, and its altitude at local noon. This
turning point was hailed as the resurrection or birth of the Sun and
was celebrated by all nations in antiquity with festivities and
rejoicing. In the Eqyptian zodiacs, the constellation is represented
by the scarabaeus (Scarabaeus sacer) which lays its eggs in a ball of
dung which it compacts by pushing the pellet uphill on the sandy slopes
in the hot sunshine and allowing it to roll backwards again. This
pushing is done with the hind legs. This beetle became the symbol of
Kheper, the god of creation, rebirth, resurrection and transformation;
and the ball of dung became the symbol of the Sun.
At the winter solstice, like a crab walking sideways, the Sun crept
around an arc of the horizon, never attaining to any great altitude,
before it finally set. In Egyptian, Babylonian and Mithraic religions
the date of the winter solstice was celebrated as the birth of the Sun,
in Christianity as the birth of Christ. The constellation Cancer con-
tains the remarkable star cluster Praesepe (Cancer 13 degrees), the
"crib" or "manger" and the two Aselli or "asses" (Cancer 14 degrees and
15 degrees), which rose acronychally during this Christmas month, re-
calling the crib and asses in the stable in Bethlehem. Praesepe also
was known as the beehive" and in Egypt the lunar month Mekhir was noted
for the swarming of bees and for the sowing of seeds. It also was the
lambing season and the time when the fields were fertilzied with
manure.

LEO: The constellation Leo rose at eve during the lunar month of
Phamenoth (Sun in Aquarius). The most conspicuous feature of this
great constellation is a brilliant group of star known as the Sickle or
Sickle of Leo. The Eqyptian phonetics for a sickle are m3 (Ma). The
same phonetics form the root name for a lion m3i (May), so it is
obvious that the symbol of a lion is only a homophone or rebus for a
sickle. Egyptian astronomical and religious texts abound in the use of
similar homophones, when for superstitious reasons the scribes were
adverse to using the original names. This very fact alone attests that
it was the Egyptians who invented the zodiac and gave the zodiacal
constellations their names; for in what other great nation of antiquity
were the phonetics for a sickle and a lion identical?
In the Graeco-Roman atlases the stars which compose the conspicuous
Sickle of Leo are embraced in that constellation and thus extend it
some seven degrees in excess of the normal thirty. But in the Egyptian
zodiac they were known as the "Bow Stars" and were included in the
constellation Cancer. Both the "Bow" and "Arrow" (Sirius) rose
simultaneously in Egypt during the dynastic period. The Bow stars were
personified by the goddess Satis, who is represented holding a bow and
arrow. In the circular zodiac of Denderah she is seen shooting an
arrow beneath the lion, while in the Esna zodiac she walks before the
lion holding in her right hand a reed sicklewise above her head while
carrying her bow and arrows in her other hand. Incidentally, the
famous shower of shooting stars observed about November 15 of any year,
and known as the Leonids, diverge from a radiant point within the
Sickle. Its approximate position is Leo 2 degrees 17 minutes at
latitude 9 N 51. Immediately underneath the "Bow" are the "Stars of
the Waters." These include the brilliant star of the first magnitude,
Canopus (pilot of the Argo, which carried the heroes to Colchie in
search of the Golden Fleece), personified by Satis' companion Anqet,
goddess of the Inundation, because Canopus rose heliacally in Egypt
when the inundation was in full flood. In the circular zodiac of
Denderah, Anqet will be seen seated behind Satis, and holding in each
hand a water vase (cf. Hapi and his water jar).
It will be noticed that there is an unmistakable resemblance between
the shape of the Eqyptian Sickle and the hind leg of a lion! The same
shape will be seen on the legs of royal chairs and thrones and also on
the prow of Egyptian ships.

VIRGO: The harvest constellation Virgo, the "Maid," rose after sunset
in the lunar month Pharmouthi (Sun in Pisces). The first part of the
month was devoted to flower planting; but with the acronychal rising of
Spica, "the ear of corn," the harvest began. This period tallied with
the month of February-March, Gregorian. The records attest that with-
out question this was the time of harvesting in ancient Egypt. But was
it also the time of harvesting for any other great nations of
antiquity? Records also prove that the usual time of harvesting was in
the fall and certainly not in the early spring. This fact alone will
demonstate once again that it was the Egyptians who invented the
zodiac. The Full Moon of the lunar month Pharmouthi, which would fall
in propinquity to the "Ear of Corn" (Spica), was known as the Harvest
Moon.
The constellation Virgo contains an important star known to the
Egyptians of Ramesside times as t3.nfr (tsha-nefre), "the beautiful or
good boy" which the Egyptians of the late period identified with their
infant Horus in the arms of his mother Isis. The Greeks called this
star Protrygeter, the "first fruit picker" and the Romans called it
Vindemiatrix, the "grape-gatherer," or Ampelos, the favorite of
Bacchus. Ampelos is represented as an infant boy holding a grape, in
the arms of his mother Erigone (born in the morning), because the
heliacal rising of Ampelos ushered in the grape harvest.
In the Magian version of the Sphere Barbarica, written by Teukros of
Babylon, the ascension of the constellation Virgo is described thus,
"Next there ariseth the first decan of Virgo, the adra nedefa, pure
virgin. She holds in her hand two ears of corn (Spica) and a child on
her arm. She feedeth him and giveth him suck. She bringeth up the
child in a place that is called Abrie (Hebrew-land) and the child's
name is called 'Isu' (Jesus)..."
In the zodiac on the main porch of the church of Notre Dame in
Paris, the constellation Virgo is represented by the Virgin-Mother and
Child. In Titus Andronicus, Act IV, Scene 3, Shakespeare speaks of an
arrow being shot up to heaven to the "good boy in Virgo's lap." The
sidereal longitude of Tsha Nefre is Virgo 15 degrees 06 minutes and
latitude 16 N 11.

LIBRA: The constellation Libra, the Scales, rose at dusk during the
lunar month of Pakhons when the Sun was in the opposite constellation,
Aries. The greek words Pa Khons, or the Coptic Pa Chons, literally
mean "the traveler of the night skies." Chonsu is generally
represented on the monuments as a handsome boy (Khensu.p.khard) "Chonsu
the Child," bearing the symbol of the New Moon on his head, and wearing
the lock of hair of youth, and all the appurtenances of divinity and
royalty. In assigning Chonsu to the month when the Sun was in Aries,
the Egyptians make this New Moon identical with the Paschal (Easter) or
first New Moon of the ecclesiastical lunar New Year. The first of the
lunar Pachons would tally with the first Nisannu, Babylonian and the
first Nisan, Jewish. During the historic period, that is since about
4,000 B.C., there is no documentary evidence that the Egyptian people
ever used any calendar other than their common one, comprising twelve
months of precisely thirty days with five added days at the end of each
year, without any provision for a leap-year day, but this has already
been explained elsewhere.

In this statement, we are not including the late period when the
Egypto-Greeks tried to have different calendars adopted. But the mere
fact that Chonsu tallies with the Paschal New Moon suggests that in the
prehistoric period, that is before 4,000 B.C., it was the vogue with
the common Egyptian folk, before being replaced by the common calendar.
However, there is evidence to believe that for religious purposes in
the temples, the lunar calendar was observed during the historic
period.
When the Paschal New Moon is first seen, it, like any other New
Moon, first appears just above the western horizon. Simultaneously,
the constellation Libra rises in the east. So, from the point of view
of the mundane houses (divisions of time) during the Arian Age, Libra
becomes the first of the constellations.... So Libra occupies the
first house commencing with the Ascendant (eastern horizon). Every
astrologer must know that sunrise occurs on the Ascendant and nowhere
else. The common glyph for Libra is not as is commonly believed, the
representation of the beam of a scales, but is a very ancient Egyptian
ideogram, 3h.t (Akhet), which depicts the Sun in the process of rising
over the hilltops, and which translated reads "the place where the Sun
rises," meaning, of course, the Ascendant. Thus, unmistakably, Libra
became associated with the first house and not with the seventh.
Incident-ally, during this lunar month the Egyptian harvest was
weighed, stored and sold.

SCORPIO: The evening rising of the constellation Scorpio occurred
during the lunar month of Payni with the Sun was in Taurus. The
Egyptians of the Pyramidic period identified the Scorpion with Srkt,
the scorpion-goddess Serket, or to give her full Pyramidic name,
Srkt.htw, which translated means "she-who-relieves-the-windpipe" (Pyr.
606; PSBA 39, 34). According to our constellation melothesia table,
this immediately identifies Scorpio with the second mundane house. In
modern conventional astrology, the windpipe comes under the dominion of
Taurus!
It would appear that the Egyptians also identified this
constellation with Serpens, the serpent, the stars of which intermingle
with those of the Scorpion. In Egyptian symbolism, the serpent always
has been associated with the winds. The evening rising of Scorpio
ushered in the deadly Khamsin (Arabic--50 days wind) bringing with it
pestilential hot sandstorms from the Sahara and hordes of scorpions to
infest the land. This was the most parched, oppressive and sickening
month of the year and frequently brought plague or similar contagion.
It was during this month that the waters of the Nile were at their
lowest and arid death stalked the land. In symbolism, Scorpio, the
snake sign par excellence, is an airy sign.

SAGITTARIUS: With the abatement of the Khamsin, the Nile more easily
fordable, and the harvest finally secure, the acronychal rising of
Sagittarius, the soldier archer, in the lunar month of Epiph when the
Sun was in Gemini, found the Egyptian army prepared to set out on
foreign expeditions. In the representations of Sagittarius, the strong
arms pulling the bow are the most marked feature; and the third mundane
house is credited with holding dominion over the shoulders and arms.
Our particular Island Universe, known as the Galaxy or Milky Way,
comprises all of the known fixed stars and millions that are as yet
unknown. But it does not comprise spiral and other nebulae which are
other Island Universes in space; and there are millions of them! The
center of our Island Universe is situated in Sagittarius 2 degrees 05
minutes, latitude south 5 degrees 32 minutes.
The examination of any popular Graeco-Roman star atlas will show
that the four successive constellations, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
and Aries, are represented as being amphibious if not entirely aquatic
in form. Capricorn appears as a horned goat complete with fish's tail;
Aquarius is but the Greek variant for Hapi, the god of the Nile; at the
feet of the chained Andromeda swim the tethered fish (Pisces); while
below the reposing ram lurks Cetus, the sea monster. These four con-
stellations rose acronychally during the summer months of the Eqyptian
Inundation, when the Nile overflowed its banks and turned the land into
a sea. This is yet another pointer to the fact that it was the
Egyptians who named the constellations and not the Babylonians as is
commonly supposed. The representations of the zodiacal and other
constellations are but ideograms, differing but little from those which
compose Egyptian hieroglyphic writings. In the unrolling papyrus of
the eastern skies, the whole story of the Inundation can be read at
dusk in the rising of these four constellations. Their symbolism fits
only Egypt, for she alone of all the nations of antiquity suffered the
annual transformation of her countryside into an immense lake during
the four months when these constellations rose at eve.
* * *

Cyril Fagan, Letter in 'Many Things,' A.A. 8/67
Ethos and Origins
Was it necessary to major as a high priest in astronomy to note that
every time the Moon was full amidst the stars of that constellation
subsequently yclepted Virgo by the Romans, harvesting in ancient Egypt
was in full sway? Could not the untutored camel-boy watering his
dromedary by the banks of the Nile notice every time the Full Moon
occulted the "Ear of Corn" the rich fruits of the earth were being
gathered? Did it require great erudition on the part of the farmers to
identify this particular star field with the harvesting season? Yet
the Moon only became full in Virgo in very early spring which was the
harvesting season of ancient Egypt but of no other nation of antiquity.
In itself, this single fact is adequate evidence that the Egyptians
named this zodiacal constellation and, by implication, the other eleven
to boot! This conclusion is sustained by the fact that many zodiacal
and planetary glyphs in common use today are Egyptian hieroglyphics
that were in vogue in the pre-Pyramidic period! They are not to be
found in Akkadian cuneiform wedges or Sumerian script. The zodiac was
acknowledged by the Egyptian eons before the latter-day esotericism was
spawned, and which was repudiated by the Tathagata as the "closed fist"
leading to confusion instead of truth "...to a jungle, a wilderness, a
puppet-show, a writhing and a fetter, coupled with suffering and
despair..."
When New Year's Day of the common Egyptian calendar (1st Thoth) fell
in any zodiacal constellation, that particular constellation was
deified as leader of the stellar host. On the average the 1st Thoth
took 118 years to retrograde through a zodiacal constellation. But it
is a fallacy to assume that all celestial rams, bulls and scorpions are
necessarily identical with the zodiacal constellations of the same
name. Thus Mshtyw ("Ox's Foreleg") is the constellation Ursa Major
while Capricorn is simply indicated by the Old Empire demotic Ab ("A
Horn") and Taurus by 'rt ("Bull's jawbone"). The opinions of Kepler
and Sir Isaac Newton as to the origin of the zodiac can be
discountenanced as Jean Francois Champollion had not then succeeded in
translating the Rosetta Stone. Such are the facts of antiquity; and
facts require no theory for their sustenance nor faith for their
acceptance!


Cyril Fagan, "Many Things," A.A. 4/68
[Origin of the Zodiac]
...Two years later (1951) appeared "Zodiacs, Old and New," wherein
it was shown, among other things, that Kugler, Epping, and Schoch
stumbled against the sidereal zodiac of the Egyptians and the
Babylonians but failed to recognize the fact. This led to considerable
correspondence between Van der Waerden, Boker, Weidner, Rehm, Eisler
and others on the one part and James Hynes and myself on the other.
The upshot of this correspondence led to the publication of The
History of the Zodiac (illustrated and in English) by Van der Waerden
(Archiv fur Orientforschung, Band XVI, Zweiter Teil). Treating of the
"Limiting Point of Signs" he writes, "Since Hipparchus we are wont to
identify the beginning point of the sign Aries with the spring point.
However, we must not stick to this. In Babylonian and early Greek
astronomy the beginning points of the signs are rigidly connected, not
with the equinoxes, but with the fixed stars. (Italics Van der
Waerdens'!) For Babylonian astronomy this was first proved by Kugler
from Lunar Tables, and planetary tables confirm it ..."
From this it will be seen that Van der Waerden, making a seeming
volte face, had altered his opinion as given in "The Thirty-six Stars."
Furthermore, he makes it clear that the modern version of the tropical
zodiac, with the vernal point "fixed" in Aries 0 degrees of the signs,
is no earlier than the Greek astronomer Hipparchus (circa 139 B.C.)
who, after he had been credited with having discovered the phenomenon
of precession, invented it for the purposes of computing the position
of the fixed stars in right ascension and declination. But it was left
to Posidonius and Geminius in the 1st century B.C. to systematize this
modern version of the tropical zodiac (vide A. Bouche-Le-clercq,
L'Astrologie Grecque, Paris 1899).
To assume, therefore, that it existed prior to the 1st century B.C.
is a very common and deeply entrenched error among astrologers. It was
completely unknown to the Egyptians and Babylonians even though their
lunar calendars were seasonal.
Perhaps the root of the confusion lies in the use of the word
'signs.' When astronomers, such a Schnabel, Rehm and Neugebauer talk
of zodiacal constellations they usually have in mind the Greco-Roman
constellations (circa 600 B.C.), which are of unequal length, ill-
defined and hence useless for purposes of fine measurement. They
distinguish between two types of "signs" of equal length, the fixed and
the tropical, the fixed signs being identified with those of Babylon.
Eastern and western siderealists, on the other hand, while ignoring the
Greco-Roman version of the zodiac, term the "fixed" signs of Egypt and
Babylon zodiacal constellations.

The Greeks, who alone invented tropical zodiacs, had many versions.
Pliny the Elder, who flourished between 23 and 79 A.D. writes, "All
these seasons, too, commence at the eighth degree of the signs of the
zodiac. The winter solstice begins at the eighth degree of Capricorn,
the eighth day before the Kalends of January in general; the vernal
equinox at the eighth degree of Aries; the summer solstice at the
eighth degree of Cancer and the autumnal equinox at the eighth degree
of Libra" (Natural History, Bk. XVIII, Chapter 59, Bohn Classical
Library, Vol. IV, pp. 78-79). Columella (60 A.D.) says, "...Winter,
which begins about eight days before 1st January in the eighth degree
of Capricorn...and I am not deceived by Hipparchus's argument which
teaches that the solstices and the equinoxes happen not in the eighth
but in the first degree of the signs. In this rustic science I follow
the Fastus of Eudoxus and Meton and the ancient astronomers which fit
the public festivals" (Columella IX 14, 12). Achilles Tatius (3rd
century A.D.) states, "Some place the tropics in the beginning, others
the eighth degree, others about the twelfth and others about the
fifteenth" (Isag. 23). Manilius, Censorius and Manetho write much the
same thing.
Hipparchus' reform in the 2nd century B.C., which Posidonius and
Geminius systematized in the 1st century B.C., apparently did not catch
on for many centuries thereafter. As shown by O. Neugebauer and H.B.
van Hoeson in Greek Horoscopes (American Philosophical Society,
Philadelphia 1959), even after Claudius Ptolemy adopted the vernal
point as the fiducial for his star catalogue in the Almagest, about 140
A.D., astrologers continued to cast charts with the vernal point
displaced several degrees from Aries 0 degrees. Horoscopes cast by
Palchus late in the 5th century A.D. "place his zero point of
longitudes close to Aries 3 degrees of the modern norm" (p. 187). In
fact, pages 179-190 of Greek Horoscopes show that, of the 180
horoscopes preserved, only seven cases provide degrees, or degrees and
minutes, permitting a direct comparison with modern computation. These
charts span the period from 50 to 160 A.D., two or more centuries after
Hipparchus, and yet not one of them uses the vernal point as its
fiducial, nor, for that matter, are System A or B the basis for the
longitudes used. Graphic plotting of longitudes against dates shows
clearly that even late Greek astrologers did not generally accept the
vernal point as Aries 0 degrees.
In his History (p. 129) Van der Waerden shows that the original
Babylonian zodiac, like that of ancient India, began with mul-MUL
(Pleiades) in the constellation Taurus and ended with mul-HUNGA
("Hireling"), there being no Aries in this zodiac. How then can it be
argued that the zodiac commenced with the vernal point in Aries 0
degrees?
In the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol VI, No. 2, Professor S.
Sachs of Brown University published six Babylonian horoscopes, the
earliest of which is dated April 29, 410 B.C. This is believed to be
the earliest genethliacal horoscope extant. These six charts were
examined in the June 1956 issue of this magazine and were proved to
have been computed in the sidereal zodiac. But the earliest Katarche
chart extant is the Egyptian horoscope for the inauguration of the
Sothic era, July 16 (O.S.), 2767 B.C. (vide "Zodiacs of Egypt", p. 40
et seq., The Symbolism of the Constellations). Needless to say, it was
calculated in the sidereal. In his History Van der Waerden
demonstrates that in the Egyptian and Babylonian zodiacs Spica was
fixed in Virgo 29 degrees, which puts Aldebaran, the "Bulls Eye", in
Taurus 15degrees00' which star is now recognized as being the original
fiducial of the sidereal zodiac (vide August 1967 issue).


* * *

Garth Allen "Your Corner," A. A. 11/59
History Speaks
By far the past year's most exciting new book, from an astrologer's
standpoint, is Greek Horoscopes just published this past summer by The
American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia.
This large, attractive volume is obtainable for the startlingly low
price of $6.00, so no student of astrology's colorful history need do
without it. Its authors are O. Neugebauer and H.B. Van Hoesen, both
well known in their fields of mathematics and antiquities. Dr.
Neugebauer, whose name has popped up in Fagan's "Solunars" series from
time to time, is the world's foremost authority on the History of
Mathematics, the subject of her permanent professorship at Brown
University. Dr. Van Hoesen is director of Brown University Library and
specializes in studies of papyri--in fact, he was editor of the first
volume of papyrus reproductions in Princeton's famous Collection
publications.
Between them these scholars brought together, with full translations
and recalculations, every single know Greek horoscope that has survived
from ancient times--over 200 precious relics of an age when astrology
commanded the respect of intellectuals and potentates alike. The test
of each is given in the original Greek followed by a literal
translation, a commentary, and a comparison of the given horoscope
elements with modern computations of planetary positions. What a rich,
wonderful lode of information for the twentieth-century student of
astrology to appreciate and explore!
After all, there is hardly a basic tenet of modern astrology which
was originated later than the decline of Imperial Rome. Oh, there have
been scores of blithering idiots who kept adding imaginary rules and
precepts to astrological literature in the centuries since, and in
recent generations, they've added to the pile by the guildful, but
there has been very little that is truly fundamental in all these
innovations. ....
If asked to name the one single thing that is the astrological
field's direst need, some would expect me to chirp in reply that it is
a switchover to the sidereal concept, or maybe "research," or a
respectable academic status, and so forth. Actually the answer is that
our profession's greatest shortcoming is lack of knowledge about the
history of our subject. All these other desirable objectives would be
met as a matter of course if astrologers would only acquaint themselves
with the facts concerning astrology's development.

Botched-up Versions
Regular readers of these outpourings already know what's coming:
Yes, the contents of Greek Horoscopes prove that what Cyril Fagan has
been telling us all these years is true, and correct down to the last
detail. What is more, not only was hellenistic astrology based solely
upon a botched-up version of the Egypto-Babylonian sidereal zodiac, all
the rules of horoscopy as compiled by Ptolemy himself were essentially
sidereal. There's no arguing about it, and no bona fide use can be
made of known history to support the contention that it was Ptolemy's
vernal-based concept that made order out of previous astrological
chaos. On the contrary, Ptolemy's notion was the beginning of the end
for genuine astrology. All the well-thought-out protestations of the
contrary won't actually change the recorded sequence of historic
developments. The facts are so damaging to the equinox-marked
"zodiac," little wonder the silence on the question at standardized
organizational levels.
The reconstructed dates of the Greek horoscopes show, among other
things, that even after Ptolemy had become entrenched as a textual
authority, prominent astrologers continued to set up charts on the
basis of vernal points placed elsewhere than "Zero Aries." Dr.
Neugebauer shows clearly that all the historical and astronomical facts
Fagan has been bluntly laying on the line, all along, are accurate.
Most of the early Greek horoscopes are based upon vernal-point
positions imported from Babylonian tables at various times, each
getting inadvertently "stuck" at that degree because the Greeks were
unaware of precessional movement or, if they were aware of it, like
their modern counterparts too lazy or habituated to bother about doing
thing the right way. The most widely used vernal-point positions were
Aries 10 deg and Aries 8 deg, called System A and System B by Dr.
Neugebauer.

Some Knew All Along
But even as late as the end of the fourth century, 240 years later
than Ptolemy, we find that such astrologers as Hephaestion place
Aldebaran at 15 degrees Taurus and Regulus at 5 degrees Leo--exactly
their sidereal positions!--which proves that there were some Empire
scientists who were aware of the real state of affairs. Another thing
of vast significance: Despite the premise the Brown University
professors used, to the effect that if a horoscope was not calculated
for the zodiacs of Systems A or B, it was cast in terms of Ptolemy's
tropical zodiac, of the 41 charts with dates ranging from 54 A.D. to
157 A.D., there is a systematic average discrepancy of plus 4 deg--just
the value of Fagan's vernal point around the beginning of the Christian
era!
This obviously means that there as a continuous awareness that the
rigidity of the Systems A and B zodiacs was fallacious. The largest
single block of surviving ancient horoscope is that of Vettius Valens
whose collection of charts range through the years 37 A.D. to 188 A.D.
Discussing the basis of their calculations, Dr. Neugebauer writes,
"...the deviations in the texts from Vettius Valens decrease
continually at a rate corresponding to precession. This shows that the
longitudes in Vettius Valens are sidereal longitudes whereas the later
authors operated with tropical longitudes, obviously following the norm
adopted by Ptolemy and Theon." So it seems that even thought the
zodiac kept getting stuck at various points due to the stupidity of
most of the Greek copycats of Babylonia's science, there were some
pretty bright boys all along the way who knew what they were doing!


Clever, Those Ayrabs
One of the many interesting things one notes in the translated texts
of these old chart descriptions and delineations is the absences of any
of this modern superstition about the badness of squares and
oppositions and the goodness of trines and sextiles. Instead, we read
the phrase "in dominant aspect" where a square is involved. And in one
of the texts, a horary analysis, the main reason for prediction a happy
outcome for an apparently worrisome situation is that the Moon is
square Jupiter! Another thing worth noting is the frequent important
attached to the "Parts" or "Lots"--leading us to wonder who in the
dickens started called them "Arabian Parts," anyway! Islamic astrology
didn't gather steam until the Christian religion succeeded in blowing
out the light of every brain in the empire. During the thousand years
of European darkness, when death was the penalty for thinking, the
Arabians preserved and rewrote much of the Greeks' astrological
material. It is a misnomer, though, to believe that the Part of
Fortune, or those of Love or Necessity or Basis, and so on, are of
Arabian origin.

* * *


Letter in "Many Things," American Astrology 7/57
A Unique Irish Zodiac, County Down, Ireland
[from Colin J. Robb]
In the library of Basel there is a most curious zodiac known as the
Irish Zodiac depicted on an age-browned parchment. It was drawn by
some ecclesiastical scribe and combines astronomy, astrology and
Christian art in its depictions. The signs commence with Libra,
instead of Aries at the bottom and the figure is St. Michael who as
Libra weighs the good and evil actions of the dead. A similar
depiction of the Archangel may be seen in various examples of
ecclesiastical art in Ireland including Kildare Cathedral.
The Scorpion comes next as a fanciful figure with two snake-like
heads as common to ancient Irish ribbon ornament. Sagittarius has a
human head and the cloven hoof of the devil, while the Goat has unusual
mops of hair. Aquarius is attired for a dip in the water and carries
with him a curious musical instrument and inscribed beside him are the
words Leprosus Lunaris, or Lunar Leper. Pisces is in this case but one
fish, agreeing with the ancient Babylonian sign, named "The Fish of
Era."
Aries and Taurus are in the conventional forms, though rather stiff
and wooden-like. The Twins wear Irish kilts or safrons and the Crab
and the Lion are not too unusual. The heathen Virgo has become the
Blessed Virgin with a long plait of hair bearing an immense ear of
corn, the fruit of the womb, surmounted by a cross. The central
divisions of the Zodiac contain the predictions in the Gaelic. For
Virgo, or the Virgin we translate the inscription: "In Virgo they who
shall be born are likely to live; he who takes to his bed is quickly
healed and his naval and stomach suffer most; he who takes to flight
you shall not discover; he who is in chains shall not be loosed."
This ancient manuscript inscribed in the Irish characters is more
than unique in the story of the Zodiacal Circle.
* *

[Jim Eshelman]

[ORIGIN3a] and [ORIGIN3b]: Astrological Origins Part III: Abridged
excerpts from Rupert Gleadow's THE ORIGIN OF THE ZODIAC, 1968,
specifically with reference to the origin of DECANS-which-were-PENTADS,
and EXALTATIONS [see file HELIACAL], both Fagan's discoveries, and the
naming of the constellations. Whereas Fagan concentrates on what he
saw as the prototypical seeds of the original zodiac in Egypt,
Gleadow's approach is to survey the historical diffusion, interaction,
and evolution of astrological concepts in ancient cultures. Although
he differs with Fagan in his approach and in the interpretation of some
of Fagan's findings, Gleadow credits Fagan in a chapter on the
rediscovery of the ancient zodiac: "This is, however is a relatively
recent discovery, and the credit for it belongs to an Irishman named
Cyril Fagan, who first published his findings in 1947. His reasoning
collided head-on with the habits and beliefs of astrologers, who for
some fifteen hundred years had been quite happily using a zodiac
measured from the equinox."

File [ORIGIN3a]: In Chapter 12, The Horoscope of Eternity, Gleadow
gives a fascinating overview of the Egyptian Calendar, and then covers
Fagan's discovery of the DECANS, which were PENTADS or 5 degree
divisions, more extensively than did Fagan in his ZODIACS OLD AND NEW.
Gleadow also recognizes the the Egyptian "straight line from Arcturus
to SPICA as the original measuring point of the zodiac." He disagrees
with the Egyptian zodiac as an anciently established concept, but
acknowledges the origin of the DECANS/PENTADS as Egyptian, which he
says such were not divisions of the zodiac, but were measuring points
similar to lunar asterisms as markers of the moon's path. This is may
be a scholarly moot point since many scholars generally agree that moon
watching must have been the first germ of any astronomical observation
anywhere. Gleadow makes many important points, one of them--the
celestial equator's inconstancy causes changes of the DECAN/PENTADS
rising over centuries (and which inconsistency is also is a factor in
precession). This is the reason Fagan abandoned the Pentads as
indicating the essential meaning of the constellations although Fagan
sites the Pentads in Astrological Origins in his chapter on "Naming the
Constellations." On other points of interpretation (such as the lesser
one of identification of the Meta-decans), Gleadow disagrees with
Fagan, and presents his own views.
Further, regarding the DECAN/PENTADS, Gleadow discusses the Egyptian
worldview as it applied to their astrology. For example, the Egyptians
were not oriented to divination; their view was to the absolute
immanence of the ideal eternal in the temporal. "The magical influence
of the hour...would not lie on one horizon to the exclusion of the
other, but would be characteristic of that moment, at which when a
certain star rises, another certain star necessarily sets. From the
magical point of view, therefore, the hour...[of whatever asterism
named] could well control both horizons at once." Gleadow uses a most
wonderful phrase to refer to this: "The Moment of the Horizon!" In the
Egyptian concept of the magical influence of the hour, (i.e., what
celestial influence was on the Horizon as indicated by both the
Ascendant position and its corresponding opposite Descendant position),
Gleadow says the Egyptians were the source of Plato's doctrine that
'each sign had its ruling god and the later astrological doctrine that
each sign had its ruling planet.' Gleadow sees the Egyptian worldview
as more akin to what might be suggested in Jung's Synchronicity, rather
than to Babylonian divination.
Chapter 12, The Horoscope of Eternity, also cites the importance of
the Heliacal Rising of Sirius in the Egyptian Calendar as their
'eternity connection.' "Since the rising of Sothis seems to have been
to the Egyptians the only important astronomical moment, this will
doubtless have been the origin of the astrological notion that certain
celestial moments are more important than others, and also that the
decan/pentads represent the condition of the sky at the particular
moment of the 'horoscope of eternity,' that is to say, of taking up
residence in eternity." One of Gleadow's final comments is that "all
Egyptian horoscope-charts are diagrams of the heliacal rising of
Sirius..." and that "Nothing was predicted from them either in this
world or the next, but each one was the moment of a Sacred Marriage of
Isis and Osiris; and this, in the simultaneous rising every eight years
of Sirius and Venus, was the moment when the ideal touched the real."
Again, the Moment of the Horizon!

File [ORIGIN3b] PART III: In Chapter 13, The Naming of the
Constellations, Gleadow begins with the philosophic and Jungian concept
of Synchronicity. In a charming story of a possible conversation
between an Egyptian priest and an Assyrian priest, he points out that,
unlike the Babylonians, the Egyptians had a philosophic lack of
orientation to divination. To a certain extent, Gleadow associates the
divinatory usage of the zodiac as part of the zodiac as we know it,
which is a main point in his notation of a later rather than earlier
origin. Gleadow says, "This suggests that the first notion of
astrology as we know it was begotten on Babylon by Egypt between the
seventh and fifth centuries, and the zodiac itself, as a calendrical
device, was of similar origin but may be a little older."
Most importantly, he discusses Fagan's discovery of the EXALTATIONS
and as well adds points of his own. The Exaltations are the heliacal
appearances and disappearances of the planets in the year 786 B.C.,
which commemorate extraordinary and unique astronomical phenonmena.
The EXALTATION'S (Hypsomata's) historical significance and implications
for astrology is set forth below by Fagan (5/1956 "Solunars").
Although the major conclusions and focus of Gleadow's history are
significantly dependent on Fagan's discoveries as to the origins,
Gleadow is an outstanding historical scholar in his own right.
Examination and debate can bring about clarification. Among Gleadow's
concluding comments, "This first zodiac, of course, cannot have been
tropical. It was not supposed to be either tropical or sidereal, but
was simply assumed to be both at once....That the first zodiac can only
have been measured from the stars was not only inevitable but also a
fact--although, of course, it was no sooner invented than it was
thought to be tropical and used as such."


* * *
*
*
MAY 1956 AMERICAN ASTROLOGY
Cyril Fagan's "Solunars"
[Exaltation-Hypsomata]
*
...It is, of course, common knowledge that the Chaldeans--an
ancient Semetic tribe, which originally inhabited the lands about the
estuaries of the Tigris and Euphrates--gradually became the dominant
people in Babylonia winning renown in the old world for their mastery
of Babylonain astrology, so much so that Chaldean became a synonym for
an astrologer.
The astrology of Ptolemy's TETRABIBLOS, Manetho's APOTELESMATICA,
Manilius' ASTRONOMICON and Firmicus' MATHESEOS, with its copious
aphorisms as to dignities, exaltations, rulerships, signatures,
influences and rules, which form the bedrock of medieval and modern
testbooks, was almost wholly derived from Babylonian and Egyptian
sources. If these aphorisms are to have any validity, they must
obviously be related to the zodiac wherein they were originally framed.
Hence it is of prime importance to ascertain what, in fact, was the
zodiac of the ancient astrologers of Babylon and Uruk. Hitherto it has
been taken for granted that the Babylonian zodiac was identical with
that in common use today, namely the tropical or moving zodiac, which
takes its beginning from the vernal equinoctial point (V.P.) designated
Areis 0 degrees....
The discovery of the date and origin of the exaltation degrees of
the planets, known to the Greeks as the Hypsomata, decisively
establishes that the Babylonian zodiac was sidereal as the following
remarkable tabulation confirms:
Event: Installation of Nabu, the great Babylonian god of astrology
in his new temple at Neneveh, during the reign of Adad-Nirari III (809-
782 B.C.) in the Babylonian year commencing 1st Nisan at sunset, April
3, 786 B.C. (Julian). 1st Nisan was the Babylonian New Year's Day.
It will be noticed that in the sidereal zodiac all the planets are
in their exact exaltation degrees, the Moon alone showing the small
deviation of -3.3 degrees. The tabulation establishes the following
fundamental facts:
(a) The 12 zodiacal constellations were known in the 8th century B.C.
(b) The Babylonians used a sidereal zodiac.
(c) Longitudes were measured from the Pleiades in Taurus 5 degrees,
Aldebaran in Taurus 15 degrees, Regulus in Leo 5 degrees, Spica in
Virgo 29 degrees, or Antares in Scorpio 15 degrees, but not from
the vernal equinoctial point.
(d) The zodiacal constellations were of strictly equal lengths, there
being 30 degrees to each constellation. The Babylonian
constellations thus differed from the Graeco-Roman constellations
of the late period, which were all of unequal length. It is the
Graeco-Roman zodiacal constellations that illustrate our modern
"Star Atlases," and which have created so much confusion.
(e) The exaltation degrees relate to the sidereal and not to
the tropical zodiac.
(f) In A.D. 213 the sidereal longitude of the vernal-point
(V.P) was zero, when both the sidereal and tropical zodiacs
coincided. The Almagest and Tetrabiblos were written less than 100
years before this date, hence to all intents and purposes Claudius
Ptolemy's zodiac was sidereal, at the time these works were
written.
(g) On January l, 1954, the sidereal longitude of the vernal
point had retrograded to Pisces 5 degrees 48 minutes (335 degrees
48'), hence the true "ayanamsha" (i.e. 360 degrees - 335 degrees
48') is now 24 degrees 12', which must be deducted from all
tropical longitudes to reduce them to their sidereal equivalents.
(h) Because the planetary exaltation degrees (Hypsomata) are integral
to the Babylonian zodiac, the latter has been designated the
Hypsomatic zodiac.
The sidereal longitude of the vernal point, Aries 13.80 degrees for
the year 786 B.C. was obtained by deducting the tropical longitudes
from the traditional exaltation degrees and adjusting the mean value
with that obtained from the position of the vernal point in the luni-
solar tablets of Naburiannu and Kidinnu and the Babylonian almanacs of
the Seleucid period (312-64 B.C.). Calculation discloses that the
autumnal point, Libra 13.80 degrees, was 14.80 degrees to the eat of
Spica, hence Spica's sidereal longitude was Virgo 29.00 degrees.
[NOTE: this was written before Garth Allen's SVP correction to Virgo.]
this fact enabled me to compute the following sidereal longitudes of
the vernal point for the years stated:

Vernal Point
B.C. 1001 Aries 16.76 degrees
" 901 " 15.38
" 801 " 14.01
" 701 " 12.63
" 601 " 11.24
" 501 " 9.86
" 401 " 8.48
" 301 " 7.09
" 201 " 5.71
" 101 " 4.33
" 1 " 2.95
A.D. 100 " 1.57
" 200 " 0.19
" 300 Pisces 28.80

The V.P. for any intervening year between the above century
longitudes can be obtained by simple interpolation. Multiplying the
decimal of a degree by 60 reduces it to minutes of arc: thus 0.80
degrees x 60 = 0d48'. A tropical longitude can be converted into is
sidereal equivalent by merely adding the V.P. for the year.
* * * * *



[ORIGIN3a] Rupert Gleadow's THE ORIGIN OF THE ZODIAC
Chapter 12 - The Horoscope of Eternity

When Julius Caesar decided to give the Romans a new calendar, the
expert whom he chose to design it was an Egyptian--though probably of
Greek descent--Sosigenes of Alexandria. This was because the Egyptians
possessed the only wholly reliable calendar known to the ancient world.
The Babylonians had a higher reputation as astronomers, and took more
notice of celestial happenings; but their calendar was lunar and
hopelessly erratic. Already in 488 B.C., when Darius I wanted to
provide a better calendar for Persia, he had adopted the Egyptians
system just as it stood.
The ancient Greeks, and after them the Romans, had great respect for
the wisdom of the Egyptians; but modern professors have almost no idea
in what that wisdom consisted. This is because learning is static and
consists largely of information, while wisdom is dynamic and requires
mastery of the art of life. Wisdom therefore is not the same as the
ability to reason, and in any case the Greeks did not learn that from
Egypt. Genuine wisdom cannot be written, nor congealed into aphorisms
and avuncular advice. Being concerned with the problem of how to live,
it is naturally apt to be religious, and the wisdom of the Egyptians
was the ultimate driving force behind the Mystery Religions; for they
were all studies in the art of living. Man is always trying to get
life under control, and among his methods of doing so are system, rule,
legislation, dogma, and punishment. But the wise man does not try to
get life under control; he adapts himself and swims with the stream
instead of angrily trying to dam it.
Where wisdom and knowledge meet is in the solving of problems; and
one problem for which the Egyptians alone of the ancient nations had
found a reliable solution was the organization of their calendar.
Modern scientists consider that the year should correspond as closely
as possible to the period of the earth's revolution about the sun; and
this is contrived in the Gregorian calendar by the insertion of a leap-
year once in four year, with an exception in centennial years and an
exception against the exception in millennial years. But whether the
year 10,000 will be a leap year nobody yet knows, and so by Egyptians
standards the Gregorian calendar is irregular.

(i) THE CALENDRICAL BASIS
In the ideal Egyptian calendar no irregularity was permitted. There
were no leap years. Twelve months of thirty days each were followed,
or preceded, by five days called 'epagomenal', and that was all.
The Egyptian year, therefore, was about a quarter of a day short,
and in consequence its relationship to the seasons was not constant: it
lost a day in four years, a month in about 120 years, and a whole year
in fourteen and a half centuries. That is to say, 1,460 Gregorian
years are equal to 1,461 Egyptian years, and after that time the
Egyptian New Year's Day returns to its starting-point.
This return of their New Year's Day to its proper place was always
important to the Egyptians, indeed it was the linch-pin of their whole
astronomical system. Their agricultural year began with the rising of
the Nile; but the inundation could be early or late, deep or shallow,
depending on the melting of the snows in Abyssinia and Central Africa.
Between A.D. 1873 and 1904 the interval between two successive risings
varied from 336 to 415 days.1 It must therefore have been a great
convenience when the innundation could be predicted and anchored to a
regular astronomical phenomenon. This phenomenon we know to have been
the Heliacal rising of Sirius.
The heliacal rising of a bright star such as Sirius, or of a planet,
was a beautiful as well as an important occasion to those who first
noticed these things. When a bright star can be seen in the west soon
after sunset, each evening it shines lower and lower in the solar haze,
until finally it can be seen no more. This is called its heliacal
setting. Being now so close to the sun, it remains invisible for a
period which the Egyptians averaged at seventy days, although it varies
with the star's declination and latitude of the place. At Babylon, for
example, Sirius is absent sixty-nine days, but Spica, being farther
north, only thirty-six.2
Then, when the sun has passed a little farther on in the zodiac, one
morning when the sky towards dawn has lost its darkness and the earth
seems lit but empty, awaiting the sun, in the glow of the east appears
a twinkling point between gold and silver which was not there the day
before. This is the return of the star; and if it pre-signifies the
rise of the Nile, the return of the flood and of all green things and
crops, then it will be very important and well watched.
In a clear climate, with no street-lighting and no industrial smoke,
and where dawn is the most comfortable and convenient hour to rise from
bed, a survey of the half-lit sky is easily made, and the re-appearance
of a star well known, but absent for the last month or two, is a
practical guide.
This heliacal rising of Sirius is the origin of the legend of the
phoenix, for the explanation which connects it with the 'anting' of
birds, and their occasional love of playing with fire, is unconvincing
because it bears no reference to Heliopolis.3 The legend tells that
there is only one phoenix, and that at the end of its life it returns
to its birthplace, which is the 'Arabian Desert' between the Nile and
the Red Sea. There it burns itself to death, and a new phoenix arises
from the ashes of the old. Really the fire in which the phoenix dies
is the glow of dawn. It is born in the "Arabian Desert', because that
is the eastern horizon of Egypt, and the length of its life is 1,460
years, which is 4 times 365. The event was known as 'the return of the
phoenix to Heliopolis', and was commemorated by Antoninus Pius with a
special issue of coins....This not only shows the respect in which the
Romans held the Egyptian calendar, but also gives us a basic date for
computing Egyptian eras.
Antoninus issued his coins, with the word AION meaning Era, about
A.D. 139, and Censorinus, writing in A.D. 238, states that 99 years
earlier the Egyptian New year's Day had fallen on July 21st. This
therefore will be the date of the Phoenix Era, and if we count back in
periods of 1,460 years we shall find the Birth of the Phoenix occurring
within four years of 1320 and 2780 B.C, In fact, or course, the length
of the solar year is not exactly 365 1/4 days, but 365.2422; nor is the
length of the Phoenix Period constant--according to Petrie4 it
decreased from 1,466 years about 600 B.C. to 1,448 about A.d. 2000, and
should average 1,508. Nevertheless, the Egyptian calendar must
certainly have been inaugurated on its New Year's Day, and since it
existed long before 1320 the most probable date is about 2780.
The Phoenix Ear which fell about 1320 is known as the Era of
Menophres, and the name is generally thought to be that of the king in
whose reign it happened, Menphre Ramesses I, who reigned only 16
months. Before that the cycle takes us back to the reign of Zoser at
the end of the Third Dynasty; and this explains the amazing reputation
of his chief minister, Imhotep, who was the architect of the first of
the large pyramids, the Step Pyramid of Saqqarah, and later was deified
as the healing god of Memphis. Imhotep is known to have been an
astronomer as well as an architect and physician, and it seems at
present not very likely that the Sothic calendar was devised 1,460
years earlier again. That would have been about 4240 B.C., 1,000 years
before the First Dynasty; and the mention of the five epagomenal days
in the Pyramid Tests does not actually prove this.
Because it rotated slowly through the seasons, the Egyptian calendar
has been called The Wandering Calendar. Even so it was vastly superior
to the lunar calendars of antiquity; for the prime purpose of a
calendar is agricultural, and in order to keep those lunar calendars in
time with the seasons and extra month was interpolated by proclamation
whenever needed. In consequence the accurate computation of dates is
impossible, whether backwards or forwards. The only exception is the
Muslim calendar, in which no epagomenal months are allowed, and in
consequence that calendar too rotates through the seasons, losing about
11 days each year, whereas the Egyptian lost only one day in four
years.
The Egyptian too had its disadvantage: the festivals of the gods
rotated through the seasons regardless of suitability. The change
amounted to only about a fortnight in a lifetime, and the Egyptians had
long accepted this when, in 238 B.C., Ptolemy III published the Decree
of Canopus, by which in every fourth year a sixth epagomenal day was
added. This spoilt the beauty of the system, and now one has to know
that the extra day was used only between 238 and 57 B.C., after which
it was very properly suppressed....
Nowadays Sirius rises in Egypt in the middle of August, far too late
to be of any use in agriculture; but throughout dynastic times it did
conveniently precede the rising of the Nile.
In the present century, as Petrie remarked,5 the Egyptians have had
four calendars in use at the same time. These are the official Muslim
lunar calendar; the Gregorian, imported from Europe; the Alexandrian,
of the Coptic Church; and the agricultural festivals still attached to
the names of the Coptic months.
In ancient times likewise the Egyptians had more than one
calendar....
In the XII Dynasty the 'opening of the year' was apparently the
actual rising of Sirius, and the 'beginning of the year' was the next
new moon,8 but later the terminology became confused.
But though the ideal year retrogressed steadily through the seasons,
Sirius did not rise on the same day in all parts of the country, and
for this reason it was found more practical to date the official
calendar from the first new month thereafter. And the Egyptians did
not count their months from the appearance of the new crescent, as in
most other countries, but from the invisibility of the moon. This is
why we are told in the 'dramatic text' from the cenotaph of Sety I at
Abydos: 'Horus provides himself with his two eyes on the second day of
the month.'9 The 'short year' and the 'long year' will then be
alternative lunar years, according as the year had contained thirteen
or fourteen new moons.
Now the zodiac, like the Egyptian agricultural year, is a calendar
fastened to an astronomical reference-point called its fiducial. But
the fiducial of the zodiac is not Sirius because Sirius lies too far to
the south, outside the ecliptical belt. Is there, despite this
difference, some connection?

(ii) THE ZODIACS OF DENDERAH
Several representations of the zodiac were discovered in Egypt when
Napoleon invaded the country in 1798, and pictures of them were
published in his enormous Description of l'Egypte.10 At first, of
course, they were taken to be amazingly ancient, and the most famous
among them is the circular zodiac of Denderah, now in the Louvre, but
originally a ceiling in the temple of Hat-Hor, goddess of heaven and
also of love and joy....
The Crab, the most northerly of the twelve, is a very round-bodied
object not far from the diagram's center, and immediately over the
Lion's head. A goddess holds the Lion by the tail, and behind her
stands Isis with her ear of corn; this of course is Virgo with the star
Spica. Harpocrates in the disk of the sun is represented on top of the
Scales, but the lion below him has nothing to do with Leo of the
zodiac. Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn, being farther south, lie
near the outer circle of figures, which represent the decans.
This outer circle is not, oddly enough, intended to be aligned with
the zodiac and constellations, and therefore the disk with eight
decapitated figures, to be found beneath the Water-bearer, does not
signify the moon eight days old. A little farther on in this third
figure behind them is a child on a lotus flower. Both of these are
calendrical indications, and so is the hawk on top of the papyrus
column, which marks the summer solstice. Beyond it is Sirius,
represented as a cow lying in a boat; and the royal figure on the other
side of it, under the Bull's hoofs, is Orion.
In the center are the circumpolar constellations. The Wain or
Dipper had always been thought of as a bull's foreleg, which was a
common sight on the altar of sacrifice, and it is sometimes drawn with
a bull's head at the broader end. It is held in leash by a
hippopotamus-goddess who often has a crocodile on her back, but her
hands rests on Menat, the Mooring-Peg, and this is the straight line
from Arcturus to Spica, the original measuring-point of the zodiac.
(see Cyril Fagan's Zodiacs Old & New, file [ASTRORI2] Part II)
The other northerly constellations include a lion and also Selket
the scorpion-goddess, who is not, however, in the place of our Scorpio.
And it is odd that on the oblong zodiac of Denderah the Foreleg and the
Hippo-goddess are figures between the southerly constellations
Sagittarius and Capricorn, whereas at Edfu they appear just to the
right of Sirius and Orion, apparently on the opposite side of the sky.
This shows how Egyptian diagrams cannot be taken literally and applied
to the sky like transfers.
The oblong zodiac of Denderah was carved on the ceiling of the
portico. It is over sixty feet long, and each half is twelve feet
wide. There are two registers, running one above the other along the
body of Nut the sky-goddess, who is dressed in a design of ripples.
The lower register shows the decans as human and animal-headed figures
in boats (since the Egyptian gods always used boats to cross the sky),
and beside them are written their names and a rough design of two or
three stars to help recognition. The upper register gives the signs of
the zodiac and various other constellations, the planets, and the hours
of the day, each drawn as a woman with a star over her head.
When it became possible to read the inscriptions on the walls of the
temple of Denderah, it turned out to have been built in the reign of
the Roman emperor Tiberius. The actual date has been computed by Mr.
Fagan to be the evening of April 16th Julian, A.D. 17, and the oblong
zodiac contains, according to him, four different New year's Days. The
new moon of April 17th is shown on the back of the Bull, and this is
the Babylonian 1st Nisan. The Sothic New Year occurred on July 19th,
the year of the Wandering Calendar began on August 19th, and finally
the 'New Year's Day of the Ancients' with the heliacal rising of Spica
on October 5th. The vernal equinox is shown by the baboon of Thoth
following the Ram. The planets on the circular zodiac are rather small
and in the signs of their exaltations, which gives no clue to the date,
but in the oblong diagram they are in their zodiacal positions.
...The Egyptians considered the first sign of the zodiac to be that
which rose heliacally on New Year's Day, hence the 'first' sign changed
about every 112 years, and in a retrograde direction. The 'first' sign
actually changed from Virgo to Leo in the first century B.C., and the
Esna zodiacs must be within 117 years previous to that change. Mr.
Fagan has given their exact date as September 16th, 137 B.C.11
Thus by Egyptian standards none of these four zodiacs is at all
old....And this makes it extremely unlikely that the zodiac was known
to the Egyptians of dynastic times; for no culture has left more
abundant monuments in record of its beliefs. The zodiac may nave a
connection with Egyptian astronomy none the less.

(iii) THE DECANS
There is a tradition, both in India and the West, that each sign of
the zodiac may be divided into three segments of 10 degrees each called
decanates or decans. To astrologers, this subdivision was useless
unless the decans could be distinguished in character, and there were
devised several methods of doing this. One was to allot the first
decanate of a sign to the pure influence of that sign, and the other
two to the two others signs of the same element, earth, air, fire or
water. This system was used by Varaha Mihira, but cannot be older than
Claudius Ptolemy because he first regularized the allocation of the
elements to the signs. It never became very popular, indeed Hindu
astrologers were so little impressed by it that they invented
subdivisions of signs by 9 and 12, called navamsas and dwadashamshas.
Manilius allotted the decans to the signs in straightforward order,
so that the three decans of Aries were ruled by Aries, Taurus, and
Gemini, those of Taurus by Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, and so forth.
Another attempt to control the decanates gave them ruling planets,
beginning with Mars for the first decanate of Aries and continuing in
the 'Chaldean' order, which is not that preferred by the Babylonians,
but is the order of speed of movement--Saturn Jupiter Mars Sun Venus
Mercury Moon--until Mars again ruled the last decanate of Pisces. This
arrangement was traditionally called (for instance by Lilly in the
seventeenth century) the 'Egyptian' system, and indeed it is found in
Teucros; but the name only shows a last faint realization that there
ought to be an Egyptian system; for the decans are of Egyptian origin.
The arrangement whereby the first and last of them are ruled by Mars
is obviously factitious... For the Egyptians the beginning and end of
the cycle was the first decan of Cancer, because this was the meridian
longitude of Sirius. Originally, however, the decans not divisions of
the zodiac at all. That is what they later became, and as such they
can be seen arranged around the edge of the circular zodiac of
Denderah. But they go back to the third millennium.
It is not possible to draw up a single authentic list of the 36
decans, for the Egyptian lists vary, and over thirty are known, form
the Tenth Dynasty to Roman times. Some of the older asterisms either
went out of use or were renamed, which was natural enough; not all the
lists were copied accurately; and since the celestial equator is not
constant it is even possible for decans to change their order of rising
over a long enough period.17 They were evidently selected from
constellations already formulated all over the sky, and it was likely
that in different parts of the country different stars would be chosen.
This explains why so many decans are named as the beginning, middle, or
end of various larger constellations. The list of them printed on
Table 21 (excluded) ... runs to a total of over forty. It could be
extended considerably by taking account of all the variants found in
and out of Egypt; for as Gundel showed, the lore of the decans survived
into far more recent times than we should expect and in doing so
developed all kinds of fantasies and divagations....
If we now turn back to the original Egyptian list, as written in
hieroglyphs, we notice three water-pots in a rack, a pair of fishes,
and a sheep. They occur in that order, and roughly the same distance
apart. Can they have anything to do with the Urn, the Fishes, and the
Ram, three successive signs of the Hellenistic zodiac?...
Not only were the decans in late times 10 degree segments of the
ecliptic; so early as the Eleventh Dynasty, about 2000 B.C.> on the
coffins of Tefabi and Khiti,21 we find the first decan, Kenmut,
following the last, which is Sirius, so they appear to form a complete
circle. But it does not follow that they were already at that date
arranged along the ecliptic, nor that they represented equal divisions
of space. Before jumping to conclusions we have to explain the
standard form of Egyptian celestial diagram, which occurs at all
periods from the Eleventh Dynasty to Roman times, and which nearly
twenty examples are now known.22
... Now we have to remember constantly that Egyptian celestial
diagrams are neither scientific observation nor literal-minded
representational art. Comparisons make it plain that the figures were
often arranged to suit the artist, and not in the style of a map;
discrepancies must be regarded as normal, nor is there any difficulty
in finding definite mistakes. It is therefore essential to realize
what the Egyptians were about in making these diagrams. They were
never intended for use on earth in any case: they were designed to
help the deceased in finding his way to the sky after death, when he
would join the Sun in His boat as He crosses heaven and the underworld.
The standard diagram has therefore quite justly been called 'The
Horoscope of Eternity.'...

(iv) THE STANDARD DIAGRAM
In the middle of this diagram Sirius appears in a boat, sometimes in
the form of a resting cow, but more often as Isis standing. To her
right Orion may appear in another boat, in the form of a king running;
but since he is always included among the decans his boat may be
omitted. Sometimes he lies in it,23 face up or face down, because that
was the attitude in which he rose, and for that matter still
rises....From here to the right the picture lists the names of the
decans, sometimes with a rough diagram of their appearance.
More importantly, we find to the left of Sirius two or three of the
planets, which will always be Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, next Two
Turtles, then about five names of obscure meaning called Meta-decans,
then Mercury, and finally a large heron, which is 'Venus the bennu-bird
of Osiris.'
One must not imagine that because Sirius is enthroned in the middle
of the diagram she is on the midheaven; quite the contrary, she is on
the eastern horizon. And the decans to her right, as well as the
planets and meta-decan on her left, are not a chart so much as simply a
catalogue.
Why then did the diagram take this form? Why is Venus always
represented so large, and on the extreme left? What are the meta-
decans? And why are the directions of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter
usually but not always stated? For the answer to the first of these
questions we re indebted to Mr. Fagan; some of the others will be
answered here for the first time.
The importance of Sirius is well known: its rising marked the New
Year. Hence the original of all these diagrams must have represent the
sky at dawn on New Year's Day, and therefore most probably at the
inauguration of the Sothic calendar. Having realized this, Mr. Fagan
calculated that the only possible date was 2767 B.C.24 As can be seen
from Plate 23, the appearance of the sky at that moment was extra-
ordinary. It showed a close conjunction of no less than four planets
all within 7 degrees of each other, rising on the eastern horizon at
the same moment as Sirius, while the Moon, just past the full, was
declining in the south-west. Such a quadruple conjunction on the
Ascendant on the day of Sirius' rising may never have occurred since.
And furthermore the date was that of the summer solstice.
This very striking combination of phenomena cannot have filed to
impress the Egyptians of the time of Zoser. Not only was it memorable
in itself, falling on the one day of perfect harmony in the Wandering
Calendar; dawn is also the natural opportunity for the decreased to
catch the Sun's boat and sail to heaven. So it is not surprising that
the event should have been perpetuated, both as the fixed point of the
calendar and also as the beginning of life in the world to come.
This explains why the planets are all grouped together at the left
of Sirius; indeed the repeated mention in the Pyramid texts25 of 'those
four youths who sit on the eastern side of the sky' may be a
reminiscence of this event. The Pyramid texts make Horus the ferryman
of the sky, and that is why the planets, sometimes including Venus, are
identified with him. There is also the oft-repeated statement: 'He
ascends to heaven among the imperishable stars, his sister is Sothis,
his guide is the Morning Star.'
The Morning Star is feminine in the Pyramid texts, except when
identified with Horus... enormous importance attached to Venus in these
diagrams. She [Venus] is always drawn very large, and on the extreme
left, probably because on that morning in Heliopolis she rose last, at
the same moment as Sirius. She takes the form of a heron because that
is the bird of the inundation; when the Nile begins to flood, the
herons leave the restricted bed and fly all over the country fishing in
the canals and fields.
Accepting this, we can explain the meta-decans. They are so called
because they come after the decans in the left upper corner of the
diagram. Various suggestions have been made to account for them....
Mr. Fagan took the meta-decans to be the stars in the Sickle of Leo
which rose in the north-east about the same time as Sirius in the
south-east, and this is not far off the mark. In fact, however, Sirius
and Venus in 2767 were on the horizon simultaneously, and their
distance apart in azimuth, that is to say along the horizon, was no
less than 55 degrees. The planets Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter were, as
we already know, included in this space, so the meta-decan also would
naturally belong to it.
The first of them is the Two Turtles. The Turtle was a symbol of
drought and an enemy of the Sun-god; it is sometimes shown being
speared by one of the gods in the solar barque. The two must therefore
represent some pair of stars which rise when the Niles is at its
lowest, in the last month before the rising of Sirius....The third
possibility is the two Aselli, which lie very close together in the
constellation of the Crab, and in those times rose nineteen and fifteen
days before Sirius. These Turtles are then probably the first hard-
shelled creatures to be associated with what later became the
constellation of the Crab.
After the Two Turtles the second meta-decan is called nesru....Nesru
is said to be an island where the sun is born, but its standard
determinative is a picture of a fire. As a meta-decan, therefore, it
most probably means 'the glow of dawn', and in that case it is not an
asterism.
The third meta-decan is called shesep or shespet, and this can mean
either a rectangle or light, more probably the latter, for we shall
meet this word again in a mysterious text from Abydos.
The fourth is variously spelt as 'Abesh,' Abshes, Ipsedj or Ipdjes,
and is followed by a fifth called Sobshosen. ...so what are they doing
here on the eastern horizon? We shall see later.
The last meta-decan is called wash-neter, which ought to mean
'divine power and glory'; and perhaps this is just what it does mean,
alluding to the approach of the sun. In Greek times the word meant a
palanquin, which has somewhat the same suggestion: 'Here comes the
king'....

THE NUT DIAGRAM
In none of these diagrams is the moon so much as mentioned, although
they were all diagrams, or horoscopes, for the rising of Sirius, and in
three of the six she is visible. The reason is that the diagrams were
all for New Year's Day, and the Egyptian year effectively began not on
the date of Sirius' heliacal rising, which would have given slightly
different dates for different part of the country, but at the following
new moon. Actually there is an inconspicuous moon on the haunch of Nut
in the key diagram from Abydos, shown in Plate 18 [not reproduced]. No
inscription is attached to it, but close by is the brief notice:
[hieroglyphics meaning] 'eastern horizon,' and not far away is the
decan of Orion's foot. The moon therefore should be rising. In shape
she looks like a new crescent, but this is impossible, since new moon
does not cross the eastern horizon until the sun is already up.
Besides, if the moon by Orion's foot were new, Sirius would be
invisible....
Since the sun appears three or four times, this must be a composite
diagram, like the circular zodiac of Denderah. To which sun, then, is
the moon to be related?...
If...we relate the moon to the unrisen sun in the form of the scarab
flying up Nut's thigh, then this is also partly (being composite) a
dawn chart for New Year's Day, and in that case the decans of Orion and
Sirius were indeed seen above the eastern horizon where they are drawn.
The decans next to the setting sun are unimportant, being invisible.
In the horoscopes dawn was the operative hour, and the date was the
day of the moon's invisibility. But the old moon is never seen in the
evening, hence the day for this purpose must have begun at dawn, and
the last day of the old year was the last day on which the old crescent
was seen before sunrise. The day on which it failed to appear was New
Year's Day. Hence the importance of observing the crescent moon in the
east, and hence the crescent on Nut's haunch. In drawing it as a new
crescent the artist has strictly perpetrated something impossible; but
had he drawn it as an old crescent the diagram would have represented
the last day of the old year and not the first of the new. This
explains why he turned it round and drew the impossible; and after all
the invisible moon is a 'new moon' and used as such, so there was some
reason for drawing it that way round. Possibly the importance of the
setting sun is because the day in the temple calendar, as opposed to
the civil calendar, began at sunset....

(vii) DECANS OR PENTADS?
In late times the thirty-six decans were a complete circle of
asterisms, each 10 degrees long; Sirius headed the list in the first
decanate of Cancer, the forefeet of Sagittarius were placed 'in the
middle of the boat,' and the last decan, at the end of Gemini, was
called 'phuhor', meaning 'end of the sky'. Even so early as the
Eleventh Dynasty the 'diagonal calendars' on coffins show the decan
making a complete circle of 360 degrees. On the coffins of Khiti and
Tefabi the columns are headed 'first ten days', 'middle ten days', and
'last ten days', and after Sirius, normally at that period the last
decan, the circle continues directly with Kenmut, which is the usual
beginning.
Now we have already seen that three constellations of the zodiac may
have had an Egyptian origin, namely Gemini, Leo, and Cancer; the
Egyptian names of these constellations were the Two Stars, the Lion,
and Stars of the Water, also known as the two Turtles; but their
Babylonian names were the Great Twins, the Great Dog, and Allul (an
unidentified water-creature). The question now arises, may any other
constellations of the zodiac have had an Egyptian origin? Among the
Egyptian constellations are three names which make one wonder, but the
problem remains, do they occur in the right positions? These name are
the Fish, the Sheep, and the Water-pots or Jar-stand. If we accept the
placing of these constellations according to the Greco-Roman scheme
whereby the decans are all 10 degrees long, agreeing with the opinion
of most modern astronomers and Indian astrologers, then these
constellations cannot have anything to do with the zodiac, for the Fish
fall in Scorpio, the Sheep in Capricorn, and the Water-pots in Libra.
But if we take it that the so-called decans were originally divisions
of the ecliptic 5 degrees long, then the Sheep falls on Aries the Ram,
the Fish on our modern Fishes, and the Water-pots or Jar-stand on what
the Greeks called the Urn, and we call Aquarius.
We ought therefore to consider whether the decans should be regarded
as 10 degree spaces, as the Greeks and Romans took them to be, or
simply five spaces. For this latter possibility, revolutionary though
it may sound, nine arguments have been advanced by Mr. Cyril Fagan, and
to these nine, three more can now be added. The arguments are as
follows:
1. On the Nut diagram (Plate 18 not included) the whole of the 36
decans are represented on the body of the sky-goddess, as if they were
all above the horizon at the same time. The first decan, 'beginning of
Kenmut', is at the base of her neck, quite close to the inscription
'Western horizon', and near the last an inscription expressly states
'Eastern horizon'. We know that the Egyptians always had 36 decans;
any semi-circle measures 180 degrees, and 36 divided into 180 gives 5
degrees.
2. This list of decans is divided in the middle by the inscription
over the head of Shu, which ought to indicate the south point.
Seventeen decans are shown east of his head and twenty to the west, and
allowing 5 degrees per decan this accurately corresponds to the
obliquity of the arc of the zodiac visible when Sirius rose.
3. The Pleiades and Hyades are placed 9 and 11 decans distant from
Sirius, making respectively 90 and 110 degrees, but their actual
distances in meridian longitude in 2767 were 47 and 59 degrees, almost
exactly half as much.
4. Orion is not infrequently allotted four decans, or 40 degrees of
space, and yet the maximum extent of this constellation is little over
20 degrees.
5. In the Ramesseum the whole of the 36 decans are allotted to the
last 5-1/2 months of the Sothic year, making six to each month instead
of three.
6. On the Denderah zodiac, under the constellation Pisces is found a
disk with a human figure holding a pig by its hind foot. The same
picture has been found on a Mesopotamian clay tablet of the third
century, where it falls between the Pleiades and the Bull.*
[*Illustrated in Langdon, Semitic Mythology, Fig. 92 on p. 305.] It
does not therefore refer to the region of Pisces, but to the decan
Akhui, the Two Spirits, which is seen below it and corresponds, as a
pentad, to some part of Taurus.
7. The disk containing eight captives, which is so conspicuous in
the Denderah circle, has no explanation if it falls at the end of
Capricorn, by the pentad arrangement belongs to Aries and marks the
eighth degree, which was the equinox of the Hellenistic zodiac.
8. Still on the same zodiac, the decan 'Heads of the Two Souls',
marking one of the cardinal points, is placed underneath Pisces, where
it has no particular significance; but in 2767 B.C. this pentad marked
the Spring Point.
9. The Egyptian word for 'five' was drawn with a picture of a five-
pointed star, which was also the ideogram for 'star'.
10. The conspicuous absence from the decan-list of the Lion's head
and tail, the Beautiful Boy, Spica, the Hippopotamus, and the Giant is
easily explained by supposing that the Egyptians used different stars,
or the same stars under different names. But that is a mere guess, and
an equally good guess would be that the half of the sky which the
decans cover did not include those constellations--in fact they were
under the earth when Sirius rose.
ll. The Nut diagram gives the dates in the Egyptian calendar for the
evening southing and setting, and the heliacal rising, of several
decans. Since these dates are astronomically impossible, it does not
much matter that they fill a whole circle instead of a half, but the
one point where they may touch reality is at their beginning. The
first of the list of decans in point of time is not Sobshosen, whose
name is written on Nut's breasts, nor yet Ipsedj and the Pregnant One,
which appear on her forearms, but 'under the Foreleg of Kenmut', which
is placed behind the heels of Shu. Its culmination at dusk is given
for the 6th day of the fourth month of inundation, which then fell
about October 11th Gregorian, so the sidereal longitude of Kenmut would
be near the beginning of Aquarius. Its evening setting, 90 days later,
falls at the same sidereal times as the rising of Sirius, which puts it
close to the end of Capricorn. its heliacal rising, of course, does to
fit, but none the less we have two further pieces of evidence that
Kenmut sets when Sirius rises, and hence the decans only occupy 180
degrees. Kenmut, in fact, takes the place of our constellation of the
Eagle, and may mean Vulture or, since is has a foreleg, the Ape.
12. The Egyptians paid considerable attention to the constellations
of the Ram and the Boat, both of which are made especially conspicuous
in several of the diagrams. In Greek times the Ram fell in Capricorn,
and the Boat under the forefeet of Sagittarius, but when Sirius rises
Sagittarius is under the earth, so it seems odd to draw an especially
handsome picture of it!
The Ram is several times drawn with five stars along its back and
four on its belly, and this does partly agree with Capricorn, whose
back has a straight line of stars. But Senmut makes the Pleiades egg-
shaped and gives the Hyades twice too many stars, and both of them can
bee seen at the right...in the shape of a lop-sided V and a cow's ear.
The Ramesseum schematizes Gemini and the upper half of Orion as two
stars, then many, then two, then three; also it turns the Boat into
something only a firework display could equal. I never expected,
therefore, to identify the Boat, when suddenly I saw it staring up at
me from the precessional globe in the Science Museum.
The boat in which a god crossed the sky or processed through a town
would have a high straight prow and an equally high but bent stern,
with a rectangular cabin or shrine amidships. And a very conspicuous
rectangular constellation for which the Egyptians must surely have had
a name was the Square of Pegasus. The resemblance is so striking that
it is hard to doubt.
But if the Boat is the Square of Pegasus, then the Egyptian Two
Fishes, just underneath it, fall on our Pisces; the Egyptian Sheep on
Aries the Ram, which in any case, as we know, was not a Babylonian
constellation; and the Egyptian Water-pots coincide with Aquarius,
which the Greeks and Romans simply called the Urn. The Babylonian
names of the constellations Pisces, Aquarius, and Aries were not by any
means those to which we are accustomed, but were GU.LA (name of a
goddess); Kun (the tail) and Anunitum (female dweller in heaven); and
the Hireling.

(viii) THE MYSTERIOUS TEXT FROM ABYDOS
But if the decans are only 5 degrees each, the problem remains, what
happens in the other half of the sky? The Ramesseum implies that it
merely had no decans. Mr. Fagan suggests that those six months were
omitted in order to avoid bad weather in the afterlife. This is
conceivable, but not very likely, since it would mean a year with no
harvest time. There remains another possibility.
The mysterious text from Abydos contains the expression, literally
translated: 'As the time Head of Goose its two horizons.' And once
again we must realize that in a non-materialist culture the apparent
effects of forces receive far more attention than the shape of objects
just as the impact of an actor or speaker is far more important that
the shape of his face. The magical influence of the hour called the
Goose's Head would not lie on one horizon to the exclusion of the
other, but would be characteristic of that moment, at which when a
certain star rises another certain star necessarily sets. From...point
of view, therefore, the hour of the Goose's Head could well control
both horizons at once.
But at that rate the hour of Kenmut would always follow the hour of
Sirius, and we need not feel puzzled because half of the circle has
been omitted....
...But there is another reason why no more decans were needed to
fill out the other half of the sky, and this is that in Dynastic times
the Egyptians already knew what happened under the earth; there was
subterranean landscape through which the sun passed and which was
described in the Book of Gates. Hence the stars passed through it too,
and the presence of stars beneath the earth never became a living idea
to the Egyptians until the Alexandrian period, when the function of the
decans had been forgotten and they were inflated to cover 360 degrees
and allotted to the zodiac at the rate of 10 degrees each. Since all
Egyptian charts were drawn for the rising of Sothis, the lower half of
the celestial circle was never shown and there was not call to devise
decans for it.
The Goose's Head, however, is of particular importance because
throughout Dynastic times it culminated when Sirius rose. Hence Smed-
sert, the divider of the Sheep, which occurs among the decans must
originally have occupied the meridian, the halfway point, just as the
similar word Smedet means the halfway point of the moon, Full Moon Day.
Not infrequently the decans have the names of presiding gods
attached to them. It is not clear on what principle these rulerships
were allotted, but certainly this the root of Plato's doctrine that
each sign had its ruling god, and thus, of the later astrological
doctrine, that each sign has its ruling planet. It also explains the
alternation of the Ram and Goose in the constellation Aries, and
reveals the fallacy of supposing that the only origin of the names of
the constellations was a fancied resemblance to a physical object.27
The Egyptians did not believe that kickable objects were the only
reality; indeed they would have called that notion not just a fallacy,
but a demonstrable untruth. For to them, as to all peoples for whom
the reality of experience has not been killed by argument, both gods
and men were powers which act in a characteristic way, and the purpose
of understanding either was to cope with whatever kind of force each
one of them could bring to bear. For in every one of us still dwells,
under the conscious surface, the savagery of Mars, the justice of
Ma'et, and the elemental terrors and joys of Hat-hor.
If the decans had ever in dynastic times covered the whole circle,
it would have been a constant sight for the Egyptians to see only half
of them at any one time, and at least one monument might have survived
showing only half the decans. But this has not happened, and before
Roman times no such possibility is even hinted at. At Abydos the
decans stretch from Nut's head to her hind-quarters, and all thirty-six
of them are shown as if composed in this space. Since the Rising of
Sothis seems to have been to the Egyptians the only important
astronomical moment, this will doubtless have been the origin of the
astrological notion that certain celestial moments are more important
than others, and also that the decans represent the condition of the
sky at the particular moment of the 'horoscope of eternity', that is to
say, of taking up residence in eternity.
It must not be supposed that each decan comprised two opposite
spaces of 5 degrees each; that would be to attribute to the Egyptians
modern notions of accuracy and literal-mindedness. In dynastic times
the invisible stars would not be important. Just as Horus, and later
Mars, was called 'Horus of the Two Horizons', and as is shown by the
constant use of the dual in such phrases as 'the two sons of the
Sheep', so each asterism would have its two moments when it was 'lord
of the horizon' and therefore lord of the hour, and this would make it
unnecessary to have 36 more asterisms to fill up the other half of the
sky. For with 180 degrees allotted to the pentads there would always
be some know asterism on one horizon or the other, just as, in a
horoscope, if one knows the Ascendant, one does not need to be told the
Descendant as well.
As shapes, a ram and a goose are not alike, but Goose and Ram were
the two sacred animals of the god Amun of Thebes, hence they
represented to the Egyptians the same divine Power; and also, if the
Egyptians had invented the zodiac, the ruling Power of Aries would not
have been Mars, but Amun, the Hidden One, the Unknown God to whom St.
Paul found an altar in Athens and whom the Egyptians had known two
thousand years before Moses.
Since all Egyptian horoscope-charts are diagrams of the heliacal
rising of Sirius, it seem that the large heron drawn on them is not
just traditional decoration, but represents an actual observation of
Venus rising. Thus Sirius represents Isis, and Venus, which is always
represented as a bennu-bird or heron, represents Osiris, who
incidentally is also represented by the constellation Orion. So these
astronomical diagrams with planets may justly be called horoscopes
because they are observed celestial moments, which is what a horoscope
is. Nothing was predicted from them either n this world or the next,
but each one was the moment of a Sacred marriage of Isis and Osiris;
and this, in the simultaneous rising every eight years of Sirius and
Venus, was the moment when the ideal touched the real.
Much more could be said, of course, about Egyptian astronomy. Three
hundred and sixty-three years before the invention of the Sothic
calendar there may have been a Horakhti calendar, and the date of its
inauguration would be September 15th, 3130 B.C.28 At that period the
traditional ideogram of a cow in a boat, with a star between its horns,
would have meant the heliacal rising of Spica, not of Sirius, and
drawings of it have been found from the reign of King Djer early in the
First Dynasty.29 Again, the remarkable orientation of various pyramids
would not have been possible without accurate observation of the
transits of the stars, and this probably began with another kind of the
First Dynasty, Semerkhet, whose name apparently means 'the man with the
astronomer's staff'.
* * *