Astrological Forecasts

I am delighted to let everybody know that the impeccable, Jane Griscti  has a brand new Blog Site! 

For those unfamiliar with the work of the humble as well as brilliant, Ms. Griscti;  she is author of  the must have ‘Lilly Digested.’  For those students of Art who might have had trouble getting a ‘handle’ on Lilly’s 17th Century ‘lingo;’ Jane has written an easy to read guide that cuts to the heart of Christian Astrology Book 1. In fact, I will go so far as to say that Lilly Digested is the Rosetta Stone to Book I of Christian Astrology. So if you have been having trouble understanding Lilly, and and don’t want to spend the arm and a leg on a teacher, I suggest that you might consider downloading her fabulous work which, of course, is available right here at the website

But as they say in those late night commercials, ‘but that’s not all!!!

Jane has also created a new resource that is equally close to my heart, she has made a brand new lots calculator!! You may want to download some fonts, but for the budding astrologer who wants to investigate the Lots more deeply. Check it out!!!  This is one resource not to be missed! Jane’s Lot Calculator Thank you, Jane!!!

I have recently become most fascinated by the Part of Fortune. It appears to be one of those items, like the star based Lunar Mansions, to be older than the 12 signs of the zodiac. It is basically an equation,  whereby we take the degree of the Ascendant and add it to the Moon, and then subtract the Sun from the total.  The result is the Part or the Lot of Fortune.

The ancients considered this to be a very special location because it marked the place that is equidistant to the Sun and the Moon.  According to Firmicus Maternus, it was said to show amongst other things, ‘the quality of the life, the amount of inheritance,  and the love between men and women.’ A pretty powerful spot indeed!

The Part of Fortune is said to have been handed down to us by the same man that is said to have brought us the written word,  Hermes- Thoth. He is said  to have lived 9000 years before Christ was born.

The inventor of the Part of Fortune

It does two great things. It marks the phases of the Moon by moving around the chart as the month goes on. For example, at the New Moon it will be placed in the first house. At the first quarter, it will be placed in the 4th house, and by the full Moon it will be placed in the 7th house, and so on. For more on the Parsfortuna and the phases,  Thomas Decker does a fabulous job of exploring this on his great blog http://altairastrology.wordpress.com

Here is a chart drawn for an midnight on the day of a New Moon.

( Click here for larger chart )

The Part of Fortune will always be in the first house at New Moon

Notice that the Part of Fortune is in the first house almost 90 degrees  away from the Moon who is in the 4th with the Sun.

According to Firmicus Maternus, it was Abraham who said that the Part of Fortune was the ‘place of the Moon.’

Bonatti said that the Part of Fortune acted like an extra  ‘ascendant of the Moon.’

At midnight on the day of a new Moon,  we see the Moon in the 4th house, just beyond the Sun.

As the long night journeys towards day,   the Moon will edge ever closer and closer  to the  Part of Fortune.

By 4:00 AM  we see the Moon moving upwards towards the Part of Fortune.

( Click here for larger chart )

At 4 AM the Moon edges closer to the Part of Fortune

As we can see in the chart to the left, the Moon is now in the 2nd house and heads closer and closer to the Part of Fortune.

Finally as dawn approaches, the Moon draws ever closer to the Part of Fortune. The chart below  is drawn for the wee small hours when there is light but the Sun has not popped up above the horizon.

Notice  just minutes before the Sun actually rises, we see the Moon is just  below the Part of Fortune also within minutes.

( Click here for larger chart )

At the very moment that the Sun crosses above the eastern horizon  (when the Degree on the Ascendant is one and the same as the Sun), the Part of Fortune will be on the exact same degree as the Part of Fortune.

Each Morning at Sunrise the Moon will be exactly with the Part of Fortune

( Click here for larger chart )

So what is all the fuss? Well, as we know from the old game of ‘telephone’ where one game player whispers something to another, and then another person does the same, and then another and another,  all the way around the room how different the original message winds up being by the time it reaches the last game player.  Well, we can imagine how much affectation can happen with a little equation over 9000 years! Evidently, some where along the way, the idea of ‘sect’ became important. This idea is where the Moon becomes the light of night, and the Sun the light of day. This was obviously a big deal by the time Christ was born.  Many ancients, said that if a person is born at night, that the formula had to be changed to satisfy this idea of the Moon being in charge at night. Thus some ancients, amongst them, Paulus, Firmicus, and Bonatti, said in order to find the Part of Fortune for the night born amongst us, the formula will be ASC + Sun – Moon.

Sounds logical, doesn’t it?

There is one big problem with this idea. If the switch has to be made for those born at night, then we lose this beautiful tie between the Moon, the ASC and the Sun.

We all agree what the formula was for day births, and that the Moon will be exactly with the Part at the moment the Sun crosses the horizon, because we all agree that by then it is day time. However, if we draw up the chart for just one minute before dawn using ASC + Sun – Moon, what we see is that the contact with the Moon is thrown off, completely and the Part of Fortune falls way into the 12t house, thus losing both the marking of the phase of a new Moon, but even worse, the Place of the Moon is thrown way off!!

( Click here for larger chart )

Riddle:

How on earth does this mark the Moon???

Answer:

It doesn’t.

Now just to make sure you are paying attention. Here is the chart for the Part of Fortune on the very same day using the acceptable formula but just one minute, later….Which begs the question, if the ancients agree that the Part of Fortune is to be the ‘place of the Moon, doesn’t the switch blow this tie altogether ? In other words, if we switch for night time, then we wind up with at 6:54 am in San Francisco, one minute before dawn, the Part of Fortune is in the 12th house, and one minute later it is in the first house?

( Click here for larger chart )

When citations don’t make any sense, then I have to question authorities.

Claudius Ptolemy and William Lilly sayeth not to switch. Both have come to be dismissed by many in the field of astrology. In the case of Ptolemy, this may be just because he was so overrated for 1400 years or so. However, in saying we should not switch formulas for night births, it would seem he is being true to Abraham’s statement that the Part of Fortune is the ‘place of the Moon.’

Jerome Cardano

I am still trying to figure out what is wrong with the pages if you use ‘Explorer’ as your internet browser.  I apologize for any inconvenience readers using ‘explore’ might experience. Let’s just say, we are working on it.

On brighter notes, I am delighted to announce, that Dr. Valerie Livina and Anton Grigoryev have allowed us a sneak preview of things to come. They have generously made a fragment of their upcoming work on Jerome Cardano’s, ‘The Seven Segments’  available for your pleasure, and for FREE!   I am honored to be able to share it with you.

The Seven Segments by Cardan

The subject of the famous savant, Michel Nostradamus,  probably one of the greatest astrologers of all time,  recently came up on our traditional astrological mailing list, Angelicus Merlin:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/angelicusmerlin

As many know, he was one of the greatest physicians of his era. He was said to have healed so many people during the Black Plague that his work was brought to the attention of the king of France, who hired him to become the king’s personal physician. It was no surprise that many know of his predictions, but it was very surprising to find that so few astrologers also knew that like most doctors of his day, he was also an astrologer.

In a case of serendipity, the gifted Australian astrologers,  Silva and Anne Fryer, had only recently suggested we spend more time on missing item horary charts,  I thought it might be fun to share a missing item horary reading from the great astrologer, himself.

I thank Anton Grigoryev for sharing this horary with me, many years, ago. The astute will remember that the late Olivia Barclay shared this horary at UAC some years back. Those who attended my talk at the South Bay Astrological Society, may remember I presented this chart there, in 2007.

Where are the Missing Church Bells?

February 13 1562 (Gregorian)

Feb 3 (OS)

18h30m LMT* (I have changed the time from 18:30 in my copy of this chart so we can arrive at the same house cusps as the original).

Provence 44n00 5e00

scan of the original chart

Provence 44n00 5e00

Nostradamus Missing Church Bells

To my venerable Lords, Messiers, the Canons of the Cathedral Church of the most ancient city of Orange. Venerable Lords, with respect to your inquiry concerning the specificd and enumerated sacrilegious thefts, concerning theft and hoard hidden but not concealed.

“According to the astronomical figure drawn above, you will see fully that it shows that the theft of the sacred objects has been perpetrated with the collusion of two of your brothers of the Church. Indeed, ones who have previously extended to you private counsel on several occasions as to what has befallen your silver. One of them gave his opinion that ith ad been takend to Avignon, the other that it had been taken to some other place. Both were of the opinion that it had been sold, as indeed was their intention.

“Booty to be divided among canons who were at present like soldiers. This opinion was not rendered as good and godly and commendable. Several would not agree with it, although some were pleased, though in the end not agreed on one point or another. But all was halted as the silver was put in the house of one of your people and locked up; which was not done agreeably to some. One opinion held that it was necessary to melt it down into bars and sell it, storing it for the present in the home of one of them.

“Then two or three came forth to say that this could not possibly be for scarcely any length of time, since the Roman Church would be involved in the most sinister events. It was locked up, and although with but tow of them remaining of the opinion that it should be sold and melted down and plotting secretly with one another.

“There were only three, and they brothers of the Church, and they have ravished that which was without fault with the intention of stealing everything and not withouth the collusion of the custodian, for you entrusted the sheep to the wolf. As indeed Jesus Christ for some committed His flock to long plunderings of His Church, wlso under the shadow of faith and probity, as you have committed your silver, sacred and dedicated as it is to the sacred ornamentation of your temple, donated in ages past by Kings and Monarchs, Lordly Sovereigns of the earth as ttrue observers of the faith and religion.

“But note, my Venerable Lords, that unless by those of your company who were not without knowledge of the day and the night when the theft of the sacred objects was perpetrated there be restored and replaced in full what was stolen, not only in its place and into the hands of those entrusted with its custody, but also returned into the temple, remembering the silver chalice, there will full upon them the greatest misfortune that ever befell anyone, on them and their family; and furthermore, pestilence will approach yhour city and within its ramparts as great as ever covered your city or was contained within your walls, and let them not object to the above. Priests are like comrades of propitious gods.

“But they will see, as it is said, that God takes his vengeance on those who have profaned his Holy Temple and who have stolen what has in ages past was donated by the observers of the Christian religion.

“Therefore, let this letter of mine be read in the presence of your people; as if not; opened until all are present, and then without fail the faces of those in collusion will change with great shame and confusion that they will be unable to repress.

“Therefore, keep this my letter as a complete witness of the truth, time to come to bear witness to it, and rest assured, my venerable Lords, if that which was stolen is not brought back one way or another, that they will die the most miserable death, more lingering and more violent and mof more inconceivable intensity than ever before occurred unless everything is restored and replaced in its ancient repository, and thus you will find it to be.

“I am grieved that the sheep has been entrusted to the wolf, as much to take note of it as to devise what message to send about it.

“What I write you is according to astronomical judgment and, I protest lacking in offense to anyone in this world. I am human and can err, be wrong and be deceived; nevertheless, be there anyone in your city familiar with the astronomical doctrine extending to the judicial, by the figure let him judge if he understands not that my saying contains the truth.

“Have no fear whatever, sirs but that shortly all will be found, and that if it be not thus, rest assured that their unhappy destiny approaches for those who have perpetrated sacrilege by their execrable crime.

“Further, I cannot write you for the present. God watch over you and to restore you to your first state. Although there are several who would be displeased if they had to wear again the amice, several of them near you, and one there is who will not want to find himself accompanied by another of the same type. God guard you from evil. From Salon, this February, 1562.”

-M. Nostradamus, Salon de Crau Provence

If nothing else, this reading proves that Nostradamus was not only an astrologer,  but practiced horary astrology. I adjusted the time so that it could agree with the house cusps of Nostradumus. I wonder if it really was 6:50pm, after all, a 5 and a 3 look very similar, and can easily be mistaken for one another, with the fading and ink blurs of ancient documents.

One of the things I found interesting is that it is clear that Nostradamus is following the same tried and true horary principles in his work on the missing church bells.

Here we have 11 Virgo rising, so the querent, will be Mercury. Mercury is in the 5th house on the very last degree of Capricorn, and conjoined to, but separating from Venus. By this, double bodied planets on the cusp of the ASC, and the ruler with Venus, we know that more than one person asked this question, as we can see from Nostradamus’ reference to ‘messieurs/’ The the next thing that we notice is that he said contrary to what some had stated, the missing bells had not been moved but were still there. Notice the ruler of the 1st house, is with the ruler of the 2nd house, Venus. This is a sign that the missing objects were close to the seekers, perhaps so close that one of the querent’s might well have been the guilty party!

One of the things that is interesting is that although both luminaries were below the horizon, Nostradamus said that they would be found. This could be because the Moon is just a hair beyond the Sun, and will trine her dispositor, Saturn, in the Midheaven. Saturn, has a lot of strength in Libra, as the almuten of the 2nd. Another thing we might notice is that Nostradamus ignored this age old warning to the astrologer of a malefic in the 10th and the artist getting no credit for his or her work.

Unlike Lilly, Nostradamus was not afraid to point fingers. He came right out and said that the thieves were the clerics, themselves!! How did he come to this conclusion? Well, if we follow traditional methods, for finding the thief, we rule out Saturn. The first place we are told to look, when trying to catch a thief is peregrine planets in angles. The only planet in an angle is Saturn, and Saturn has strength by triplicity. The next place to look is the ruler of the 7th, and there we see, Pisces at its cusp, with Jupiter, known as the natural ruler of priests, in the house of priests, the 9th house. Albeit the house of far away, that they didn’t go anywhere could be because they are in the fixed and earthy sign Taurus. Notice that the Moon last squared Jupiter, from the 12th house of the 7th, perhaps the theft, itself?

I find it most interesting that Nostradamus said for them to read his letter to the entire populace and the thief will be found. We look and see ruler of the 3rd house of pronouncements, in the 9th house, and fallen, but notice that the Moon will be on its contrantiscion, and that Mars is also approaching a trine to the Part of Fortune in the first. Perhaps this is why Nostradamus suggested the public reading.

We will never know if the bells were found, but I bet they were!

As of this moment, the ousted president of Honduras, President Manuel Zelaya and his supporters are sitting on the border of Honduras trying to return to his country and regain his presidency.

I had some free time recently to finally take a look into the Honduran situation. For a quick recap, a coup d’ etat, took place in Honduras on which took place several weeks ago on June 28th. The coup ousted elected President Manuel Zelaya and has been roundly condemned by governments all over the world. As usual, the Solar Ingress chart, better known as the Summer Solstice, once again, furnishes a great many interesting clues which help our understanding of the facts.

I find in the pages of Flowers of Astrology by Abu Ma’shar translated and available through Ben Dykes (http://bendykes.com) some remarks about the role of fixed stars afflicting significator on the chart.

June,20. 11:46 p.m; Tegucicalpa(87w13/14n6) Asc:28 Piscis 35; M.C. 28 Sag 56

A list of stars is furnished by Abu Ma’shar and Ptolemy, are said to be of the nature of Mars and Saturn, and therefore, will be the object of our consideration, which I will not, however, be presenting now (begging your pardon ;-).

According to the great master, Abu Massar, “when the lord of a house in the ingress chart is in conjunction with some star, it will affect the matters of that house.” (Ben Dikes’ commentary on Abu Mashar’s “Flowers”).

Here we see that Mercury, the lord of house 7 is conjunct the fixed star, Aldebaran. Abu Massar says of this, “…If the lord of the 7th house from ascendant of the revolution of the year is with any of these stars, litigants and those making war against the king will be multiple, and will kill each other… society will torn apart by much discord (chapter 6 of “Flowers”). [ed.note: while this is not the Spring Ingress, there is no reason we cannot use the same rules for all seasonal ingresses of the Sun that Abu Massar presents).

Sagittarius is on the cusp of the house of kings and rulers, the 10th house. Notice, that the lord of the 10th, Jupiter finds itself in a cadent house. Cadent houses, were called, ‘falling’ houses. In this case, this places Manuel Zelaya’s planetary representative in the 12th house. This was said by the ancients to be the house of exile and prison. We also notice that the natural ruler of kings and presidents, the Sun sits in the house of the opposition, while at the same time the ruler of the 10th, Jupiter is being applied to by the lord the crisis and death house ruler, Mars. The perfection of which, took place in just a little more than a week after the Summer Solstice. And history follows suit, on June 28th, President of Honduras was arrested and sent into exiled by the military.

We notice also that the Lord of the Part of War, the Moon, is with the fixed star known as the ‘Bull’s Eye’ Aldebaran. The part of War is calculated by considering the relationship of the planet of the grave, Saturn to the natural rulers of the common people, the Moon and the Ascending degree.

We can infer from where the threat came, by the fortitude of the planets. Mercury, [ruler of the 4th] which we saw represents those who oppose, and make war against the “king” is in his own domicile, Gemini, his own house, and also in his own triplicity. When ”a planet is in his own house, evil will arise from their own domestic friends and alliances. If it is in his exaltation, say it will proceed from some of the nobles, princes, dukes, or such that are in high power and authority or near unto the ‘crown;’ but if in his triplicity, from such as have their dependency on the aforesaid nobility” (Ramsey-Astrologia Restaurata,book 2 section 2 available from Todd Carnes website http://carnesoft.net).

In this case, we see, Mercury which shows the alliances of the king. This may refer to those in the legislature, deputies; those have dependency on the nobles. There is evidence that this could indicate the military generals who are allies of the dominant class- because Mercury is also with military star Aldebaran.

OCOTAL, Nicaragua —” When Ángel Hsiky, a farm worker, heard his ousted president’s call for supporters to help him return to Honduras, he threw a change of clothes in a knapsack, kissed his wife and 9-month-old boy goodbye and headed to the Nicaraguan border… “We’ve come to bring our president back home,” said Mr. Hsiky, 23, who is from Mr. Zelaya’s Olancho Province in central Honduras.

“Since Mr. Zelaya arrived here on Friday to taunt the de facto government that exiled him a month ago, hundreds of Hondurans have answered his call to join him just across the border in Nicaragua.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/world/americas/28honduras.html?_r=1&hp

How did it come to this? 

How did Manuel Zelaya lose power?

Gerson Pelafsky takes a look:

We all knew Astrologers were lucky to live in glorious San Francisco Bay Area, but now we just got even luckier!!!  Since Timing really is Everything; we will have a great opportunity to hone our skills in this tricky art because our very own, Nina Gryphon, will be speaking on a topic lose to my heart, Electional Astrology!! 

Don’t misss ELECTIONAL ASTROLOGY FOR LOVE, WAR, AND MONEY with Nina Gryphon, speaking at Fort Mason,  San Francisco, California next Wednesday evening.

ELECTIONAL ASTROLOGY FOR LOVE, WAR, AND MONEY – Nina Gryphon

Wednesday, July 22nd 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM, Building C, Room C205

Electional astrology is the art of finding the most astrologically auspicious moment for your ventures.  Whether we are getting married, starting a business, trying to conceive, or going on a journey, we can get the most out of any activity using basic astrological principles.  Learn how to find the best times for just about anything at this hands-on workshop with Nina Gryphon.

Nina Gryphon (a web pseudonym) is an astrologer and corporate lawyer living in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. She has been practicing astrology professionally for several years, and studied horary and natal astrology with John Frawley. She writes numerous articles for the astrological community in print and on her astrology website: www.gryphonastrology.com. This is a traditional astrology website with a wealth of articles, predictions, and free readings.  Useful astrological information geared toward all levels of proficiency, from beginners to advanced astro-wizards.

Advance Registration Rates: $12 NCGR Members / $15 Non-Members.  Day of Event Rates:  $15 NCGR Members / $18 Non-Members

For more info:

http://ncgrsanfrancisco.org/

This Fourth of July, as the Oedespedotes, of North Korea, Mars, trudged over the binary eclipsing star, Algol, and atthe same time, the Scorpionic star, Antares was occulted, a two pronged attack was launched. The first was outright; the launching of seven ‘scud like’ ballistic missiles. The second was far more subtle. As of this writing, no government agency is pointing fingers, at least, not officially. Off the record, however, the word is that not only did the North Koreans brazenly defy the U. N. and launch their scuds, but they are said to have also conducted what social scientists are dubbing ‘the war of the future,’ a full out cyber attack on government computer networks in both South Korea and the United States.

(continue reading…)

There were more aggressive moves made by the North Korean Government. This is not surprising, given that the fixed star Antares was occulted by the Moon on July 4,according to IOTA’s site:

http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/bstar/0704antares.htm

The occultation was visible in Japan and Hawaii. Antares is a military star.  This suggests  troop movements or affairs related to weapons, which may affect those places where the occultation would be visible in the sky – Hawaii.  In fact, North Korea has launched missiles prior to this. Most of which were  directed towards Japanese waters. In the last few days, however, there have been many more threats.  Of course, there is the added symbolism of the July 4 celebrations surrounding Independence Day in the United States. They say that they have the capacity to reach the waters near Hawaii. Thus, according to recent news, an anti-missile defense system has been put into action in Hawaii.

By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press Writer Kwang-tae Kim, Associated Press
Writer   – Sat Jul 4, 9:49 am ET

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles off its eastern coast Saturday, South Korea said, a violation of U.N. resolutions and an apparent message of defiance to the United States on its Independence Day.

MORE

[editor’s note, Gerson wrote this on July 3rd 2009, and today we see, once again, he is right as we see below]

Thus, according to recent news, an anti-missile defense system has been put into action in Hawaii. Can we locate this thread by the analysis of the recent Cancer ingress solar chart?

June 21,2009  2:46 P.M. Pyol’chang- North Korea-  126E26/39N17

A brief look shows us that Mars is quite angular, which gives it the ability to act, in house 7, which is the house of others. Since Mars is a very aggressive planet, its placement in this house, clearly shows the military threat directed to the “enemies.” In his Book of Astronomy, Bonatti gives directions to find the lot of war. [editor’s note: an excellent translation of Bonatti’s masterpiece is available, at  http://bendykes.com  on sale, soon, but in short supply].

“The part of warfare and boldness is taken by day from Saturn to Moon and then projected from the Ascendant.”  We can translate this to the following:

Asc 28 Libra   + Moon 7 Gemini  – Saturn 15 Virgo 57  =    19 Cancer

By system of quadrants, this places the lot of war at 19 Cancer, squarely in the 9th house of foreigners. This affects not only the 9th, however, but also the government and leadership of Korea because the ruler of the 10th house of governmental leadership, has Leo on the cusp, and the Sun is in the same sign, the ultra patriotic sign of Cancer.  Therefore, there is much identification between the ‘king’ or in this case, dictator. The Moon, is lord of the Part of Warfare, and sits in the house of terror and death, the 8th, very close to the red eyed bull, Aldebaran, which is one of the ‘royal stars’ and very much related to Cor Scorpio, also known as Antares which links both the occultation chart and the ingress.