Traditional Astrology, Magic, and Sundry Matters
What is Mercury retrograde?
Mercury retrograde is said to occur when the planet when appears to be moving backwards in the heavens in relation to its regular movement. Of course, the retrograde motion is apparent and not real in that it only appears to be slowing down in its orbit and moving backwards relative to our perspective here on Earth. A physical explanation for this can be found here.
Having well established the Geniture, and in particular examined the Fortitudes and Debilities of the Planets, observe if in the Scheme you find three or four Planets in their essential dignities, or if they receive one another out of such dignities, for then the heavens declare, that the Native shall enjoy a manifest and ample fortune, shall live gallantly and in much esteem, according to the quality, and above the ordinary Vogue of his Birth, and that he shall manage the actions of his whole life, for the greatest part thereof, with happy and admirable success: On the contrary, when most of the planets are either in their Falls or Detriments, or in abject houses of Heaven, or Peregrine, such persons shall generally be involved with many infelicities, one mischief ever following in the neck of another. – Christian Astrology, William Lilly
I had a question recently regarding whether someone could be born unlucky. It’s sure to raise a few modern eyebrows, but from the Ancient Greeks all the way through the Renaissance and Medieval period, the answer would have been a resounding yes.
Continue reading “Signs of luck and fortune in the nativity”
Natal Insights
I’ve had some requests recently from people who could not afford the full natal reading but nevertheless wanted some insight on a particular matter described in their natal chart. Natal Insights are a way to do exactly that and allow you to focus in on a particular area such as love, career, wealth etc at a much reduced cost as compared to a full natal reading.
Talismans
On ocassion I’m moved to create talismans at carefully elected times when a particular planetary or celestial object is strongly dignified. Some of these I will be offering for sale and will be available under the Talismans tab. I currently have three Venus talismans for Love, Luck and Fertility that were created when Venus was essentially dignified in Taurus. These Venus talismans are available for sale here.
We learned in our last little chat that a debilitated moon generally implies issues with our perceptive faculties, perhaps even our senses themselves, and with unconscious processes. This means that, for whatever reason, our senses do not always relay a clear and accurate reflection of reality – we receive an image slightly askew, distorted by our own mental filter through which we see events.
So, fate has given us some work to do. How do we fix this?
How to train your moon (now in 3D)
While the temperament is an internal and largely unchanging aspect of personality that determines character as well as the form of the body itself, the native’s manner describes his behavioural traits, those observable characteristics that are visible to others and mark him out as a particular sort of person. Jupiter as the planet ruling his manners and the native might be described as generous and affable; Saturn, austere and serious.
Who is the Lord of the Geniture?
The Lord of the Geniture is, to put it simply, the most powerful planet in the natal chart (by essential dignity) which has the power to assist the native. Essential dignity is straightforward enough to determine, however a strong planet with weak accidental dignity, such as one in the 8th or the 12th house, is not going to be of much use to the native and therefore does not satisfy the conditions necessary to be Lord of the Geniture.
One particularly useful application of the calculation of temperament for the aspiring Hermeticist is as an aid and a guide to the creation of the Soul Mirrors described in Franz Bardon’s Initiation into Hermetics.
If you are not familiar with the author, the basic idea is that one spends some time in exacting introspection to identify and describe the largely unconscious characteristics that make up our personality. Bardon has one begin with the Black Soul Mirror which is a description of all of our negative characteristics. Bardon leaves it up to the student to determine what negative means to him, but these are, broadly speaking, qualities that hinder rather than help us. He tells us that “… you have to be pitiless and very strict with yourself when it comes to your shortcomings, failings, habits, passions, urges and many other negative character traits.”
One of the first techniques in the toolbox of the traditional astrologer used when interpreting a nativity was the calculation of the temperament of the native. Based upon then humoral theory of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, whose school of medicine had an enormous influence on medieval medical theory and practice, the temperament offered a basic psychological description of the person being described in a nativity, their innate disposition through which they experienced the world and interpreted events.
Continue reading “The Temperament or Complexion of the Native”