Sphere of Ether, Meteors and Fire – Cancer Ingress 2021

Posted on June 19, 2021 by P. James Clark

Cancer Ingress of The Sun. 21 Jun 2021. 4:32:09 am. Greenwich, England.

The ingress of the Sun into Tropical Cancer marks the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and one of the four Cardinal points of particular interest in Mundane astrology. The four cardinal ingress charts refer to the ensuing period of three months. These Tropical events define the seasons. The next cardinal ingress will be in, the beginning of Autumn in the northern hemisphere.

We do well to consult the Chart of the Year for the same location, with the ingress of the Sun in Aries earlier this year. That chart revealed that Saturn was the LoY. Interestingly, Saturn was in the 9th House in that chart as well, while the Lord of the Ascendant was Mercury fallen in Pisces.

The chart for the present ingress is calculated for GMT and my comments are specific to that location. The comments I will make are by no means exhaustive and I’ll be elected to convey the essential spirit of the Solstice and central themes.

.Of Immediate interest is the Fallen Moon in Via Combusta. Both the Moon and the 6th House are indicative of the common people, separating from a punchy Mars in Leo in the 3rd House. She is also applying to a square with Saturn. We can say that she’s besieged and Mars, Lord of the 6th House is an otherwise poor aspect. The opposition of Mars to both Saturn and PoF is highly significant and this becomes quite clear as we consider the chart as a whole.

Luna is in the 18th Lunar Mansion According to H. C. Agrippa (1533 AD) the Moon in this Mansion causes discord, sedition, conspiracy against the powerful and, revenge from enemies, but frees captives and helps buildings. According to Ibn ‘Arabi (1200 AD ): Meaning: The Heart [of the Scorpion} Attribution: The Sphere of Ether, Meteors and Fire. Divine Attribute: The Seizer.

The clear and accelerated tension between the common people and what passes for the establishment is palpable.

In Mundane astrology, the Ascendant and First House show us the general conditions of the natives as a collective and the position of the nation in the world.

Mercury in Gemini is the Lord of the Ascendant is well placed by Sign and House but in apparent retrograde motion. The chart is for the Hour of Mercury and he is also the Almuten. Strikingly, Mercury is also the doryphory, [dorypʰóros] “Spear-Bearer” to the Sun.

England is under Aries, but the city of London is under Gemini, so this narrows the focus more precsiely. The Phase of Mercury is Matutine Waxing. Mercury goes Stationary Direct the following evening at 16 ♊︎ 07′ 37″ of Longitude

The often-cited 1066 Chart for the Coronation of William I indicates an Aries Ascendant of 22°︎ 17.

Crucially, Venus is the Significator of Manners, also known as the Lady of the Geniture. The placement and the relationship of Jupiter in the Exaltation of Venus, whilst Venus shines in the domicile of the Moon is a strong signature of how the will and needs of the people may be realized.

In traditional astrology, the Moon’s nodes are referred to as Caput Draconis – “Dragon’s Head” and Cauda Draconis – “Dragon’s Tail”. In Indian astrological tradition, the nomenclature is Rahu and Ketu respectively.

Detail: Descending node of the lunar orbit (The_Tail) -Wellcome L0030675

Notably, this Mercurial chart has the N. Node in the Exaltation of the Sign Gemini. The Node is with Aldebaran, the S. Node is with Antares. This is a highly dynamic, intense placement of the Nodes with clear implications regarding Britain’s place in the world at this time: projecting its renewed engagement on the international stage outside and along with the EU while struggling with core events whose effects will be felt for a generation. These include the implementation of the goals of Brexit as well as the internal stress on institutions such as the NHS.

In Mundane astrology, the ninth house relates to judicial systems, including jurisprudence, morality, religion, diplomatic entities and foreign affairs in general. Afflictions to this house or its Lord by the malefic planets, including Rahu or Rahu like planets, bring the spectre of corruption and setbacks for the fortune of the country. Saturn is Lord of the 9th and the 8th house. The 8th House relates to plagues. We can see that ineptitude in the face of catastrophe exists in plenitude. However, this is offset by the condition, placement and reception of the two benefics.

The Nocturnal triplicity ruler of the Financial Significator is Mercury. While Sun and Venus are in aversion to the POF and Saturn, there is a favourable relationship with the Ascendant

Jupiter is stationed in his Nocturnal domicile in Pisces in the 10th house. Venus in Cancer is in the Sign of Jupiter’s Exaltation, handily received by Jupiter in the Exaltation of Venus, as has already been indicated Considering the 2nd House placement of the Sun and Venus, economic stresses will be largely alleviated.

Nevertheless, the situation is tense and the dynamic of frustration and revolution is in the air. What we are seeing are outlets for the pent up emotional damage caused by 18 months of lockdown. To prevent an outlet from becoming an explosion, astrological analysis reveals the nature of the way forward.

Here’s wishing all my readers, friends, colleagues and clients a Blessed Solstice!

Mars in Leo – Turkish Miniature

Rohini Rising – Vernal Equinox 2021

Posted on March 19, 2021 by P. James Clark

{Mars in Gemini} Traité des nativités, attribué à Aboû Maʿschar. Abū Maʿšar al-Balh̲ī, Ğaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar (0805?-0886)

The annual chart for the Vernal Equinox is among the most important considerations in Mundane astrology. Quite simply, it’s the horoscope of the New Year and it provides us with insights into all elements of life for the year to come. The Lord of the Year in this case is Saturn.

The chart is importantly Diurnal. Saturn is in his sect and domicile. The Planetary Day is Saturn, the Hour is of the Sun, with Mercury as Almuten. Saturn is the Ultimate Dispositor.
*

The Sun enters Tropical Aries GMT with Mars, waxing Crescent Moon and Ketu (S. Node) ascending. Remarkably, Mars is less than a degree conjunct the Fixed Star Aldebaran, one of the Four Guardians in Persian cosmology, Watcher of the East. The star is the fiery eye of the Bull in the constellation Taurus. Cornelius Agrippa states that “Aldebram or Aldelamen: eye or head of Taurus. 8°34’17” Taurus. destruction and hindrances of buildings, fountains, wells and gold mines, the flight of reptiles and creates discord revenge, separation, enmity & ill will A soldier on a horse, holding a serpent in his right hand” (Three Books on Occult Philosophy p. 368).

Vivian Robson adds: Aldebaran possesses the significance of: “Great military preferment but attended by much danger; liable to accidents, fevers and violent death. If at the same time the Moon is with Antares, especially in an angle, death will come through a stab, blow or fall. [p.121.] In Hindu astronomy, it is identified as the Nakshatra Rohini – “the red one” – and as one of the twenty-seven daughters of Daksha and the wife of Chandra. According to Komilla Sutton. this Nakshatra relates to passion and sensuality and considered the “favourite wife of the Moon.” ( Nakshatras. p, 59). The second quarter or Pada of this Nakshatra falls in the Taurus Navamsa which is ruled by Venus. The focus is on the material world and all things Taurean. This essential materialism has the courage to face adversities who may deny these desires.

The star is easily found by reference to Orion. This also serves as a reminder that the star is in fact in sidereal Taurus and not Gemini.

Aldebaran location. Image Wikisky

However, the Ascendant itself is in the 5th Nakshatra known as Mrigasira. Mriga means deer and Sira means head. This is also a symbol for the Moon in Indian mythology. The ruler of this nakshatra is Mars and there is strong resistance to the status quo.

Chandra, the Moon God; Folio from a Book of Dreams

The Ascendant Lord is Mercury, in his Fall in Pisces. No planets or luminaries are in their Joy. The overall effect is one of rashness. Mars is Lord of the 6th house, which in this case is most specifically related to the common people, along with Moon. The people, in this case, are specifically those in the United Kingdom.

Unsurprisingly, we find extraordinary domestic unrest rising. The people will be heard. The Sun exalted in Aries in the House of the Good Spirit becomes a blessing, along with Venus exalted in Pisces. Without their mitigation, what is being raised might more easily be quashed.

When Saturn is Lord of the Year or Revolution, we do not anticipate radical change or particularly sensitive considerations of the people. The 9th house placement brings into play the judicial system, morality, religion, diplomacy, foreign affairs and more. Saturn in the 9th house is wont to bring corruption and deficits for the fortune of the country. Clearly, this is not being accepted without rebellion of any sort.

Mercury falling in Pisces – Drawing from: The Book of Felicity

The passionate intensity of the 1st House and Ascendant are weakened by the Sign of Mercury. The question becomes, how or where does all this energy find an outlet. While Jupiter is Lord of the 10th House, he is debilitated by his place in the domicile of Saturn. Indeed, the 10th House speaks of a degree of incompetence and a potentially misguided sense of what it means to govern for the benefit of the people. This is accentuated by the 9th House which informs the 10th and the 11th which supports the same.

The nodal axis is one that should never be underestimated. With Rahu in the 1st House and Ketu in the 7th, the social and political interests of the population may not be ignored with impunity. The case is made even more cogently when we note that the Rahu is in the sign of his Exaltation.

It is said that Rahu ‘enjoys’ being in Rohini. There is a lack of commitment and that hedonism can become extreme. But Rahu in the 1st house is like a self-will run riot.

Fears of economic instability, less than stellar governance, mistrust of authority and at the same time demands for more of the same will be a theme throughout the coming year. Of course, much the same could fairly be said of any given year, but in this case, it’s on a scale unprecedented for decades. 2021 will see the world changed in ways we are only beginning to grasp.

It is impossible to ignore this essential conflict between the strong desire for personal freedom and expression and the heavy restrictions of Saturn. The term, “social isolation” could scarcely be more saturnine, yet more of it is being called for as yet another wave of Covid 19 makes further demands, often at the expense of mental health and concomitant and diminishing hopes of a full socio-economic recovery. Moreover, hard-fought freedoms we once took for granted hang in the balance. The economy is teetering on its own form of life-support.

The reactions to this tight and prolonged lockdown are evident throughout the western world as people watch the world they once knew become extinct. Saturn and Mars are not considered astrological friends because Mars destroys structure while Saturn is adamantine about resisting structural change. We are living during a time of extraordinary consequence wherein the clash is gathering momentum. The legal and social consequences of disobedience to authority over all this are in many cases draconian. We tread a path between fear of a pandemic and the loss of much that had given our life meaning.

Vernal Equinox 2020

Posted on March 23, 2020 by P. James Clark

Aja’ib al-Makhluqat Wonders of Creation) by al-Qazvini; recto Symbol of the Sun

Reading a chart for the Ingresses and Solstices has become a tradition here, following a truly ancient tradition. Because of these points are crucially relevant to the Solar cycle, they have tended to be a time of celebration across cultures and time, virtually universal. The Aries Ingress chart provides us with the Lord of the Year and what we may expect to dominate the year. I’ve had a policy of brevity on these occasions and in any case, the interpretation will differ in many details due to the selected time zone.

Mars is the undisputed Lord of the Year, He’s exalted in Capricorn and with the South Node. This rarely if ever ends well. The most critical situation involves Mars and Saturn besieging Jupiter and the Ascendant. Guido Bonatti tells us that a besieged planet is one that separates from a malefic and applies to another (Con. 6). It shows a situation that is going from bad to worse. Saturn is in his own Domicile but in the Anaretic degree and with Mars as his Altumuten. Using Whole Sign, this nest of vipers squares the Sun. The Moon in Aquarius is also in a Saturnine domicile.

Both Capricorn and Aquarius oppose the lights – Capricorn the Moon and Aquarius the Sun. Nevertheless, the Sun is strong and exalted in Aries and holds the anchor, as it were. However, it is still in a martian sign and the overall picture is easy to see. We might say that Jupiter is weak by sign, but still a benefic. But considering that Jupiter is under siege from the two malefics and in detriment, he is unable to act effectively,

The results are there for all to see. We have a pandemic with no known antidote that is besieging entire countries. Moreover, the locust seams, the greatest in decades, have spread from Africa to the Middle East and to the Subcontinent. Both are forms of contagion and beyond human control at this point. This won’t be an easy year, although we have opportunities that only such catastrophes can reveal. The greater catastrophe would be to miss them.

An Ethiopian girl attempts to fend off desert locusts as they fly in a farm on the outskirt of Jijiga in Somali region, Ethiopia January 12, 2020 Giulia Paravicini/REUTERS

To put this in perspective, Saturn will form a Grand Conjunction with Jupiter at the end of there year in the Saturnine sign of Aquarius. I have written substantially on this phenomenon on this blog. Essentially this Conjunction will set the stage for the next two decades. The Grand Conjunctions heralds what we may call a mini-age. Saturn will be much stronger than Jupiter. The phase we are well into at this time is fraught with great challenges to humanity, both existential and ethical in nature.

Iran & the Aries Ingress Chart

Posted on April 12, 2018 by P. James Clark

I’m not a fan of using several charts to determine the nature of an event or whether it will occur at all. Here, I draw exclusively on the Chart of the Year as calculated for Tehran at the Spring Equinox and Nouruz. The general query is to assess the position of Iran at a time when once again, The Islamic Republic of Iran is being threatened with more than sanctions and covert attacks. It seems almost an absurdity to ask if Iran will be at war. It has been on a war footing since 1979 and many times prior to that. This is more of an examination than a prediction.

Predicting wars is a very bad habit. Assessing relative strengths, what’s at play and the nature of the subject is much wiser, because wars can be prevented. I’m a firm believer in studying what Tibetan Buddhists refer to as “causes and conditions.” These can be so powerful that it seems they cannot be resisted. The fact is, we do not live in a purely deterministic realm and, if we did, there would no point in talking about it.

This is a fascinating chart. The Lord of the Year is the Sun and here we see him setting in the Sign of his Exaltation. He is also the Hyleg. The Seventh House of open enemies is disposited by a strong, exalted and angular Mars, conjunct Saturn. So both malefics are involved in the matter of that house, both are in a square relationship to Sun, Venus and Mercury.

Tens of thousands gathered across Iran Wednesday in a massive show of strength for the country’s Islamic rulers after days of deadly unrest, with state television showing vast crowds marching…

Venus is in her detriment but is the Lady of the Ascendant, which is most appropriate for the Islamic Republic. Venus is the chart Almuten and is the planet of Islam. An examination of the Ascendant is a means to evaluate the relative strength of a native, which in this case is a nation. In relation to Aries, Libra is the weaker partner. The detrimental status of Venus only diminishes strength further. Venus also disposits the Moon, in her exaltation but in the Eighth House of Death.

The Moon represents the common people as does the Sixth House, disposited by the Geater Benefic and in the sign of Venus’ Exaltation. However, Jupiter is retrograde and disposited by Mars. The Moon in Venusian Taurus is Lady of the MC.

The Twelfth House of (among other things) self-undoing and secret enemies is the unfortunate position of the Part of Fortune.

The chart speaks strongly of a regime change and Iran cannot protect herself form open and secret enemies in a region that has seen the destruction of several countries, at least by herself. I do not see open warfare with Iran in the next while, but the regime change has been working its way forward for quite some time. The last thing Iran needs is more aggression from Israel, Saudi Arabia, the US or NATO wholes motivations have precious little to do with nuclear deals and everything to do with maintaining global hegemony and petrodollars.

Iran sentences woman to two years in jail for removing veil

Of course, Iran has its own internal struggles. She is a rich and ancient culture and is ill-suited to a dictatorial theocracy that features a specialized police force to enforce not only the wearing of veils but limits the colours that can be worn. There have been the well publicised anti hijab and ongoing human rights protests as well as the mostly unpublicised resurgence of the ancient Persian religion, Zoroastrianism among Kurds and ethnic Persians. There have also been counter-protest and many believe the anti-hijab movement was instigated by foreigners.

Iran is clearly ripe for change.

Vernal Equinox & Nowruz 2015

Posted on March 9, 2015 by P. James Clark

Bas-relief in Persepolis, Fars province of Iran. A Zoroastrian symbol of Nowruz – on the vernal equinox the powers of the eternally fighting bull (personifying the Earth) and lion (personifying the Sun) are equal. (Licence Wikipedia)

Bas-relief in Persepolis, . A Zoroastrian symbol of Nowruz – on the vernal equinox the powers of the eternally fighting bull (personifying the Earth) and lion (personifying the Sun) are equal. (Licence Wikipedia)

Nowruz is among the most ancient and significant astrologically based holy days celebration in the world. It began with Mithraism and Zoroastrianism and is still celebrated with zeal in several countries from Azerbaijan, Russia, Syria, Turkey , India and of course Iran. A repeating theme is the allegory of the balance of light and darkness illustrated by the bas-relief shown above. This is echoed in the celebration of Ostera or Easter which falls on the first Sunday after the first full Moon in Spring. It represents earthly fertility in the waxing day force as well as spiritual resurrection. What is above, is below.

The Aries Equinox chart is always of great significance, but here we have the confluence of a Solar Eclipse just hours before the Ingress, @ 29°27′ Pisces. This is a rare event and worthy of our close attention. This is a rare event and worthy of our close attention. We start with a reading of the chart of the year. The undisputed Lady of the Year is Venus in Taurus: Occidental, direct, free of the beams, in sect and of course in her domicile She protects from external enemies. .Mars is also in his domicile,in sect and in hiss house of Joy.and Aries is the Exaltation of the Sun. The sixth house is the house of the common people in Mundane charts and here there are in a strong position, even with the unfortunate Moon in Aries. That leaves us with an unremarkable Mercury in Pisces, in his Fall but nicely placed by house and both Social Planets retrograde. Saturn in Sagittarius, Peregrine isn’t well placed at the best of times, but in the Second House income is seriously restricted and curtailed

This applies to the nation more specifically than to the individual. Jupiter in Leo, the domicile of the Sun occupies the Tenth House and is indicative of rulers, Although he enjoys some elemental sympathy from the Common People, we can say Jupiter is inflated and worst of all retrograde, symbolically moving away from the “throne.” The sympathy is amplified by the Sun in the Sixth House.This denotes the fall of a leader, Considering the pomp and circumstance of Leo, this may very well refer to a prominent member of the aristocracy or Royal Family. The video below shows the progress and visibility of the eclipse. Eclipses affect most those nations and cities that fall under the sign of the eclipse as well as where it is visible. This would include Egypt, Normandy, North Africa, Portugal and Scandinavia. My primary focus is on the United Kingdom and those places in the same time zone and visibility of the eclipse although much of what I have to say would apply in a lesser extent to Europe, Western Russia and the Piscean nation of Egypt, the latter of course in a very volatile state. The time if the eclipse at GMT falls ominously in the 10th House. It`s almost as if the eclipse sets the stage for the fall of the *monarch* Jupiterean Pisces turns off the lights while Saturn holds the Seventh House. It isn’t hard to read this fairly literally. We could say that the strong Mars in the Eleventh House lends support to the Tenth, but with the S, Node and really no mitigating elements, it might very well do more harm than good.

The significance of an Eclipse is in the larger picture of the nation or nations rather than on the lives of individuals specifically, but of course whatever affects the nation will affect the people, sometimes in major ways and more often in ways that are not immediately detected. If you celebrate only one or two things a year, the Vernal Equinox is highly significant – the forces of darkness and light are balanced with the forces of light, with the Sun waxing in the Sign of his exaltation.

Shah Tahmasp I and Humayun. Novrouz festival From Chehel Sotoun Palace, Isfahan. Artist unknown. C. 1820

De Magnis Coniunctionibus – An Introduction

Posted on January 14, 2013 by P. James Clark

The intent of this article is to introduce the phenomena of the De Magnis Coniunctionibus or Great Conjunctions and provide a general overview. A later article will approach the subject in more depth

The Great Conjunctions are those of Jupiter and Saturn. The last Great Conjunction occurred in May 31, 2000,. The next will be in late December 2020. They take place approximately every twenty years. Consideration of the alignment of the two social planets is most widely used in Mundane astrology.

In fact they define what we have come to call generations or epochs. I have generated the Saturn Jupiter conjunctions from 5000 B.C. to 2500 AD in pdf format.

They have been used since earliest times. Combined with other phenomena such as Solar and Lunar Eclipses. Perhaps most important is their relationship to each other

.During the twenty year period between Superior Conjunctions, they will of course square, oppose, trine or sextile one another. This is were things become a great deal more complex and will be addressed in a second article on this subject.

The great eighth-century Persian astrologer, Masha’allah Atharī (c.740–815 AD) became the leading astrologer of his age. Here’s what he has to say about the great conjunctions and their importance in Mundane divination.

“The principal things happen from the greater kind of conjunction, which is of the superior planets. But these superior planets have other conjunctions, even ones signifying great accidents. For the conjunction and it signifies accidents and sects.

But the knowledge of the accidents from this is had by looking at the Ascendant, and the planets at the hour of their conjunction, and which of them rules the figure. Which if it were a benefic, it will signify good and the fitness of the weather. And if it were a malefic [it will signify] detriment and dryness, and moreover the sterility of the earth, and wars.” (Works of Sahl and Masha’alla “- Trans Dyke. p. 306 )

One of the best ways to get comfortable with interpreting the Great Conjunctions is to study the tables, noting the elements. Invariably, the successive Conjunctions will remain in a given element for a long periods. You can see what happened and when it happened – seeing patterns that follow this phenomena.

Both the thumbnails on the left are the work of Johannes Kepler. If ever the principle of a picture being worth a thousand words were true, it’s right here.

Translation of Albumasar (Venice_1515) De Magnis Coniunctionibus

The Classical Astrologer

Ancient and Traditional Astrology

Category Archives: Lord of Year