Saturn in Libra: Petrarch

Petrarch’s Saturn in Libra is exalted in the third house

Compared to Tilak’s Mars in detriment in Libra, Petrarch has Saturn exalted in Libra in the third house. A planet in exaltation has the power of dignity, esteem, and honor. During his travels in 1345, Petrarch found Cicero’s letters to Atticus, Quintus, and Brutus. This discovery is often associated with the start of humanism in……

Scorpio: The Scorpion

The constellation of Scorpio by Sidney Hall

The currents run deep with the fixed water sign of Scorpio, whose nocturnal martial nature channels elements of both its invertebrate namesake and the soaring eagle.

The Tropical Zodiac

The Tropical Zodiac - The ecliptic was divided into 360 degrees with 30 degrees allotted to each of the 12 signs

The development of the zodiac around the fifth century B.C. was an important milestone in the history of astrology. The path of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets around the Earth, also known as the ecliptic, was divided into 360 degrees, with 30 degrees allotted to each of the 12 signs. The signs were……

Synodic Cycle of the Superior Planets

Synodic cycle of the superior planets - Saturn, Jupiter and Mars

The synodic cycle of the superior planets (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) starts at the conjunction of the planet with the Sun and being Cazimi. Jupiter is Cazimi Cazimi makes a planet very strong but it will soon move to being combust. The combust zone extends to around eight degrees and 30 minutes from the Sun.……

Essential Dignities: The School Analogy

The signs of the zodiac can be compared to schools, with each school specializing in different subjects and skills

Imagine that there are twelve schools, each with three hundred students. These schools are like the signs of the zodiac, with each school specializing in different subjects and skills. The Aries school teaches its students how to be aggressive, fight, and succeed in war. The Aquarius school teaches science and is concerned with humanity. The……

Libra: The Scales

The constellation of Libra by Sidney Hall

As day and night reach equal measure during the autumn equinox, the Venus-ruled air sign of Libra espouses the civilized virtues of balance, harmony, and coexistence.

Table of Essential Dignities

Table of Essential Dignities using Egyptian bounds and Hindu decans

The signs act as homes or residences for the planets. Based on the sign and degree it occupies, a planet is bestowed with or denied certain gifts, powers, or resources. This is essential dignity, a measure of the strength or weakness of a planet. Essential dignity is one of the most important techniques in traditional……

Leonardo da Vinci’s Moon Firdaria: A Benevolent Birth

infant Jesus in The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne painting by Leonardo da Vinci

Conjunct the greater benefic Jupiter in rulership, in mutual reception with the lesser benefic Venus and free from malefic rays, Leonardo’s Piscean moon promises a benevolent childhood. Placed in the fourth whole sign house in the exalted bound of Venus/Pisces and applying to the Sun in Taurus shapes Leonardo’s childhood experiences, his connection to nature and country life and the nurturing of his scientific mind.

Virgo: The Maiden

The constellation of Virgo by Sidney Hall

A mutable earth sign serving as both the exaltation and domicile of Mercury, the Maiden extols the virtues of practicality, fastidiousness, and support, lending her considerable analytical talents to whatever job is at hand

A Matter of Degree: Worldview in Elizabethan England

Elizabeth I in her coronation robes, patterned with Tudor roses and trimmed with ermine

Shaped by elements of Christian and ancient Greek thought, the Elizabethan worldview envisioned the universe as a balance between heavenly order and sinful chaos, with man the pivotal link in the chain of being.