The Subdivision of the Science of Nativities [According to Egyptian Ptolemy]
last updated: 10/Dec/2021
The Subdivision of the Doctrine/Science of Nativities
What is happening to you and the closest people around you? How to separate that Logic? In Chapter 3 of Book III of Tetrabiblos, the 2nd Century writer and astronomer Ptolemy subsides the genethliacal science. I think these subdivisions are important and necessary in order to know where to locate yourself/person amidst chaos while being helped off the timing with/by techniques – it goes all through Book III to the final Book IV of Tetrabiblos.
Exotic Order & Perspicuity: As simple as it sounds, Ptolemy begins to subdivide the wheel into what a human goes through in its form and relationships, beginning with the Parents, then Siblings etc. he does not exactly follow in the order of the Zodiac houses, but rather of importance to the native as soon as the one is born.
From here, we learn that people are in our charts and ourselves are in the charts of others, and that can also indicate things/happenings. Now he also begins his hints on the length of life in general.
Observe the table below and read it by Ptolemy’s own words aftewards:
Subdivisions | Your Radix & | Chapters |
Solely after Birth | Your Own Radix after Birth | – |
Right after Preceding Birth | Your Parents | [Chapter 4] |
Before & After Birth | Your Siblings | [Chapter 5] |
Very Time of Birth | “of sex, of twins or multiple births, of monsters, and of children that cannot be reared” | [Chapters 4 to 9] |
Post-Natal | Length of Life etc. | [Chapter 10 to the end of the Treatise] |
The Overall Subdivision: “After this preface, should any One simply for the sake of order attempt to subdivide the whole field of genethlialogieal science, he would find that, of all the natural and possible predictions, one division concerns solely events preceding the birth, such as the account of the parents; another deals with events both before and after the birth, such as the account of brothers and sisters; another, with events at the very time of the birth, a subject which is no longer so unitary and simple; and finally that which treats of post-natal matters, which is likewise more complex in its theoretical development.”
What the Book III and IV will be About & Order of Topics: “…Among the subjects contemporary with the birth into which inquiry [official investigation or question] is made are those of sex, of twins or multiple births, of monsters, and of children that cannot be reared.
Post Natal: To those dealing with post-natal events belong the account of the length of life, for this is not attached to the account of children that cannot be reared; second, that of the form of the body and that of bodily illnesses and injuries;
Mercury and Moon: …next, that of the quality of the mind and illnesses of the mind;
Fortune: …then that which concerns fortune, both in the matter of possessions and in that of dignities;
Action: and after this the account of the quality of action;
Parterships & Children: …then that of marriage and of the begetting of children, and that of associations, agreements, and friends;
Journeys/Voyages: …following comes the account of journeys,
Lenght of Life & Death: …and finally that of the quality of death, which is potentially akin to the inquiry about the length of life, but in order is reasonably placed at the end of these subjects.”
Avoiding Repetition in the Book & in Predictions: Ptolemy chooses his word wisely and practical but quite synthesized. The Zodiacal Aspects are many to be considered, each degree has the potential to make 7 aspects (that it, not even considering conjunction) to the remaining 359° degrees of the wheel, therefore the total that the whole 360° degrees aspectual combination results is 2.520 aspects! Because of such “…What, however, admits of prediction we shall investigate, not by means of Lots [Arabic Parts – but Ptolemy does confirm the Part of the Moon (Fortune) as being prominent in some prognostications] and numbers [divination by numbers/numerology?] of which no reasonable explanation can be given, but merely through the science of the aspects of the stars [Book I; Chapter 13] to the places with which they have familiarity, in general terms, however, which are applicable to absolutely all cases, that we may avoid the repetition involved in the discussion of particular cases.”
The Significator: [important: this is not the “Significator” as termed in Primary Directions] – Such claims of Ptolemy refers to the Houses of the Zodiac as well as the planets and their significations, for example, you want to know about Mother, than follow the Moon (then Venus) throughout the chart (as well as the Mc ruler). It seems that Ptolemy points who/people to planets and things/what, like you will learn he points out to the fact the mother in the chart may be ruled by Moon at night or Venus by day depending on the ruling Sect of the chart, but the land is the 4th place, or the Ic Sign of the radix, or the father could be either the Sun by day or Saturn by night (altough he won’t cite them). But when it concerns to numbers of siblings, it is the 11th house where such information can be found among others things and you will understand why reading the next chapters until the end of the professional’s manual.
“In the first place, we should examine that place of the Zodiac which is pertinent to the specific heading of the geniture which is subject to query; for example, the mid-heaven [Mc; the 10th Sign from the Asc], for the query about action [& profession], or the place of the Sun for the question about the father; then we must observe those planets which have the relation of rulership to the place in question by the five ways aforesaid [trine, house, exaltation, term, and phase or aspect]; and if one planet is lord in all these ways, we must assign to him the rulership [dominator] of that prediction [Remember that for every topic, you must/shall find the dominator planet of that Subject in question]; if two or three, we must assign it to those which have the more claims.” –
Quality of Prediction & Magnitude of Events: “…After this, to determine the quality of the prediction, we must consider the natures of the ruling planets themselves and of the signs in which are the planets themselves [perhaps he meant that signs have rulers?], and the places familiar to them. For the magnitude of the event we must examine their power and observe whether they are actively situated both in the cosmos itself and in the nativity, or the reverse.”
Magnitude | Scan/Observe |
Most Effective | “…for they are most effective when, with respect to the cosmos [Mundane], they are in their own or in familiar regions [domiciles, term & face, exaltation, triangles], and again when they are rising and are increasing in their numbers [speed?]; —— and, with respect to the nativity [Genethliacal], whenever they are passing [transiting] through the angles [Asc/Dsc-Mc/Ic]or signs that rise after them [the signs in the cusp of fixed houses], and especially the principal of these, by which I mean the signs ascendant[ing] and culminating.” |
Weakest (slower) | “…They are weakest, with respect to the universe [Mundane], when they are in places belonging to others or those unrelated to them, and when they are occidental or retreating [already retrograde] in their course; —— and, with respect to the nativity [Genethliacal] when they are declining from the angles.” [transiting mutable houses] |
Oriental or Occidental?
1. Effective
2. Slower | “…For the time of the predicted event in general we must observe whether they are oriental [visible in the East] or occidental [invisible in the West] to the [90° span to the] Sun and to the horoscope [Asc]; —— for the quadrants which precede each of them and those which are diametrically opposite are oriental, and the others, which follow, are occidental. —— Also we must observe whether they are at the angles or in the succedent signs;
1. for if they are oriental [from the Asc to the Mc] or at the angles they are more effective at the beginning; [Planets in a Zodiac Sign Behind the Sun]
2. if they are occidental [from the Dsc to the Ic] or in the succeeding signs they are slower to take action.” [Planets in a Zodiac Sign Further from the Sun] |
—
References
Tetrabiblos Ptolemy’s four books of the influence of the stars [or the Quadripartite Mathematical Treatise] translated from the Greek paraphrase of Proclus by j. m. Ashmand – [London, Davis and Dickson; 1822]
Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos. Translated by F. E. Robbins. Loeb Classical Library 435. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1940.
Porphyry The Philosopher – Introduction To The Tetrabiblos & Serapio Of Alexandria; Astrological Definitions (Translated from the Greek by ] James Herschel Holden, M.A.)
On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities by Abù Ma’shar Translated and Discussed by Benjamin Dykes [2019]