Sign Position House Comment

Moon Capricorn 27°Cp14' 4th

Sun Libra 15°Li46' 1st

Scorpio 7°Sc53' 2nd

Virgo 2°Vi38' 11th

Libra 2°Li20' 12th read into 1st House

Taurus 13°Ta44' 8th

Taurus 13°Ta14' 8th

Taurus 25°Ta33' 8th

Virgo 26°Vi00' 12th

Leo 4°Le10' 10th read into 11th House

Aspect Planet Orb App/Sep

Moon Square The Sun 11°28' Separating

Moon Trine Mars 5°05' Applying

Moon Trine Uranus 1°40' Separating

Moon Trine Neptune 1°13' Separating

Moon Opposition Pluto 6°56' Applying

Sun Sextile Pluto 11°35' Separating

Sextile Venus 5°14' Separating

Opposition Jupiter 5°50' Applying

Opposition Saturn 5°21' Applying

Square Pluto 3°42' Separating

Square Uranus 7°04' Separating

Trine Uranus 6°46' Separating

Conjunction Neptune 6°19' Separating

Sextile Pluto 1°50' Applying

Conjunction Saturn 0°29' Applying

Square Pluto 9°03' Applying

Trine Neptune 0°26' Separating

Sextile Pluto 8°36' Separating

Sextile Pluto 8°10' Applying

The purpose of this report is to present a view of the person that is helpful for the astrologer wishing to learn classical method, or for the practitioner wishing to explore the more deterministic aspects of the person's life. There is nothing in this report that says that one must act in the ways described. Rather, classical method shows the easiest pathway, namely, the path of least resistance - not the best possible road, the road most frequently taken.

This report is based on the methods of classical astrology. What is classical astrology? Historically, classical astrology encompasses the many styles of delineation practiced prior to 1700. Generally speaking, the word is restricted to those styles practiced in the West: Vedic Astrology, until recently mainly practiced in India, is a sister craft, and one that shared some methods with Classical Astrology at critical stages in the development of both.

Classical Astrology, unlike Modern Astrology, does not approach an astrological chart from a psychological point of view. The style is more predictive and pragmatic. There is less emphasis on motivation and evolution; more emphasis on how, when and what rather than on why. To the person schooled in Modern Astrology, Classical Astrology can seem harsh and dictatorial. But those of us who practice it prefer to think of this as liberating!

One clear example of the difference: consider the planet Saturn and its track across the heavens and its movement through time. This movement is called a transit. Transits of Saturn generally meant times of hardship. Are these times a "pain in the butt" or an "opportunity?" Maybe calling these crisis times an "opportunity" or a "learning experience" reminds us that we do have choices, and this is an important thing. But when you are getting kicked in the teeth, so to speak, you are probably more interested in when you can get back on your feet than on what the long term lesson is.

Because of the radically different viewpoint between classical and modern interpretation, it could be argued that both styles of astrology can give valuable insights. Understanding the strengths of each, we are in the position, as it were, of a martial artist confronting a religious practitioner. Both have skills and knowledge. But the martial artist could benefit from the centering abilities taught through meditation; while the religious practitioner could use some practical self defense skills taught by the martial arts.

Classical Astrology excels at prediction through time, whereas modern astrology focuses on tendencies. It is as if Modern Astrology is best at the Noun ("Who are you?"), while Classical Astrology is best at the Verb ("What do you want?). Classical Astrology is less agile at and motivational matters than her modern cousin. Likewise, Modern Astrology is less agile at recognizing genuine limits to action.

But this does not mean that Classical Astrology has nothing to say. The two most important candidates are firstly, matters concerning temperament, and secondly, something that Modern Astrology avoids like the plague: good and evil. This goes to the heart of the other great question, "What do you want?" This latter question is often by affected by temptation, greed, and other less than stellar desires.

The characterization of temperament or complexion is vital to the design of an effective lifestyle program for wellness. The idea is simple: we are each comprised of two sets of two qualities: hot and cold, and wet and dry. The relative ratios of these four components induce what we might call a field matrix: a cluster of temperamental and biological tendencies. This balance, in turn, can be threatened by stress, aging, or astrological transits or other dynamic indicators. The balance can be partially or completely restored through dietary and exercise practices. But this can only be done by understanding the original balance, and how it got out of equilibrium.

But this leaves some differences in the matter of health between ancient and modern practice. Consider a statement in my own report, "the body is subject to deformation as a result of illness." This is because I have Saturn square the North Node. When I was eight years old, I had an accident with a scooter. The resulting cut on my knee went all the way to the bone. Because of modern medicine, I was sewn up, given antibiotics, and limped around for about three months. But had this been 1648, without antibiotics, the whole leg could have been lost to gangrene. Even without infection, healing easily could have taken twice as long. During the years of childhood, a disability for that length of time could have had an effect on growth - resulting in a considerably shorter leg - and deformation! As it is, I have one leg shorter than the other - by half an inch. How much more it might have been without modern medicine can only be surmised.

With all the ancient statements of health, we need to be aware that many things which used to be life threatening are no longer so. But there are dangers. It's just that many dire outcomes can be prevented.

Now we get to the thornier issue of good and evil: words almost never heard in a modern reading of a birth chart, but common words among the ancients. Perhaps the greatest irony of this is that Modern Astrology has put itself into the camp of religious practice through its emphasis on spiritual growth and unfolding potential. Yet this old dichotomy of good and evil has been completely excluded from consideration, like a bad nightmare.

Are there evil birthcharts? Yes, there are, according to Classical Astrology. But what constitutes evil? Of course, we have a whole tool case of concepts, based on philosophical and religious experience, but let's simplify it down. Evil in the birthchart essentially results from one primary cause: egotism, and the greed it often provokes. If your chart shows that you value your comfort, your money, your family, and your desires as absolutely superior to those of others, then you have an evil chart.

Does this make you an evil person? Not necessarily. Self observation has long been a critical factor in spiritual practice. If you can curb your tendencies, then you can experience the struggle as the heat of true spiritual practice. The first step in this process is in understanding these tendencies, and that is where Classical Astrology comes in.

It is probably not too surprising that a cursory exposure to the classical astrological classification of evil looks stunningly like the Seven Deadly Sins. Hardly surprising, given the length of Christian domination, but also hardly surprising since the Church Fathers increased the four virtues of Plato to seven, just equaling the number of cardinal sins, and just fortuitously equaling the number of then known planets! Consider the following table:

Planet Sin Virtue Faculty Animal Nature

Saturn Envy Prudence Retention Memory

Jupiter Sloth Justice Collection Discernment

Mars Anger Fortitude Expulsion Irascible appetites

Sun Pride Temperance Vitality Appropriate appetites

Venus Lust Love Generation Sexual appetites

Mercury Lying Faith Rationality Imagination

Moon Avarice Hope Instinct Acquisitiveness

This table is not typical of the usual discussion of the qualities of the planets found in modern textbooks! This table is derived from the 17th Century astrologer Morinus (Astrologia Gallica), pp 304-307). However, they are not explicitly listed. The categories are taken from the descriptions of the qualities of the planets when well or badly placed. In other words, the "Sin" column is a capsule summary of the way a planet works when badly afflicted, what used to be called "evilly placed!"

And here we have our astrological theory of Good and Evil. A "good" planet acts like it is well placed; while an "evil" planet acts like it is poorly placed. Now the simplest explanation for "acting" well placed is for the planet to actually be well placed. However, the pairing of vice and virtue shows the method to strive to transmute Evil into Good. But notice: without a frank appraisal of the malefic nature of certain placements, there is no free will possible. Conscious choice is the way to bridge the gap from Evil to Good. Evading the uncomfortable merely exacerbates the problem.

Having gotten this far, how do we understand contradictory indicators? Suppose your chart shows both a tendency toward poverty and the ability to make money? The simple answer is that, over time, both statements will be true. Rare indeed is the person who can make money under all circumstances, with any product, any company, or any partners. The more indicators of wealth, the easier it is for you to lean in that direction. The more indicators of poverty, the harder it is to work your way out of debt if you get into it.

It is this frank discussion of tendencies which may be the most valuable part of Classical Astrology today. Consider financial matters. Classical Astrology breaks up the lifetime into three periods. For ease of expression, let's consider these three periods childhood (you're dependent on others for your finances), adulthood (you're dependent on your own work or that of your partner), and retirement (you live off of accumulated wealth from your adult period). Now: suppose that the adult period shows up as the strongest. This suggests that you really do need to pay attention to saving money for retirement, because your tendency is to underestimate your retirement needs. If your retirement period doesn't look good financially, then you shouldn't plan on becoming a Wall Street Maven when you have shown no talent in this vocation previously! You may not in fact find it easy to retire at all. On the other hand, if all three of these periods show as strong, then you can be one of those few people who really never need be concerned about how you're going to pay for tomorrow.

Or consider your ability to hire people. You may think this doesn't apply because you are not a manager at work, but this tendency applies to any work you contract: babysitting, lawn work, household repairs, gardening, or plumbing. Classical Astrology distinguishes between your ability to find and hire people of good character, versus your ability to get good work out of them! Thus, you could hire the biggest scoundrels on the block, but they do good work for you! Or you could hire the nicest people around, but somehow, they never seem to get the job done.

These are pretty specific cases. And so back to our question of Classical and Modern. Is knowing your tendencies from a financial point of view stifling your free will, or a basis for sound financial planning?

One more point. Classical Astrology never used the Outer Planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. However, most modern Classicists do use them in a manner somewhat different from Modern astrologers. Most Classicists use them for their aspects and house placements, but not as rulers of signs or houses. While I personally use them, I have chosen not to include them in this report in order to keep this closer to the style of delineation that was practiced in classical times.

The information presented in this report is one way to characterize a person. Like any report writer, this cannot be considered to be a complete or ultimate description. There is little likelihood that I would ever make this text the major portion of a delineation I gave to a client - any more than this would be true of other report writers! This report hopefully provides a bridge between a way of viewing life unfoldment in a culture which lacked much belief in the ability for self improvement, to a culture in which self improvement has become an obsession. Both viewpoints have their validity. To believe that everything that happens to the Native is a result of her or his Free Will is to end up blaming the person when things go wrong. But to stand by when action is needed to change one's lot is folly.

Thus, I have chosen to translate much of the ancient descriptions into a more modern parlance. It is not my choice for Classical Astrology to remain pure in dogma, but dead in application. In the words of Ken Wilbur, "If by 'ancient' we mean 'timeless,' then ... our culture is in desparate need of such wisdom.... But if by 'ancient' we mean 'past forms of Truth,; then I believe nothing but a reactionary, antiprogressive, antiliberal, anti-evolutionary stance could ever result from such an importation." (The Eye of Spirit, p 61).

Astrology groups themes under twelve areas, known as houses. These encompass the arenas of life in which it is possible to classify circumstances. The difference between a planet and a house is this: a planet represents a state of being, or an activity. A house shows where that planet is most likely to manifest. When we talk about placement, we are talking about houses.

Planets do two things with respect to houses: they occupy houses, and they rule houses. Modern Astrology for the most part has played down the importance of house rulership, while Classical Astrology considers both situations as nearly equal in value. The other thing that these two concepts provide is linkage between themes.

For example, having your 9th House ruled by a planet in the 1st House links issues of the 9th and the 1st. This would mean that travel is very important to you, as is education, and religious, philosophical or spiritual ideas. Travel, education, and religious, philosophical or spiritual ideas are all 9th House matters: the 1st House shows those issues which are most important for your happiness.

In all these examples, the outline is provided by the placements, but then this is in turn modified by quality considerations. So you enjoy travel. But suppose your 9th House ruler in the 1st House is blocked or inhibited. You still enjoy travel, but you may get sick on trips. Education is important to you, but you get into arguments with your instructors, and they mark you down for it, and so you find it difficult to get ahead. You might be very attracted to religious matters, but all the religious types you meet seem to be frauds, looking for a profit or some easy sex.

On the other hand, suppose your 9th House ruler in the 1st House is especially strong. Now, you really seem to be able to have the time to travel, and to enjoy it without too much worry. You encounter few obstacles to your educational pursuits - except those you create for yourself!

In this fashion, we can evaluate difference slices of life from the standpoint of how easy it is, where the obstacles occur, and when we have to really work to achieve a goal. Much of the inspiration for these ideas comes from the 17th Century English astrologer William Lilly's book, Christian Astrology, in the natal section.

Sources for text are shown as an abbreviation after each paragraph. Note that the text is derived from these various classical sources, and does not represent exact quotations.

C = Coley

GC = Gadbury & Coley

GF = Gadbury & Firmicus

iE = ibn Ezra

P = Partridge

It's funny: we almost never talk about happiness, as if it's somehow taboo to go through life happy. The ancients didn't think so. By linking health, vitality and happiness in the same house, they said something at once simple and profound: it's easiest to be happy or satisfied with life when one doesn't have to think about health, and very difficult to enjoy life in the midst of pain.

What is vitality? One simple explanation given by the ancients was the ability to live a long life. This is easier to do if the following conditions apply: you are basically healthy, not subject to a series of debilitating diseases, not accident prone, not vindictive enough to put yourself into violent situations voluntarily, and not weighed down so much by life that you passively roll over and play dead. We can see this quality working in studies of older patients, in which the more demanding or obnoxious outlive the more passive or meek.

But another level of vitality is a zest for living. The 1st House shows you those matters which hold your interest: what intrigues, seduces, and tempts you to stay around, like the teaser at the end of the cliffhanger that brings you back for the sequel. If you are not engaged by life, not only are you not likely to enjoy it, but you won't fight very hard to retain it.

The next component of this vitality/happiness cluster is the quality of mind and manners of the Native. No, not Miss Manners. The 1st House tells in part the filter used when we react to circumstances: is there a hair-trigger temper, or do we ponderously weigh all alternatives before making a move? Are our reactive patterns based on cold logic, or hot passion?

On average, your appearance will tend in the following directions, within the range of your genetic background: body comely, delicate & straight, symmetrical, well proportioned; good cheek color. Your complexion is pure sanguine and colored, somewhat youthful; eyes tending to gray; face round, lovely, and beautiful, but subject to spots & pimples; hair light brown, yellowish or flaxen; lean rather than fat; tall, straight body; visage round; and well-spoken. (C)

You are dominated by your desire for pleasure, and you don't much care if your reputation is hurt thereby. (C)

You enjoy painting, drawing, or writing, and you may deal in merchandise for women. Loving the luxurious, you nonetheless insinuate yourself with religious types.

You will be a close, discriminating person, altogether aiming at your own interest - high-minded, self-conceited, sufficiently churlish, and of a dogged disposition, timorous, misogynous and libidinous; many times addicted to swearing, lying, and dissembling, not a stranger to drunkenness. (C)

You have a high sex drive, and anything goes. Your partners, in turn, find that they can take advantage of you. In addition, you are specifically subject to much sickness. You are not especially religious in outlook, and little troubled by pangs of conscience.

Your intestines, bowels, diaphragm, and spleen may be a focal point of health issues: you have a tendency toward obstructions, hypochondria, excess secretions, gas, and colic when young. You have a spare body, average height (for your family), with dark hair, a long head, and larger eyes than typical for your family. You are well-spoken, curious, discrete, and inconstant. (C)

You are of a violent mind and resolution. (GF)

Your life will be full of afflictions, and short, unless you learn to control your rashness. You are bold, wrathful and quarrelsome, a sower of discord, prodigal, and of small estimation. You are poor and beggarly. You are likely to be wounded in the head. How can you avoid this? Find a different outlet for your energy. You are not good at attempting to conform to societal rules, so either you can find a way to avoid them, or you will end up balking at them. (GF)

You have difficulty with affection in personal relationships, and with children. (GF)

You are honored and esteemed. You will live long and prosper. However, you may not get along with your siblings, if you have any. (GF)

Your social class at birth is not likely to be so high. (GF)

You get honors, riches and favors from eminent persons. You have a fortunate and powerful life. (GF)

You acquire many friends, and these respect you a great deal. It may mean few children, but those you have are well mannered. (GC)

Adulthood involves many twists and turns, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but almost always unsettled. The easiest way around this is to adopt a path through life which isn't quite conventional. When you can put yourself outside normal expectations, you can be much happier. (iE)

Of course, anyone who tells you money doesn't matter is most likely lying, or not paying attention! There are actually four houses that relate to money and possessions, but this one is usually the most obvious because it affects us on a very personal level.

So: the bottom line question raised by this house is: will you be rich, and will you be able to hang on to it? Not, will you be well off, or will you have enough money not to worry about it. These are timid questions. The secondary question raised by this house is what kind of affairs allow you to prosper? Notice that this is not the same as asking: what profession should I follow? The assumption that wealth is acquired through personal work or toil is too limiting.

The down side of this house is that it may also show if you will have difficulty keeping your head above water financially. However, it is to be hoped that, by understanding the complex of circumstances that results in poverty, you may gain some creative possibilities for frustrating those circumstances, allowing you to escape by a means that may not at first seem like the obvious path.

You gain financially by selling, arts, sciences, writings, embassies, and clerkships. You gain through using your wits. You can gain a great deal through honors and favors if you apply yourself. (GF)

You profit by working in finances. (GF)

Your possessions will increase, as well as your power. (GF)

You will be most likely to make money from: contention, discord, war, victory, courageous acts, metalworking, chemistry, and all works belonging to the Fire; Tyranny, and all manner of violence. The people you will most likely work with are: treacherous, seditious, cruel, confident, quarrelers; also surgeons, captains and great commanders of armies or military-style hierarchies, all that work in the fire: gunners, cutlers, etc. (P)

Another way of looking at this is to say you benefit financially from medicine or conflict. Alternately, the people you work with may be in the military, police, sports, or simply of a contentious nature. This is one interesting variant on this: you are not necessarily the source of contention in the work place, but you can benefit from being in a contentious work environment, or having contentious clients or customers, because it doesn't threaten you. You may profit more from your work with men than with women.

Financial stability will most likely come from combining income from a variety of sources, in a unique manner. Too much reliance on conventional means will not produce the results you desire.

You can acquire quite a fortune without working too hard at it. Most of your actions produced profit, whether you are trying or not. (GC)

Your childhood is financially rocky, to the point that you are consciously aware of your family's struggles. (iE)

Your childhood experience of money involves many ups and downs, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but almost always unsettled. Alternately, you parents may have had a way of making money that was outside the usual expectations of society. (iE)

Adulthood is financially rocky, to the point that you must constantly struggle to stay ahead. (iE)

Your adult experience of money involves many ups and downs, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but almost always unsettled. The way to achieve some level of stability is to make your money through unconventional means. (iE)

Your retirement years may be financially rocky, to the point that you must constantly struggle to stay ahead. Your best bet is to carefully plan for retirement, and double the amounts that you think you might need. (iE)

The condition of the 3rd House affects several seemingly unrelated issues. How are siblings related to short trips, much less spirituality to either? Classical Astrology separates these matters by using the three different triplicity rulers.

The 3rd House tells you about how important your siblings and relatives of your own generation are in your adult life. A very strong ruler - whether through dignity or debility - will show that they play an active part. Strong disability may indicate that either you cannot stand them, or that you end up bailing them out of trouble. A strong dignity shows that they may become important allies, helping you out and aiding you.

Short trips are greatly a matter of personal definition, given our modern means of transportation. It used to be that a short trip was inland, and probably less than a day's ride. Now it's more nebulous, so let me suggest the following tip-offs that a trip is "short" instead of "long."

The spiritual dimension of the 3rd House is often underrated. However, this is a very old idea: the original Greek names for the 3rd and 9th Houses, the religious axis of the chart, were "goddess" and "god" respectively. So: what's the difference between "goddess" and "god," especially in a society which is mainly not polytheistic? Two things. First, there are direct religious manifestations that are unequivocally feminine in nature. In Catholicism, visions of the Virgin Mary, or a focus on devotion to the image of Mary would be such a case. Devotion associated with feminine types of monuments or landscapes would also apply: places such as grottoes, or fountains, or even feminine place names would be another example. Also, in considering the status of women in Greek culture at the time of the naming of these houses, it is clear that women (and by extension, goddesses) were the out-of-power party in religious practice. Thus, 3rd House religion often encompasses heresies, or practices that don't follow the societal norm of the Native's cultural environment.

Finally, we arrive at information, what classical astrologer William Lilly would have called "news," and again, we have a technological gap to transcend. "News" is as old as the hills, and in its simplest form, we might substitute the word "gossip." The condition of the 3rd House shows how well the grapevine works for you: do you get accurate tidings, or a message hopelessly garbled? In our information age, the seeming triviality of gossip begins to assume almost sinister proportions. Now, a clear channel means that you are successful at conveying your ideas, whether to your neighbor, or to that newsgroup you love.

How does this work? Suppose your 3rd House ruler is dignified, but square Saturn. This would suggest that you have serious disagreements with siblings and relatives of your own generation. You would encounter logistical hassles when you travel, although you could still gain a great deal through these trips. You have a strong spiritual interest, but it is probably not directed to the religion in which you were raised. You have a strong skeptical streak that makes you immune to spiritual blackmail or scare tactics. You may do better as a critic or technical writer than as a creative writer.

If your 3rd House ruler is weak, then this says less about the nature of your relation to your siblings and close relations than that they are simply not likely to be much of a factor in your adult life. You may find it difficult to write because you find it hard to stick to the topic at hand, and are disorganized. Your spiritual interests, if you bother at all, are not likely to be very time-consuming. You find it hard to plan the logistics of traveling.

You are a natural teacher. You have the ability to make people see connections between a seeming morass of facts and figures. You find it important to discover daily sources of inspiration.

You may have to travel to settle affairs or estates. The condition of your immediate blood relations is either sickly or indigent. (GC)

Any middle siblings or cousins you may have work at cross purposes to you, either because they end up requiring extra attention, or because they actively denigrate you. (iE)

You never know where you stand with your middle siblings or cousins, if you may have any, because they seem to vacillate from place to place, and time to time. For your relationship to work, you will probably have to build it from scratch, not following any expectations that others have about how you should relate. (iE)

You never know where you stand with your younger siblings or cousins, if you may have any, because they seem to vacillate from place to place, and time to time. For your relationship to work, you will probably have to build it from scratch, not following any expectations that others have about how you should relate. (iE)

The 4th House has always been associated with your parents, although which parent has varied somewhat according to different astrologers. The specific meaning of the 4th House would be closer to "ancestors," because this is the house that ties you to the "vertical" dimension of your family: continuity over time. The word "paternity" is associated with this house: in a less sexist terminology, this is the nonmonetary inheritance you acquire through the legacy of your parents - the monetary component comes through the 8th House.

Modern Astrology often describes the 4th House as the "house of the home." This is true - in part. People with a large number of planets in the 4th House may find it difficult to work outside the home - sometimes, they even find it difficult to go out for any reason! The sign on the 4th House will tell you something about how you view your living environment.

But more importantly, the quality of the 4th House tells you what kind of support you receive from your family. A planet ruling the 4th House that is strong means you received considerable support from your family, and that they will contribute to your success. A poorly configured 4th House ruler means that you received little support from your family, or that they were actually harmful to your development. A weak 4th House ruler means that your family doesn't really help you at all, regardless of their intentions. In reality, they may even inadvertently manage to distract you.

You take delight in buildings, agriculture or husbandry, mills, fish ponds and fishing: you may gain wealth through these means. You won't see eye to eye with your parents. Your happiness will be marred by vexation and trouble. (GF)

The difficulties will come later in life. (GF)

Your father may not live long, and your mother's health may be problematic. Your position will be bettered by inheritance. You may die in a foreign country. (GC)

Your father is problematic as a figure in your life, and often he is more a hindrance than a help. (iE)

Property or lands are problematic in your life, and often more a hindrance than a help. (iE)

Sometimes, you can do well at real estate; sometimes not. (iE)

Unfortunately, your follow-through can be very good: up until the end. Endings are not your strong point. (iE)

You gave difficulty keeping the end in mind. It's easy for you to get bogged down in projects, forgetting sometimes what the goal is. The solution is to change your approach from following the goals that are externally encouraged, to those that are truly internally generated. If you follow your own course, you can achieve great things. (iE)

The affairs of the 5th House have not always been valued - at least the more entertaining parts. Let's try to separate the components.

First, the 5th House tells about how you enjoy yourself. This usually means sex and carousing. However, not everyone enjoys these activities. There are other things that you may enjoy as well: art, or sports, your children, gambling, singing, or even praying.

Next, since sex is a matter for the 5th House, it is not surprising that the result of heterosexual intercourse, namely pregnancy, is also a 5th House matter, as is the ultimate result, children. If your 5th House ruler is Saturn, or Saturn is in your 5th House, you are not likely to have as many children as someone who has Venus ruling the house instead.

The planets associated with the 5th House and their condition will show you how you get along with any children you do have. If your 5th House ruler is square Mars, it's a sure thing that you will argue with your children, and that they will rebel against you, often purely for the sake of doing it. The planets involved with the 5th House can also tell you in a general way about the health and success of your children, although their own birth charts are preferred.

Speculation or gambling is also a 5th House matter. We should note that the more speculative financial instruments - certainly commodities and futures, and often stocks - are also included under the theme gambling. If the ruler of your 5th House is dignified, you may do well in these areas. If it is Saturn, you are generally reluctant to gamble at anything, especially without a system.

The thought of gambling about anything - whether with real money or not - does not appeal to you. You like quiet pleasures, often solitary ones. You're more likely to be a wallflower than the life of the party.

Any children you have will generally thrive, and gain through inheritance from your side of the family. (GC)

These children, unfortunately, will mainly thrive financially through your death. (GC)

Pleasure from any particular source is something that comes and goes. What you enjoy today, you may not enjoy tomorrow. Probably your pleasures work best when you always ask the question: do I enjoy this, or am I doing it because everybody else seems to have fun at this? Your answer may surprise you, and lead to you finding much more joy in life. (iE)

Combining the work environment with illness points out a fundamental truth: many illnesses are related to stress, and our work situations are prime candidates for stress creation.

If your 6th House ruler is square or opposite Mars, then you are accident prone. If your 6th House ruler is square or opposite Saturn, then you are subject to annoying, chronic conditions. The same is possible for planets in the 6th House that are in hard aspect to Mars or Saturn.

If your 6th House ruler is strong and free from afflictions, you may expect to enjoy good health, and you have the ability to throw off most diseases you do encounter. However, if your 6th House ruler is weak, then you will find it hard to throw off illnesses.

In addition to showing your own work conditions, the 6th House also shows how you deal with persons who used to be called servants, but what we might now call day-laborers or employees. If you have employees, this is clear. But many of us who never think of ourselves as having employees nonetheless encounter this through nonskilled household labor: whether in the form of cleaning people, general purpose repair people (a professional repair person, such as a plumber, would be 7th House), or construction workers. Anyone who works primarily outside on the lawn or garden would be shown through the ruler of the 4th House.

If your 6th House ruler is strong and free from afflictions, then you have generally good relations with employees and laborers, and benefit from their work. However, if your 6th House ruler is weak, then you encounter problems: sloppy work, dishonesty, or the like.

You shall be healthy and survive your enemies. (GC)

You are subject to the following general health issues: liver disease, venous problems, lung inflammation, pleurisy, swelling or abscesses about the breast, quinsy, inflammations, windiness, blood corruption, gluttony, scurvy, liver obstructions, or stomach obstructions.

In addition, you are specifically subject to the following health issues: throat ailments, obstructions, gripping of the bowels, or a goutish humor that afflicts the arms and hands.

Your health is fragile, because you find it tough to shake off infections. (iE)

Your health is on-again, off-again, and you are very susceptible to stress-related diseases, because you find it so hard to remain stable. You need to pay attention to your health regimen and carefully work out a regular system that truly helps you. (iE)

You will have more problems because of accidents and their complications than because of lingering or chronic illnesses. (iE)

You never seem to get what you intended from employees, day laborers, occasional workers, and hired help. This is in part because you have difficulty judging character in prospective employees. (iE)

Any employees, day laborers, occasional workers, and hired help are likely to be highly changeable, if not outright moody, in their outlook. You may get better results by deliberately hiring unconventional types for the job. (iE)

You never seem to get good results from employees, day laborers, occasional workers, and hired help. As a result, you are often dissatisfied with their accomplishments. (iE)

This house was traditionally designated "marriage," but societal attitudes toward cohabitation following sex have changed! First of all, for large stretches of time in European history, the lower classes cohabited when they felt like it, without the benefit of Church or civil rites to sanctify the union. The elaborate rituals of marriage were reserved for the upper classes. However, those astrologers who catered to the upper classes have proved more successful; thus, our references and our lore on marriage and cohabitation follow the upper class ideal, which has simply been appropriated by the lower classes once overall living standards improved.

However, marriage in the upper class mode was arranged, had nothing to do with love, and everything to do with property and heirs. A proper delineation of the 7th House thus began with the question of whether the Native would marry. This consideration had nothing to do with such questions as: how relationship-oriented is the Native, but whether the Native had or could accumulate sufficient wealth to make marriage a reasonable result, or enterprise.

When the historical association between marriage and business is understood, the attribution of marriage and (business) partnership to the same house becomes obvious - they are simply two variations of the same thing. However, even so, it was understood that love was possible between partners - it just wasn't necessary.

A loving relationship is shown by a trine or sextile between the rulers of the 1st and 7th Houses, or planets therein.

One more thought. It is still quite obvious to think in terms of relationships being primarily 5th or 7th House in nature. For example, a relationship which is heavily sexual, with no merging of finances and without living together is unequivocally 5th, while a relationship with cohabitation and a greater or lesser degree of financial mingling is 7th in nature. It has become the custom of our society since the Sixties that relationships begin in the 5th, and then move to the 7th if the parties are willing.

If we consider the astrological ramifications of this 5th to 7th transition, we also come up against our relatively high divorce rates: for this scenario to work, you have to have an easy relationship between 5th and 7th Houses! This could be expressed as:

Without a link between these two houses, the transition becomes problematic at best, and with stress between the two houses, such as produced by the rulers in square, the transition may be painful. Thus, it is possible to determine whether you work better in a 7th House versus a 5th House mode, by considering the relative strength and ease of these two houses, and then whether you can follow the 5th to 7th scenario. If you cannot do the transition, but your 7th House still has promise, then the solution may be to be totally unconventional and not begin the relationship in the 5th!

You have lots of open enemies, and lots of strife with them. Calamity, scandal, and disgrace follows, and all of them constantly. You will be miserable in any partnership you have because of constant brawling and discontents, jealousies, separations, and so forth. Is the relationship worth this price? (GF)

Your preferred type for long-term relationships is (if fortunate) of an imperious Spirit, one that can bear nothing of wrong, desirous of revenge, willing to rule, nay, rather than fail, his/her partner ; hasty, etc. But if unfortunate, evil-minded, proud, though beggarly, stubborn, insolent, never quiet except when asleep, given to scolding and quarreling. (P)

You are well loved by potential partners, and stand to gain by them. You are fortunate in lawsuits, and can gain by controversies. You do well in your ordinary dealings with other persons. (GC)

You will have many disagreements with your partner, as well as with others. (GC)

It's best not to start an argument, or engage in a quarrel. You generally lose. (iE)

Sometimes you are ready for conflict; sometimes not. You may find that the best solution for dealing with conflict is unconventional. (iE)

You have to be in the mood to engage in social intercourse, but if you are, you can be very good, because you can draw upon a wide range of subjects. (iE)

The 8th House traditionally had two dimensions: the very personal one of death, and the transpersonal one of other people's money. The specific issue of other people's money came about because this is the house of your partner's money, whether your partner in business, or your marriage partner.

The monetary aspect of this house was treated in the same fashion as the 2nd House, with the addition of the idea that one specific money angle is monetary inheritances from dead persons - land and other real estate inheritance is covered by the 4th House.

As for death, astrology has long recognized that you can be plagued by many illnesses, but not die from them, instead dying by some completely different means. This idea used to fall under the rubric of "morbidity" versus "mortality." One further point on mortality: one method of delineating the nature of death is by using the planet ruling the 8th House, sometimes called Anareta. Some sources gave other options for a different planet to be Anareta. There is even a Part of Anareta. Whichever definition is preferred, the extent of dignity of the Anareta is important. A poorly dignified Anareta results in a sudden death. The idea was clearly that to die "well" meant to have the time to accept the process, make your peace with God and your fellows, and then to die in witnessed, genteel conditions, fully shriven or forgiven. A sudden death did not allow for absolution or preparation, and was thus less ideal. However, these days, with hosts of lingering illnesses possible, many of us prefer the concept of "sudden!"

Income from others, whether as a result of testaments of the dead, or through your partner, is a major component of your finances. (GF)

You stand to inherit substantially from either friends or relations. (GF)

What you do inherit will cause you no end of trouble, and you may be disinherited anyway. You are afflicted with much sorrow. You are threatened by violence. (GF)

Loss of any inheritance is likely. (GF)

You are gifted with the possibility of a long life, and death from natural causes at the end of it. You generally gain substantially from inheritance or from your partner. (GF)

Unfortunately, strife results in you losing far more than you gain: you may suffer greatly. (GF)

You have few true friends, and much contention between those you might be tempted to call Friend. You are likely to die in your prime. (GC)

You may die suddenly (this is not a guarantee), so it is best to make sure that you keep your will updated, and also that you execute whatever legal paperwork you wish concerning medical powers of attorney. (iE)

Don't plan on a career in either gerontology or antiques. You do not do well with anyone or anything old. (iE)

Hence, you probably should not get involved in antiques or collectibles, unless you can find an interesting "angle" or slant which is somewhat contrarian in nature. (iE)

Don't plan on inheritances solving any financial problems. (iE)

Inheritance is not an issue you can build a life around. The nature of your inheritance may be somewhat unusual, and hence, provide certain challenges as far as use or disposal is concerned. (iE)

We have already touched on the difference between long and short journeys in the section on the 3rd House, as well as the difference between societally condoned, versus out-of-favor religions. It is worth mentioning that the concept of "atheist" as we know it - namely, someone who does not believe in any higher power - could not even be conceived until the 17th Century! Earlier, when the word "atheist" was applied (always as an insult), it meant something closer to "heretic" or "schismatic."

The importance of the 9th House from a religious dimension was twofold. First, it could tell whether you were likely to have a career in religion - or law. Once upon a time, the two fields were linked since Justice was thought to be divine. Secondly, it told the state of your ethical abilities.

A genius at ethics, so to speak, is someone who realizes that all actions occur within a matrix that not only affects others, but extends to the divine as well. Thus, an action cannot be only for one's own benefit, because this action in turn impacts others. A strong 9th House, either by planetary placement or rulership, brings you into alignment with these dimensions, and promotes a curiosity and drive to understand how this works. That drive, in turn, can fuel all educational endeavors.

The 9th House is linked to education because the 9th House was viewed as the training ground for the honors and preferments offered through the 10th House. Thus, it would be correct to assign either higher education or vocational education to this house.

You take many long trips, and gain financially as a result. You may profit from business related to religion, education, or philosophy. (GF)

The reasons you may travel are because of: bargains, business, arts, exercise of the wits, study; or invention of new Arts and Fancies, through searching after curiosities. The people you will most likely meet on your travels are: professors, mathematicians, accountants, notaries, merchants, printers, inventors, technicians, or people good with their hands, or with manual dexterity. (P)

However, we have seen that the 9th House rules more than traveling. Curiosity is the major impetus behind your educational achievements. The problem with curiosity is that it is personal: the point at which you are satisfied is not necessarily in sync with the expectations of the educational system. Thus, sometimes, you have problems finishing projects within the timeframe of quarters and semesters because you haven't answered your own questions, which are quite apart from the assignment at hand. Other times, your curiosity is slaked before you have gotten to the end of the project.

The same process also applied to any project you get involved in later in life. If your mind and your curiosity are not engaged, you simply drift on to other things. You have a low boredom threshold.

You travel for business, and you gain thereby. You may also gain by either higher education, publishing, or religious matters. (GC)

Since wandering is your stock-in-trade, traveling is not merely no problem for you, but second nature. (iE)

There are actually a number of ways of looking at your career patterns: the 10th House is simply the house most closely associated with this concept. It is at this point that we come up against the real variations in what constitutes "success" in the world, because Astrology can be fairly literal in defining it according to the social strictures of society.

"Rich" in an astrological definition is way beyond a Middle Class income. For one thing, it has become common in the 20th Century to apply the term "Middle Class" to what, in the 19th Century, would have been called "Tradesmen" (sic). Do you have the second home in the country, at least three full-time servants, and the ability to travel (First Class at full fare) anytime you want to? Do you pay cash for your Mercedes sports car or custom limo? If not, you're not even Middle Class by the 19th Century standard! So what we really have here is a scale which runs from destitute to filthy rich, with the understanding that the vast majority of people will fall in the middle.

Most of us will end up with one or two indicators of wealth, and a couple of items that promote poverty. If there is a majority of wealth indicators, then you are likely to be comfortable; if there is a majority of poverty indicators, you are likely to spend your life worrying about money, because there never seems to be enough. It is only when the indicators are overwhelming one way or the other that one of the extremes is likely.

And so it is with career. The first thing that we observe is that the 10th House is actually the house of honor and preferment. Remember, this is based on a societal structure in which service resulted in title grants or land grants, and land in turn generated income and wealth. Thus, the primary interpretation of the 10th House was twofold:

You gain much prestige by making yourself available to negotiate and attend to the business of eminent persons. Through your success in these endeavors, you shall gain considerably with respect to landed wealth, and get investment opportunities involving real estate. You have the ability to get a good return on real estate in any case (GC).

Your mother is problematic as a figure in your life, and often more a hindrance than a help. (iE)

You find it difficult to understand where your mother stands on very much, because she seems to change her mind a lot. (iE)

Don't even think about doing anything slightly unethical and getting away with it: you'll get caught, and furthermore, everyone will find out about it! This is a good one to learn in childhood, and then move away so that you aren't permanently marked. (iE)

Your reputation ebbs and flows: and often it doesn't even seem to be related to what you are doing at the moment. This means, in effect, that you needn't worry about your reputation: there's not much you can do about it either way! (iE)

While you may accomplish your career goals, it may not seem like enough. (iE)

One of the truly unfortunate aspects of modern life is that we often cheapen the value of friendship. Granted, our greater mobility and fast paced society often makes it hard to maintain relationships that prosper with regular, unhurried concourse. Anyone that we have met half a dozen times becomes a friend by modern definition, and this devaluation is all the more obvious through the expedient that we used to tell friends apart from acquaintances by whether we used first names: now we use first names for everyone!

The 11th House shows the quality of friends. The nature of the ruler and planets in the 11th House will describe the type of friends that you have.

The condition of the ruler of the 11th shows the quality of these friends. If your 11th House ruler is dignified, then your friends will be of great help to you. If your 11th House ruler is debilitated, then you may need to help your friends more than they can help you. If your 11th House ruler is peregrine, then your friends may wander through life without a clear path - which is not to say they are unfaithful to you, but they may often be distracted.

A fixed sign on the 11th House bodes for longer lasting friendships - it's almost as if you couldn't get rid of them if you tried! The other signs produce less stability, but this may be from mobility as much as anything else.

Hard aspects to malefics, or a debilitated ruler of the 11th House in the 12th House brings up the possible danger that your friends become your enemies.

There are also certain planetary pairs that are easier. Consider the planets ruling 1st House and the 11th House. The intrinsic nature of this pair determines how easily you and your friends agree, or have amicable relations.

You shall have many friendships, especially in youth. You have many faithful, honest, and sufficient friends, who will be true to you in their advice and counsel. Such children that you have will be most fortunate. Your income grows incrementally, and under the protection of your friends. Your luck will be such that you attain your hopes. (GF)

You shall have many remarkable friends: you could not ask for better. You will be happy in your hopes. You have a good, upright conscience, for which you will be appreciated. You will have joy in your children, if you have any. You shall vanquish your enemies. (GC)

You will not acquire all your desires, or fulfill all your hopes, but you will be generally fortunate. (GC)

You find it easy to understand the concept "fair weather friends." Your friend are happy to be around: when there's a reason. But it's their reason, not your reason. (iE)

Your friends are not always around in your life. Sometimes, this is merely because your friends don't live where you do. But the result is that you don't often experience friendship as a daily occurrence for very long. However, those friends separated by geographical distances may prove the truest, because otherwise, if lived in close proximity, these friends would come and go anyway. (iE)

Sometimes, you friends are around to help you, sometimes not. (iE)

If we begin in the 1st House with happiness, we end in the 12th House with sorrow. Of the various types, there are two types which tend to be most dominant: enemies and confinement.

We experience two types of enemies: open and secret. Open enemies are shown by the 7th House, or by planets opposite the Sun and the Moon. Open enemies can be understood as somewhat more like adversaries in a sporting events: you are both trying to win, but there are rules. You may try to stretch them, but the competition is generally honorable. With 12th House enemies, there is no honor. Thus, secret enemies are usually much more devastating to your esteem, not to mention your reputation and estate, since you often never see them until it's too late.

The difference can be seen especially by comparing the difference between the ruler of the 11th House in the 7th versus in the 12th. The ruler of the 11th in the 7th means that your friends will alternate between being friendly and being competitive; but the ruler of the 11th in the 12th is the friend who smiles to your face while plotting behind your back.

So we all have enemies. The question is: how bad?

The rules for imprisonment, confinement or captivity are rather complex. They basically point toward malefics strong in the 12th, in hard aspect to the Luminaries.

Your enemies will attack your financial worth, and likely succeed. (GC)

You are quite capable of the dark night of the soul. Once depressed, you find it hard to bounce back. (iE)

You are prone to become a target of authorities who will detain you against your will. Whether the site of detention is prison, a mental institution, a hospital, or under house arrest, so to speak, varies. This can vary from being confined for illness, to confined for legal reasons. (iE)

If you are detained or confined, you could probably find a way out if you wanted to. But if you are detained, it will most likely be for good medical reason. (iE)

Your enemies are not socially powerful. (iE)

Your enemies are probably too scattered to concentrate too strongly on you. Or else they find novel ways to attack. (iE)

The modern tendency in describing the planets is to attribute qualities or tendencies to it. The ancient approach was a little different. The planets were generally described by describing persons ruled by the body. In other words, the emphasis was less on the planets as components of everybody's existence, than on classifying people as being of the nature of the planets.

This is a difference worth contemplating. It would be perhaps simplistic to note that we live in a more open society, one in which we have a greater range of opportunities. If you were born the son of a fisherman, you became a fisherman. As such, your profession was ruled by the Moon. But could you be something other than a lunar type?

Rather than attempt to judge this difference, let's consider the advantage of this approach. If we can paint pictures of a typical solar type, or martial type, what we have accomplished is the beginning of a story about these planets. If we can see them operating as separate creatures, or sub-personalities, we can begin to picture when they are operating, and what they want.

Thus, the object in understanding these descriptions is to allow us to recognize the symptoms that here is the Sun operating, or Venus, or Mars. And through understanding which body is operating in a particular moment, we then begin to understand what it needs in the situation at hand.

We understand that the importance of the Sun and the Moon in Astrology stems from the Ancient's understanding of the importance of the Lights. They represented the major chronocrators, or time markers: the Sun (delineates or defines the Year) and the Moon (delineates the Month).

Gadbury says: "The Sun represents a person of a large corporature, full fleshy Body, large Face, and a broad high Forehead, a Complexion almost of a Saffron or Honey-Color, great goggle Eyes, and a sharp piercing sight; the Hair yellow or bright Flaxen, much Beard: he is one of a great Spirit, is honest, sincere, humane and courteous, of a healthful Constitution, bountiful and well minded.

"When the Sun is well dignified, the Native is then desirous of Rule, and Sovereignty; yet he is prudent, and of no incompatible Judgement, one that keeps his promises seriously: he is lofty and high, and will be mighty Industrious to acquire Honor and Repute: he will shew himself courageous and affable to every one: he will be grave, trusty, and secret, and a perfect Hater of sordid men or things.

"But if he be ill dignified, the Native will be proud, domineering, restless and troublesome, neither having gravity in his words, or sobriety in his actions, a mere vapor, cracking of his Pedigree, a spendthrift, or hanger on other men's charities."

So let's translate these ideas into modern parlance. The Sun is the planet called up when you are called upon to lead. As we will see, there is a significant overlap with the planet Mars, because both involve courage and action; but by nature, both are Hot and Dry, qualities we will consider presently.

So: how do we view the Sun in its leadership capacity? The specific quality of the Sun's leadership is given in the signs below. But we can glean certain general ideas. However, we can say certain general things about the Sun in this capacity.

If you are comfortable in your leadership abilities, then your style is relaxed: you are friendly and polite to those lower in the hierarchy than you are. The person who is nasty to inferiors is marked as a person not merely of poor leadership quality, but as someone who is not fully capable to leadership. In other words, this nasty quality is a symptom of a nonfunctional, or poorly functioning, Sun.

Similarly, excess ego or boasting is understood as a measure of poor self esteem: again, a Sun that is not functioning properly.

You are sincere and just, an interpreter of dreams who can find out secret and hidden things. There is a danger that in the process you will offend others. You are changeable, just, upright, courteous, crafty, cheerful, and conceited.

While you may be attracted to things warlike or martial, you would do better to avoid them as you could be in danger of dishonor.

You are Cardinal, which means that you are better at starting new things than at finishing them.

You are an Air Sign, which means that you are "hot" and "wet." The "wet" component means, among other things, that you blur distinctions, and that you are more swayed by passion than by intellectual argument. At your worst, you see too many connections, becoming lost in conspiracies. At your best, you spot the connection that everyone else missed. Being "hot", you react to things quickly: by expressing your anger strongly and immediately, you don't tend to harbor a grudge. This is the temperament type that is considered the most ideal, because you are the most comfortable within a social situation. You appear warm and friendly to others, and don't seem to eager to hold them to an impossible standard.

Libra being a sign of Autumn, which is "cold" and "dry," the combination with the Air Element is all four qualities. This means that it is in fact difficult for you to achieve a balance, because it tends to be so short-lived. Little things can throw you out of balance. This means that you need to watch for symptoms of being out of balance, and be prepared to adjust accordingly.

Your health and well being is delicate. This means that is can be difficult for you to maintain a sense of equilibrium, because you are so easily knocked out of balance. This means, among other things, that you are quite susceptible to opportunistic illnesses that come along during periods of stress. You may also be susceptible to depression that is specifically stress-related.

Normally, the Sun is an active energy: engaged in the course of life. You don't necessarily lack energy, but you find it difficult to channel in one particular direction. It's tough for you to follow in anyone's footsteps, because you need to strike out on your own course. To be happy, you must have an environment that allows a lot of leeway for personal expression. Cultural and family expectations and stereotypes seem too rigid. However, simply rebelling against them doesn't work very well either. The best solution ultimately is an idiosyncratic mix.

Of the Moon, Gadbury says: "The Moon endues the Native with a Stature somewhat above the middle size, a round Face, whitely colored or pale, gray Eyes, and one a little bigger than the other. Much Hair both on the Head and Beard, color of a brightish brown. The whole body is plump, corpulent and phlegmatic, the hands short and fleshy.

"When the Moon is well dignified, the Native is witty and ingenious, and propense to many necessary and delightful Studies: he takes pleasure in Novelties: he is somewhat unsteadfast, and oftentimes flits and shifts his Habitations: he is timorous and easily frighted. A Lover and Desirer of Peace. A soft, tender and well-disposed Creature.

"But when the Moon is ill dignified, the Native proves a Vagabond, or mere Idle, lazy Companion, a drunken sottish Fellow, delighting to live carelessly and beggarly. One of no Spirit. A Hater of Labor, a mutable, unsettled, inconstant Person."

Here we see the Moon as the artistic temperament. The Moon gives creativity; but creativity thwarted results in laziness or idleness. Here we do not see the courage of the Sun or Mars, but a timid person, the kind who doesn't want to hurt a fly. The lunar type prizes Novelty for Novelty's sake. But again, an excess of this spirit, or a difficult course results in wavering, and wandering.

Notice that the sign of the Moon was not considered as important as Modern Astrology often makes it appear. The Moon, along with Mercury, was used to characterize the quality of mind.

You operate more from reason than from emotions and desires.

You are not inclined to high activity or thought, except when it comes to sex.

Mercury and the Moon were believed to be the planets which most clearly delineated the "wit of the Native." Thus, Gadbury could say:

"When Mercury is well dignified, the Native is of a sharp and subtle Fancy, and hath a penetrating Brain, curious in the search of occult Knowledge, an admirable Logician and Disputant, very eloquent, apprehensive and witty in any thing, learning (almost) every thing without a Teacher: he is naturally desirous of Travelings, and willing to see strange Countries: he is of an unwearied and strong Imagination, and of many witty Inventions.

"But when ill dignified, the Native then usually proves a Liar, a prattling Fellow, a Boaster, a Busie-body, an Author of many strifes and contentions, a Pretender to all manner of Knowledge, but guilty of no solid Learning."

And he goes on! So: if your Mercury isn't well dignified, are you an idiot? Not exactly! Here we first see a clear case that any planet ill dignified has tendencies that are generally not encouraged by one's culture. For example, since Greek times at least, the West has fostered an attitude that Rationalism is the Right Way: Reason above all. Not only is a particular type of thinking encouraged, but particular ways of learning as well. If you don't find these methods to work, tough!

You are very crafty, libidinous, sociable, a good companion, yet ingenious and studious, especially in the promotion of your own interest.

Venus was called the Lesser Benefic, because overall, she was considered an asset. However, more than any other planet, the difference between Venus Hesperis, the Evening Star, and Venus Lucifer, the Morning Star, was obvious. Venus rules pleasure. However, as we know, Society is often nervous about its members experiencing too much pleasure! Gadbury said:

"When Venus is well dignified, the Native is of a merry and cheerful Disposition, loving and delighting in pleasures, cleanly and neat in his Apparel, always going neat and spruce, often entangles in Love-matters, zealous in affections, nothing mistrustful, or suspicious, a right virtuous person, either man or woman.

"But if Venus shall be ill dignified, the person or Native she signifies, is given to incestuous courses, to rioting and lewdness, not regarding his Faith, Credit, or Reputation, a mere spendthrift, a haunter of Taverns, Alehouses, and the company of lewd people, a lazy prattling, busie-body, atheistical, immodest Creature."

Clearly, we see that the balance here between good and bad is pleasure versus excess. It might be better to say that an ill dignified Venus results in the Native finding it difficult to draw the line: a person who just cannot say No.

You are a good orator, but somewhat unfortunate in most affairs. You are a discriminating active person, of an aspiring nature, but rarely obtaining your desire.

Our society believes pleasure comes in three forms: wine, women and song. Well... it's not that you don't enjoy these, but your approach to pleasure is not completely in synch with this triumvirate. Basically, these are not enough to produce pleasure. Often, in the Teens and Twenties, it is easy to go absolutely wild, expecting that an excess will break through. But it generally doesn't. You take your pleasure in a wider range of things than the merely conventional.

Mars was called the Lesser Malefic, as Venus was called the Lesser Benefic. This meant that Mars was seen as marginally less obnoxious than Saturn. Gadbury listed its properties as being "the Author of Strife, Quarrels, Controversies and Contentions." The ills of the world were generally attributed to the malefics, although other planets in poor condition could produce evil. However, the generally agreed upon mischief-making capabilities of the two malefics was so strong that in mundane work, the conjunctions of Mars and Saturn every three years or so were interpreted to see which of the two was more likely to cause harm over the period of that conjunction. If Mars was stronger, droughts, war, contentions, fevers, and fires would predominate. If Saturn were the stronger, then famine, plague, starvation, and poverty would be more likely. What a choice!

But not everything about Mars is bad. As Gadbury continued, "When Mars is well dignified, then is the Native of a prudent Behavior in every thing. In War, none excels him: he is confident, bold, and unmovable, challenges all honor to himself, he will obey no-body willingly, a large Reporter of his own acts - slights, derides and condemns all things in comparison of Victory. Yet is he one that is of a prudent and excellent Behavior in his own Affairs.

"But when Mars is ill dignified, then is the Native a Prattler, without modesty or honesty, a Broacher of Quarrels, a Thief, a perjured or turbulent Fellow, a Promoter of mischiefs, a rash, inhumane, treacherous Fellow - a mere Incendiary, one that neither fears God, nor cares for honoring or reverencing Man."

We see that Mars is great to have on your side during a war, but not the best companion in peaceful times. There is courage, but cruelty - and the inability to "turn if off" once the need for the fight-or-flight approach has passed.

You are comfortable with women (and the feeling is mutual), conceited about your own abilities, inclining to boast. You delight in noble recreation, and are very particular in your dress.

Jupiter is the Greater Benefic, the planet potentially capable of providing the greatest good. In Gadbury's words, Jupiter is "the Author of Moderation, Justice, Temperance and Sobriety." Justice is a very good thing. The watchword for Mars is vengeance, rather the eye-for-an-eye mentality. Jupiter lacks these bloodthirsty traits. Jupiter knows that Divine Justice, the only really important kind, does not require much in the way of human intervention. Thus, Jupiter is not quick to condemn, where Mars would have already executed!

Gadbury says: "When Jupiter is well disposed, the Native is magnanimous, generous and faithful, aiming at honorable and lofty matters: he is wonderful fair in his delaying, and desirous to advantage and benefit others: he is of an excellent Conversation, doing many acts of charity - a very faithful, serious, constant and untainted Friend. He is just, nobel and prudent, and a perfect Hater of all unworthy and sordid persons and actions.

"But when Jupiter is ill disposed, then is the Native a mere prodigal or spendthrift: he wastes and consumes his Patrimony. A Hypocrite in matters of Faith and Religion, an ignorant, careless Fellow, and a gross, dull Capacity - a cringing, dissembling Companion, a skeptic or Atheist."

Observe the difference between dignified or debilitated. It's not that Jupiter dignified is "good" and Jupiter debilitated is "bad," but Jupiter dignified is generous, while Jupiter debilitated is wasteful.

Now about the teeth. For some reason, the sign of Jupiter was associated with the condition of the teeth. Why? Teeth are normally assigned to Saturn, occasionally to Aries, since Aries rules the head. However, Coley notes, "Jupiter, usually signifies good Teeth, (as Saturn doth the contrary,) and sometimes produces some notable and apparent mark in the fore-Teeth." By fore-teeth, we would specify incisors or canines.

Your disposition is good, and your judgment sound. You deport yourself well. You are a lover of women, and generally good-natured, and free with those matters which deserve compassion. You have foul teeth. (C)

Saturn is the Greater Malefic. Saturn represents Father Time, a concept that most of us do not enjoy. Saturn generically rules aging and older people. What Jupiter gives, Saturn takes away.

Gadbury says: "If Saturn be well dignified, the Person or Native represented by him, is grave and sober: he performs all his Actions with Judgement and Discretion: he hath a sharp Fancy, and strong Imagination, and is very studious.

"If Saturn be ill dignified, then the Native is malicious, envious, covetous, jealous, timorous, a meet lying, repining, and dissembling Fellow, and of a mistrustful, sordid, sluggish and suspicious disposition."

Notice that the difference in the description of Saturn dignified or not is the most extreme of all the planets. It was generally credited by Medieval times that a malefic dignified is less malefic, while a malefic debilitated is more so. Saturn dignified is merely serious and discrete; Saturn debilitated is sordid and envious.

You are rugged and unkempt in your disposition, inclinable to vicious and sordid actions, unless the fortunes by their propitious friendly rays interpose. (C)

The Alcocoden, in addition to having various spellings, is a calculated planet related to the Hyleg, or Giver of Life. Called the Giver of Years, the Alcocoden is usually the Almuten of the Hyleg. The difficulty is that the Ancients had multiple methods of computing the Hyleg. The method we use here is that of Henry Coley. Traditionally, the Alcocoden was used as the basis for the calculation of the length of life. However, it appears that the Alcocoden may also indicate certain disease proclivities.

You are subject to the following general health issues: rheumatism, leprosy, obstructions, trembling, palsies, toothache, deafness, vain fears, gout, rashes with itching, knee problems, hemorrhoids, fractures, dislocations, ruptures, sciatica, bladder infections, madness, chronic disease, or forgetfulness.

In addition, you are specifically subject to the following health issues: neck swellings such as goiter, scrofula (associated with moral corruption), scurvy, hoarseness, general dullness, indisposition, sore throats, strep throats, difficulty speaking, or tonsillitis.

An aspect is an angular relationship between two bodies that has an interpretation based on the bodies involved, and the nature of the angular relationship.

There are several major philosophical differences in the approach to aspects between Classical Astrology and Modern.

The first concerns how to define the orb, or allowable angular separation between two bodies that can still be considered an aspect. Modern Astrology has a whole series of possible definitions:

In contrast, there are only two ancient orb systems:

The next difference between Classical and Modern technique concerns the general theory of interpretation. Modern Astrology has two major schools, apart from the schools that utilize midpoints as an aspecting system. The first differentiates aspects between "easy" and "hard," a classification inherited from Classical Astrology. The trine and the sextile are classified as easy, while the square and the opposition are considered hard. The conjunction is not technically defined as an aspect, although it is always discussed with the true aspects, and it is generally considered mixed, depending on the planets involved.

However, increasingly, many Modern Astrologers are taking the position that any aspect is pretty much the same, and that the important question is whether there is an aspect at all, rather than what the nature of the aspect might be. It's especially important to understand the context of this concept. Modern Astrology has systematically simplified interpretation to the point that the condition of a planet, classically signified by its essential and accidental dignity, has become increasingly ignored, leaving aspects as the only way to interpret relationships between planets.

Consider the difference that is raised by the following example. Suppose that the planet representing your mother is trine to the ruler of your Ascendant, which is you. Let us suppose further that your mother's planet is more dignified than yours. Modern astrology will look at this and say: an easy relationship between you and your mother (trine). However, classical astrology says more. Now what we say is that there is an excess (trine) implied in the relationship - the relationship goes overboard, in other words. And your mother controls it because she has more dignity.

This then explains the other component of a classical interpretation of aspects: the aspect is controlled by the planet with the greater amount of dignity. Thus, we have a way of assessing not merely whether the two planets relate, but how, and who controls the action.

In this report we have given only the generic meanings of the aspects. This could be extended to also combining which houses each planet rules to come up with more scenarios for how this interaction works, in the fashion of the relationship with your mother that we have given above.

You may inherit houses and lands, possessions, and many worldly profits arising from cultivating the Earth and tillage. These inherited possessions may be formerly agricultural land, but if so, then the property may include antiques. (SA)

However, any inheritances you acquire will be lost through quarrels, fighting, or misuse.

You are mistrustful. (SA)

The bottom line of the combination of Mars and Moon is that action is seldom sustained in any direction for very long. The trick is to find things to work on that don't require long-term and steady application of effort. Anything with can flourish with periodic or punctuated attention can be very successful.

You are passionate, ambitious, honorable, aspiring to great things, and pursuing them even to a precipice, the which if attained, seldom continues with you. The reason is, because of the mutability and changeableness of your own nature, mind and disposition, which begets a change of your fortune.

You are of an exceedingly courteous nature: amorous, one delighting in women's company, by whom you meet either with fortune or promotion. You are wise, prudent, just, virtuous, a lover of learning, and embellished with many excellent parts, both natural and acquired.

It's tough not to wrap your opinions in a layer of concrete. You don't always pick the best times to be open-minded, or even the best times to hold on to your convictions.

You will be unfortunate in all your actions, be perpetually poor, of a perverse, sell-willed, evil, malicious, envious, treacherous disposition, and possibly a murderer. [For Saturn stirs up Mercurials to all manner of wickedness.] You will be deceitful above measure, of a dejected mind, and revengeful, and bringing nothing to perfection, but mischief.

[Philosophically-inclined Jupiter meets topically-inclined Mercury.] Jupiter sees only the forest, while Mercury sees only the trees. You may have some speech impediment, or you may speak with great deliberation. A baseline effect of this configuration is that you may have difficulty being understood, and not necessarily from lack of verbal skills. It is more like you have a sign on your back that says, "Misinterpret me!"

There is a theme of strife and contention in your life. You will be involved in many troubles, controversies and perplexities, have many lawsuits, and encumbrances to your very great prejudice, even the hurt of your health, as of your estate. You will be rash, erratic, and very unstable in all your ways, being generally deceived in all your expectations. [For Mercury thus afflicted represents things wrong to the imagination.]

There is a theme of folly and impudence in your life. You are overseen in all you undertakes, making silly resolves, and as foolishly repenting to your prejudice. You are a repining simple creature, given over to simplicity, and madness, to your own utter undoing.

You live in a dishonorable repute, receiving many grand troubles and misfortunes by means of womenkind. You are bold, confident, proud, one delighting in strife, contention and opposition, unfortunate in most of your actions, and coming off in most of your undertakings with dishonor.

You delude yourself with vanities and expectations of things which will never be. You are angry, passionate, given much to pride, boasting and vain glory. You receive much hurt by eminent or politically connected persons, and sometimes may be in danger of your life, by sentence of a judge.

Don't expect your life to be one smooth highway with no entrances or exits! You find it difficult to be truly satisfied with any situation, because you are acutely aware that life is full of trade-offs. The grass may not be greener elsewhere, but being different, it's enticing in its own way.

You are a person very ambitious. But honor flies from you as a shadow that is pursued. You aim at and attempt many great things, but bring nothing to perfection. You meet with many crosses, losses, troubles, sorrows, and obstructions in your way.

Learn to cultivate an ethical stance: consider the moral consequences of every action you take, because otherwise, you will watch things slip away from you.

The following interpretations are according to Ramesey (pp 73-75) and Coley (pp 484-488).

You have an image of power, dignity and authority, depopulating lands, and constraining the people.

You have an image of farming, and of gathering wealth and riches.

You have an image of Justice, Right and Truth, helping the weak and needy, complete and handsome in shape. You may become a judge, or help the poor.

You have an image of covetous desire to rule and govern or have riches at your disposal, suspecting and mistrusting all.

Life is not going to be a straight line. A peregrine Sun means that life is an adventure, because it never goes in one direction for very long.

Social standing is a real problem. Either you try very hard to fit in - or you flaunt being an outsider. Or you do both! You are absolutely unaware about what others like in you, and you own self perception about who you like is about equally unclear.

It's important that you like what you do, because that's the only way you'll get it done. When you are emotionally or intellectually engaged, the project gets done. But if not, it's like slogging through molasses.

There is an ancient theory of wellness and illness that speaks directly to lifestyle questions. This medical model can still be used today to understand temperament, not only from a psychological standpoint, but also from the perspective of body type, susceptibility to certain types of conditions, and even obesity. It is a type of understanding which can be equally at home in New Age circles, and in health practitioners' offices.

The classical medical model was given by Hippocrates a century before astrology had been incorporated into Greek thought. This model incorporated four basic qualities: Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry. These four qualities varied by season, gender, age, and person. The ideal of Hippocrates was to lead a balanced life. If the body is balanced, then disease is less likely to take hold. The method of creating balance was diet and regimen.

I have written extensively on the philosophical underpinnings of this model in my book, Classical Astrology for Modern Living. This introduction reviews some of the more pertinent points as they apply to lifestyle issues.

The entire ancient scheme was based on the four qualities: Hot, Cold, Wet and Dry. "Hot" and "Cold" were one pair - "Wet" and "Dry" the other. From a behavioral perspective, "Hot" is exactly what you would expect from the common parlance: someone who reacts vigorously to anything even remotely perceived as an attack. "Hot under the collar" is exactly on target. A "Cold" type is basically lethargic, or slow to react, often perceived as being unemotional, but "slow to react" would actually be closer. The expression "cool under pressure" is also a good fit.

"Wet" and "Dry" don't have quite the linguistic familiarity. "Dry" represents anything with a discrete shape or structure, while something "Wet" adapts its shape to the container. "Dry" thinking is characterized by making distinctions, while "Wet" thinking sees connections. A new example of Wet thinking is "hyper-linking:" the World Wide Web is definitely Wet! A Dry thinker is more easily swayed by intellectual argument than by passion. A Wet thinker fits emotion into the picture. Dryness is the position that this moment is unique, that reality can be "objectively" known. "Wet" thinking takes the position that separate concepts are interconnected. Without Wet thinking, we could not be astrologers, because it is Wet thinking that sees the interconnections of microcosm and macrocosm. Without Dry thinking, there would be no technique, because we couldn't distinguish signs, planets, or houses from each other. The danger for Dry thinking is that, confronted with something new, the Dry thinker has no solution: the pieces are incompatible, and there is no way to bring them together. Each moment is unique, and unconnected to what came before. To the Wet thinker, connections lie everywhere, right down to the involvement of the Knights Templar in the assassination of Martin Luther King and JFK, and let's not forget that the Templars have connections back to Ancient Egypt and Atlantis! Submergence and drowning is the danger of extreme Wet thinking. There is nothing for the Wet thinker to grasp for support. Yet one other way to contrast the two is to say that the epitome of Dry thinking is clarity and the epitome of Wet thinking is ambiguity. And yes! The very process of attempting to explain the concept is Dry!

Each of the four qualities actually represents a cluster of concepts, and their opposites. For example, the qualities Hot and Cold do not represent extremes of a temperature continuum, as we would define them. They represent qualities of energy, where Hot represents high energy or physical heat, and Cold represents low energy or physical Cold. But these qualities are opposites in a critically different way from the way we normally envision them. Take temperature. From a purely chemical perspective, molecules in a hotter gas vibrate more rapidly on average than molecules in a colder gas. Mixing Hot and Cold gases will produce an intermediate result. In other words, in our thinking the "Cold" portion is completely canceled out by a portion of the "Hot" component. But this is not how it works - at least as far as the qualities, and not chemistry, is concerned! People are, in fact, more than capable of expressing opposite qualities without one canceling the other. In psychological testing there is often an index of consistency, which is actually a measure of to what extent an individual will give the same answer to the same question. If such an index is deemed necessary, it becomes clear exactly how capable we are of expressing "incompatible" ideas and emotions! Opposites do not cancel each other out!

Thus, people have Hot and Cold qualities simultaneously. In fact, having "half and half" would be to manifest equal quantities of each, not to have a "zero-sum state" in which "Hot" cancels "Cold," perhaps producing lukewarm. It may be useful to envision Hot and Cold as being like two different colored marbles, red and blue. Having more blue marbles doesn't take away the red ones: it just means that, if you were to draw one marble out of a box at random, you would more likely draw a blue one, but you could draw a red one.

The balanced state should not be lukewarm. Rather, it is the ability to be high energy (Hot), or completely at rest (Cold) as the moment and the circumstances require. Being merely Hot is to approach all circumstances as a Type A personality: everything is a challenge to be conquered. To approach things from a Cold perspective is to be motionless: to wait for the problem to go away or resolve itself without having to do anything: living life as a couch potato.

Finally, this is where Astrology comes in. Hippocrates put forward a workable theory of qualities, but other than general distinctions of age, gender, and physical appearance, he had no way to classify a person as having a particular make-up. We do. By using the chart, we can actually calculate the temperament type. Further, this result can then be used in a host of ways, including to establish a diet and exercise plan that truly supports well being.

We finally get something we can sink our teeth into, because Astrology eventually became the preferred mode for distinguishing the constitution from its components, or humors.

There are several possibilities for the computation of the temperament type. The general definition includes the following components. The method of computation comes from Gadbury, pages 249-258; and more specifically in Lilly, pages 531-534 and 742-749.

1. Sign of Ascendant

2. Planet ruling Ascendant

3. Planets aspecting Ascendant

4. Moon sign and phase

5. Planets aspecting Moon

6. Quarter of Year

7. Lord/Lady of Geniture

8. Lord/Lady of Moon

Each component is assigned qualities as follows:

1. Signs:

Fire Hot and Dry

Air Hot and Wet

Earth Cold and Dry

Water Cold and Wet

2. The Moon is classified by phase.

New to 1st Quarter Hot and Wet

1st Quarter to Full Hot and Dry

Full to last Quarter Cold and Dry

last Quarter to New Cold and Wet

3. Seasons are classified as follows.

Spring Hot and Wet

Summer Hot and Dry

Fall Cold and Dry

Winter Cold and Wet

4. Lord/Lady of the Geniture: this is a compound Almuten for the hylegical points and angles: the Sun, Moon, Part of Fortune, Ascendant and Midheaven.

This actually gives nine temperament types, not four. The reason is that often two of the qualities are often in balance, or so close as to have little dominance. These nine types are:

Hot and Wet sanguine

Hot and Dry choleric

Cold and Dry melancholic

Cold and Wet phlegmatic

Hot sanguine-choleric

Cold melancholic-phlegmatic

Wet sanguine-phlegmatic

Dry choleric-melancholic

all balanced

What may appear to be the simpler states, the single quality ones, are actually more complex. The reason is that the single quality types are in fact mixtures, because, as we have seen, qualities don't cancel out. Having close to an even ratio of Hot and Cold, or Wet and Dry, means that it is easy to become out of balance: stress, the change in season, or even too much to drink. Astrologically, the transit of an Outer Planet brings an effect of the nature both of the transiting planet, and of the transiting sign. People with these combinations may also experience them as being simultaneously present: such as having different parts of the body that are Cold, while other parts are Hot.

Hippocratic medicine is basically allopathic: this means that if you have become out of balance because your body is experiencing too much heat (that Mars transit to your Sun?), then you need to take a Cold herb, Cold food, Cold exercise, or literally experience Cold temperatures in order to cool yourself down. These means of adjusting the qualities experienced by the body fell under the rubric "regimen," which included such components as the following:

(1) The season of the year: "In winter eat as much as possible and drink as little as possible, and food should be bread, with all meats roasted. During this season take as few vegetables as possible, for so will the body be most Dry and Hot." By the way, the reason for this recommendation is because Winter is classified as Cold and Wet. Thus, to compensate for the seasonal qualities, food is used to heat up and Dry out the seasonal effect.

(2) The age of the person: "Young people also do well to adopt a softer and moister regimen, for this age is Dry, and young bodies are firm. Older people should have a drier diet for the greater part of the time..."

(3) The gender: "Women should use a regimen of a rather Dry character, for food that is Dry is more adapted to the softness