Hellenistic Astrology

Minderwiz

Dorotheus on Elections

Dorotheus' advice is:

1. Check the rising sign at the time you commence an action and:

if it is a straight sign (that is Cancer through to Sagittarius, the the action will be slow and with difficulty, accompanied by misery, trouble and misfortune but if it is a crooked sign (Capricorn through to Gemini) it will help bring the matter to a succesful conclusion

The reasoning here is that the 'crooked' signs are signs of short ascension and so are associated with swift movement.

2. Check which planets aspect the Ascendant:

Benefics in aspect to the Ascendant will tend to speed things up and give a successful conclusion, whereas malefics will bring difficulties and delays. If both malefics and benefics aspect the Ascendant then the result will be 'middling' with a mixture of good and bad.

3. Tropical (Cardinal) signs on the Ascendant

A Cardinal sign on the Ascendant indicates that there will be a a break from activity and the action will have to be started a second time.

4. Twin (Mutable) signs on the Ascendant

Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces indicates that even though you start the action straight away, a prior action already in progress, will have to be finished first before this new matter can itself be finished.

5. Corruption of the Moon (Eclipses)

This was the matter that you raised earlier. The Moon is 'corrupted' during the period of it's eclipse by the Sun (between last crescent and first crescent (the first sighting of the New Moon used for calendrical purposes). It is even worse if the New Moon occurs in the same sign that it was in at birth.

The Moon in this condition is good only for one kind of action, that is in actions which you do not want to become public - secret hidden activities such as theft or treachery.

If the Moon is in the Dodecatemoria of Saturn or Mars and if the Moon is in the middle of the equator heading south and if the Moon is in opposition to the Sun then it is bad

The Dodecatemoria or twelfth parts were used a lot by Hellenisitic Astrologers but do not seem to have lasted beyond that period. The Moon crosses the equator at the North (heading North) and South (heading South) Nodes. Thus the warning here is of the Moon which is near the South Node. It's not clear whether all these requirements have to be in place at the same time or any one of them presages bad results.

Also bad is if the Moon is slow (less than 12 degrees in a day), the waning Moon approaching the Sun, the Moon in aspect to a malefic, the Moon in the Via Combusta, the Moon in the last degrees of a sign (i.e.in the Bounds of Saturn or Mars).

There's also more from Valens if you want it but you will notice that much of the above begins to resemble rules for horary.

Finally it's worth pointing out that this is the dawn of what we now call 'Electional Astrology' and the branch became more sophisticated and complex under the Arabs and indeed in the late Medieval period and the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.
 

Ronia

Hellenistic Astrologers placed seem to place more emphasis on planetary phases when assessing their potential for 'good' or 'bad' in given circumstances. Thus, using Venus as an example, it is currently 'set' and it will not have a helical rising till late May, so it's not really a time to depend on Venus for good fortune (but as you think Venus is more likely to favour him, then now might be the time to act when Venus is in a weak state for him). Jupiter will have a helical setting couple of days later, so you would lose a favourable Jupiter at the same time he acquires a rising Venus. Jupiter's helical rising will be 10 July.

So what time period have you got as your limits for action?

Minderwiz, I trusted my gut feeling and shot the e-mail with my proposition just before Venus entered Taurus, she was last degree Aries. Till now I've found my ex at least willing to reconsider his previous behaviour (not to be fully trusted but still something). I hope we reach a beneficial for me and my son conclusion prior to late May! I also thought Jupiter would be of help to me as he's in my 5th Placidus which rules my son and he is about to trine natal Mercury.

And, after all, I just realised I had to stand up and I have to deal with this, planets or no planets and I can do this, so I just did it. I accepted the thought that I may have to go to court and fight there, so I just went ahead.


Mars is your out of sect malefic - so generally you should be careful of it and treat it as a potential threat - it lies natally in Cancer, so any activation of Cancer will activate it. Furthermore as Cancer is your seventh, it is the house of 'open enemies'

We'll see about Mars. I'm very unsure about him. He passed the opposition to natal Mercury and the conjunction to natal Jupiter, now he's conjunct the Sun opposing my natal Moon. I've found on many occasions that aspects to my natal Moon most often affect my motherhood in one way or another (Saturn's square to her was very significant in that sense), so I expect both difficulties and a resolution because I've noticed before that squares in my chart most often bring resolutions, although they may be tough to reach.

Whilst generally a switch from Saturn to the Moon would be considered good, in your case, Saturn is your Ascendant ruler and the Moon rules your seventh. You have generally found Saturn supportive, so I would not see a Capricorn to Cancer switch as being favourable.

It's tough with Saturn... tough to define him. He has brought rewards and he's made me very strong on many occasions, he's also made me reconsidering issues (like now my legal agreements) but sometimes I wish he could give me a break. :( In any case, I already acted, we'll see.



Well you could make the decision based on your experience to date. Saturn, generally speaking is malefic, yet your (and my) experience shows that he can be a constructive help in certain charts. Mars is your Sun ruler but is the out of sect malefic - his effect is likely to be variable and not always supportive by any means - so given your feelings on Mars (which I was aware of) you should be circumspect about any strong involvement - it could go either way but should not be relied on to be favourable, especially if he aspects the Ascendant at the time when you begin to act.

I've found some relevant material for Dorotheus, which might be useful and I'll post that as the next post.

Mars square the natal Moon - I expect some issues around my motherhood. I also think the end of April's eclipse will bring something.

Thanks for the additional material, I'll read it now!
 

Ronia

I checked the elections. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact time when I sent the e-mail, looks like it owuld have been between Cancer and Sagittarius though. But in any case, I felt better after I did it, so I trust myself that I did the right thing this time. If I take the Cancer Ascendant, then it's aspected by Saturn by applying trine from the 5th, by Mercury by applying square from the 10th, and by Venus by applying trine from the 11th but all these are quite wide and I'm not sure I should consider them at all. The Moon would have been in Gemini under Mercury's rulership and applying to him by sextile.
 

Minderwiz

Minderwiz, I trusted my gut feeling and shot the e-mail with my proposition just before Venus entered Taurus, she was last degree Aries. Till now I've found my ex at least willing to reconsider his previous behaviour (not to be fully trusted but still something). I hope we reach a beneficial for me and my son conclusion prior to late May! I also thought Jupiter would be of help to me as he's in my 5th Placidus which rules my son and he is about to trine natal Mercury.

And, after all, I just realised I had to stand up and I have to deal with this, planets or no planets and I can do this, so I just did it. I accepted the thought that I may have to go to court and fight there, so I just went ahead.

I think going with your gut feelings on timings is good. I tend to be sceptical about elections. It's virtually impossible to get an 'ideal' chart - there's always some minuses, so at best you can only try and ensure that the pluses outweigh the minuses.

Add to that, the best chart might not relate to a feasible time - for example you can't have a court case held at precisely 03:17, just because that is a associated with a good chart, or the time frame in which you have to act produces only so-so charts.
 

Ronia

LOL Very true about the timing! Imagine how impressive I would be at the court's door at 3:17 a.m. :D At least the media attention would be mine 100%. :D And yes, I sometimes tend to ignore all kinds of tools, either cards or astrology and be my stubborn usual self. :D I wonder if stubborness would be from Saturn or is there another planet responsible since we are in the Hellenistic astrology thread? Is there a captain of stubborness? :)
 

spiraling

I'm examining a period where you are leaving childhood behind and entering adolescence. I don't think Valens used Zodiacal Releasing for examining childhood but I think that the period you've focused on is hopefully readable.

I'll start with profections for the times mentioned and then move on to have a look at Zodiacal Releasing.

Profections from Ascendant

December 2001 was in your thirteenth year, so by profection everything returns to it's original position (on your twelfth birthday). This makes Venus Lord of the year. As well as ruling your Ascendant, Venus also rules your sixth House of Libra. The focus is on you, your body, mind and Spirit and also possibly ill health.

I'd say the problems began at the start of the month, as Venus moves into your eighth House (though they might not have become apparent at first). The first of December was a Sagittarius day and marked the entry of Venus into Sagittarius, your eighth sign. On 25 December (the middle of the month) you entered a Leo month focusing attention on your fourth house, of home and the opposite house to the tenth of Action. This is the month of a 'Me' year in which you withdrew into yourself.

I tend to be withdrawn, but yes, at this point I had withdrawn from any interest in my mundane life, as I was escaping the grief of having my best friend move away.

Profections from the Descendant

December 2001 is in a Scorpio year. The activation of Scorpio also creates an activation for it's ruler, Mars, and the natal planets in Scorpio (Venus) and also the Lot of Fortune which lies in the Sign. Valens sees profections from the Descendant as indicating change and trouble and profections from the Lot of Fortune indicating good fortune and success. Mars is began the year transiting your ninth House of Dreams and quickly transiting your natal Saturn (ruler of your ninth and tenth). On the ninth of December Mars entered your eleventh House focusing attention on friends and hopes. This was the time you began to make new friends via the Internet.

Again, my only friend IRL had moved away-- I suffered what was, in retrospect, a typical Scorpionic apocalyptic meltdown. My mistreatment of what is signified by Venus in Scorpio in terms of social concerns was the extreme of dysfunctional-- the picture of a detrimental Venus placed in Scorpio.

Profections from the Moon

Profections from the Moon give some indication about your health. Your natal Moon is in Pisces, your eleventh house. Your health will be in some way or other influenced by your friendships - as the natal position is above the horizon, this influence is likely to be felt at a spiritual or soul level during the year (this being a 'first house' year, re-emphasising your natal position). The profected month beginning 15th December is a Gemini month, relating your spiritual health to your physical possessions (such as a computer). Saturn is transiting Gemini and Mars is transiting Pisces, so both relevant houses contain malefics. Mars is already active in the issues of trouble and change. Transiting Saturn was opposed by Transiting Venus (a few days earlier). Transiting Venus is now opposing your transiting Lot of Nemesis, in Gemini (15 minutes separation). Nemesis, to quote Crane is 'Saturnine and thoroughly wretched: hidden negative factors, weakness ("impotence#2), exile, loss abd death'

Whatever hope I had of 'fitting' into any conventions vanished, I recall. I may have (re)started my meds., then also.
I could form an ideal world via internet relationships without the drudgery involved with physical reality.
... I remember detecting 'hidden negative factors', and the 'heaviness' that comes with Saturn transits, as I'm fairly intuitive, but I couldn't identify the source at the time.

Nemisis is in many ways unavoidable, it is an area of life over which you have no control and ends up often controlling you in a negative way. Your natal Lot of Nemesis lies just inside Cancer - your third House and a house often associated with communications and indeed computers (though I prefer the ninth for the latter)

This period of escapism has profoundly changed my life.
I don't remember any of it anymore. At the end of it, I thought to myself, "I'll blank slate." and repressed the subjective experience of it all in that instant.

I can see the Lot of Nemesis within the 3rd house illustrating the hackers that have been attacking me since Uranus has begun its transition through my 12th House.

So during that month beginning in mid December there are signs that your health and well being is threatened and that the threat is related to your possessions (The second house of Gemini is ruled by Mercury, itself the natural significator of computers and communications). As natal Moon is in Pisces it is ruled by Jupiter and in mid December, Jupiter was transiting your third house (often associated with communications) and not only completing your first Jupiter Return but re-awakening the natal Jupiter/Saturn opposition. A Day after the month began the transiting Moon also emphasised the same opposition.



The above shows that there were indicators of spiritual problems during the month but these do not account for a prolonged period (unless we associate them with the Jupiter return, which I think is stretching the connection). So I will also look at the Zodiacal Releasing periods

It's representative of the increasing severity of my depression, if anything.

Zodiacal Releasing from Fortune

The problem with ZR here is that you were so young that you were still in your first ZR period (in fact one that lasted till 2004). As stated earlier, Valens warns against applying this method to childhood. But for the sake of this analysis I'll do that as coming up to teenage years might be argued to be an indication of leaving childhood behind. 2001 was a Level 2 Cancer year (emphasising your third House). Early December 2001 saw the start of a Cancer Level 3 and 4 period focusing everything on your third house, which as we have already seen emphasises the Moon and your health (and the Lot of Nemesis). I think the coincidence of the Time Lord period and the profections probably account for why this month set a behaviour pattern which persisted beyond the profected year. This December period was marked by a Loosing of the Bond, so it seemed to be particularly important.

The major period ended in June 2004 and you entered a Sagittarus period, which is still continuing and will end in April 2016. Although Sagittarius is your eighth House and therefore carries negative indications, it would be a mistake to classify the whole period as negative - there will be good times during the period but the influence of your eighth plance will linger in the background. Hellenisitic Astrologers labeled the eighth as 'Idle' an indication that it will not be easy to get things done or break patterns completely while this period is in force. Interestingly you describe this period as 'wasted' which is a good synonym for 'Idle' I stress 'easily' rather than simply an inability go get things done - the overall tendency is to inertia, and you have to work to break out. The worst of this period will have been from April 2004 to June 2005 - around the time you quoted above. At the beginning of that period Jupiter (ruler of your eighth) was transiting your fifth house and at that age, the outlet for fifth house activities is through play, games, exercise, relaxation and hobbies. I would hazard a guess that your used of websites had been established as your way of relaxing and 'enjoying' your self. - After this period other sign/houses begin to take effect on a more immediate level. I would guess that around December 2007 marked something of an improvement as Jupiter moved into your ninth house.

Currently you are in a Gemini L2 period, which began in January 2013 and this will continue till September next year, when your final L2 of this main period will being. It will be a Cancer period so there may be the final echoes of the period that began in 2004 through transits to Cancer and your natal Moon. However you won't have another Sagittarius main period, so these issues should die with it.

BTW did your recent stalker materialise around mid September last year?

Whatever psychological issues created during that period, I will need to resolve next year. Forgive me that my replies are as terse as they are, but reflecting upon my past, and how it's led to my present 'idle' period is tiring on an emotional level. The thought of having to experience this mixed sense of ennui and lethargy is enough to trigger disassociation.

I think I had dropped my abusive, equally sick online friends in 2007.

What do you mean by 'materialise'? Evidently he had been stalking me, unbeknownst to me, for years. The majority of my life went into one social networking chat site, and that's the only place I can safely assume 'this' originated from.
I think I lashed out at him in mid Sept., maybe. I don't remember. I don't particularly care.
Perhaps he was one of the 'hidden negative factors' signified by the Saturn transition, as he certainly figures as an 'unknown enemy', signified by Uranus currently transiting in my 12th house.
 

Ronia

Update: We reached an agreement with my ex! So far so good. BUT (always the BUT) it's moving our trip towards August. I can choos a date in the beginning of August. Minderwiz, can you help me? July seemed good for long trips in many ways, with August I'm not so sure. :( The only thing that makes me a bit more confident is that August is usually a good month for me as the Sun approaches my natal Venus but this is towards the end of it. Now I have to travel in the beginning.

P.S. Once again a square by transit brought a resolution. And once again the natal Moon was referring to motherhood. These two are definitely things I've seen working the same way in my chart for at least five years now and this time Mars played the good guy (square to natal Moon from the 4th or 3rd Placidus).
 

Minderwiz

Update: We reached an agreement with my ex! So far so good. BUT (always the BUT) it's moving our trip towards August. I can choos a date in the beginning of August. Minderwiz, can you help me? July seemed good for long trips in many ways, with August I'm not so sure. :( The only thing that makes me a bit more confident is that August is usually a good month for me as the Sun approaches my natal Venus but this is towards the end of it. Now I have to travel in the beginning.

P.S. Once again a square by transit brought a resolution. And once again the natal Moon was referring to motherhood. These two are definitely things I've seen working the same way in my chart for at least five years now and this time Mars played the good guy (square to natal Moon from the 4th or 3rd Placidus).

Good News about the settlement!!!!!!

Are you free to travel at any time during August and for how long (is this intended as a permanent move or just a long visit?).
 

Ronia

Well, it should be permanent (as permanent as it could be considering my wanderlust LOL). I'm free to travel whenever but financially it would be wiser to travel in the beginning of the month so we don't pay rent for time we don't use...
 

The Standing Stone

Hello MinderWiz :)

Do you need anyone else for the Natal analysis chart?
If do may I participate?
Many thanks :) have a good day :)