Study Notes: Valens Anthology

Minderwiz

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Anyway...my question is....say one of these planets is the ruler of Lot of Spirit and they sit in 11th house from lot of fortune, so does that change the meaning of any of these planets especially let's say Mercury considering the qualities could be good or bad?

I don't have a chart for example just because it's a theoretical question.

I'm just beginning reading both of your notes. So maybe you two have already discuss this possibility and I haven't come across it yet.

The nature of the planets won't change, from what Valens describes, but your interepretation of the ruler of the Lot and how fortune plays out in their lives will be. The best place for the ruler to be is one where it's angular to the Lot itself and also configured to the Ascendant (preferably a trine or sextile, though the other aspects will still be better than being averse to the Ascendant. The role of the ruler is to indicate how well the person is able to anticipate changes in their environment, rather than simply being taken by surprise and having to react to those changes. Being in the eleventh from Fortune is good for acquisitions but bear in mind the sect of the chart and whether the planet is in sect. So Mercury and Moon will still indicate the likelihood of gains and losses throughout life, but out of sect, the losses may be worse than the gains, especially if they are also afflicted by one of the malefics (certainly if it's the out of sect malefic)

Minderwiz... I need you to lend some of the history knowledge you hold.

Illiterate comes up in old writing. I know what illiterate means, but in modern times and in the 1st world country....there are still people that go to school and come out not knowing how to read or write. I have seen that. But, it is few, but still can be a good percentage. Now could illiterate mean something different for this day and age vs back when valens wrote about it? Could illiterate also mean/including someone who doesn't gain knowledge through writings or books? There are people out here that can read and write, but they gain their knowledge through word of mouth than through books and writing.

I had a quick look at the two references to illiterate people in Book II. I think we are looking at people who are unable to learn either to read or right (though they have the opportunity to do so) and as a consequence are unable to learn from books, or other written sources.

From context, Valens is not referring to people who never got the chance to learn but to people who are unable to learn because of intellectual deficiency, either in terms of the process of reading and writing or in being able to understand what they are reading.

I've got your PM and I'll send you the word version (docx) .
 

CosmicBeing

Thank you.

So the book 2 talking about illiterate especially if mercury is in 8th house alone....it is really indicating a learning disability most likely for those in a modern world (where basic education is accessible.)

I found that to be true because I tried it on a chart and the person had a hearing issue that delayed speech.

If I may ask what chapter in the valens anthology explains how to identify career through the chart....I think you or Rohan said something about it... I'm only on page 10 of this thread.

Above you spoke about rob hand and sun and moon predominator.

Now I am using whole signs and sidereal... so would having the sun above the ascendant/descendant not always indicate a day chart vs the moon below the ascendant/descendant not always indicating a night chart?

I mean a day chart is a day chart.. but I mean like sect lord changes base ont he position you stated in that post.
 

CosmicBeing

What sect does the chart belong to if both Moon and sun are below the horizon?
 

CosmicBeing

Are all Cadent house (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12) always proceeding an angle?
Are all succedent houses (2,5,8,11) always following an angle?
 

CosmicBeing

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https://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=4878764&postcount=63

The lot of spirit shows how we affect out surroundings and how well we can do so (if the lord is strong or not)

The lot of eminence shows how or where the native prospers?

Still not fully understanding fortune.
The lot of fortune shows where fortune will affect the area of life? So does this show where fortune will be gained? We would look at where the fortune part lands and where the lord of fortune is from the asc & from part of fortune right? This is going to tell how someone gains fortune or does it show almost where the person's 'luck is'
 

CosmicBeing

Night chart
Night Sect

Thank you for your response.

So I suppose if moon and sun were above the horizon that it be a day chart and day sect.

Once again thanx for clearing that up for me.
 

GoldenPhi

Thank you for your response.

So I suppose if moon and sun were above the horizon that it be a day chart and day sect.

Once again thanx for clearing that up for me.
You got it

whether Moon is above or below horizon if Sun is above horizon = Day chart

and whether Moon is above or below horizon if Sun is below horizon = Night Chart
 

Minderwiz

The rule is that if the Sun is above the horizon then it's a day chart. If it's below the horizon then it's a night chart - essentially if it's daytime when the chart is cast, it's a day chart.
 

Minderwiz

Are all Cadent house (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12) always proceeding an angle?
Are all succedent houses (2,5,8,11) always following an angle?

Yes to both statements. Preceding houses, were at the angle but have since fallen away, through diurnal rotation.

Post-Ascensional houses, will ascend to the angle (they are next in line) Again it's diurnal rotation that brings about the change. Signs rise, reach the angle and then fall away, then they become next in line to the next angle (MC) reach it and fall away. The process is a constant repetition as days go by.

If I may ask what chapter in the valens anthology explains how to identify career through the chart....I think you or Rohan said something about it... I'm only on page 10 of this thread.

Valens does a run down of the Places in Book II starting at Chapter 4 - The Star that holds the Ascendant' and devotes a Chapter to each of the Places, Chapter 7 is on the Midheaven. To us it seems very brief, but it's main point is that if its ruler is well situated makes for the person being vigorous and successful. He also associates the place with rulers - kings and tyrants (which was not a disparaging term in his day).

The house is associated with Action (Praxis). At this stage Valens doesn't analyse careers, though he does relate profession to the tenth at a later point. The identification of specific careers with the ruler of the MC, or planets placed in it tends to be a later development in Hellenistic Astrology (Firmiculs and Rhetorius are good examples)

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https://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=4878764&postcount=63

The lot of spirit shows how we affect out surroundings and how well we can do so (if the lord is strong or not)

The lot of eminence shows how or where the native prospers?

Still not fully understanding fortune.
The lot of fortune shows where fortune will affect the area of life? So does this show where fortune will be gained? We would look at where the fortune part lands and where the lord of fortune is from the asc & from part of fortune right? This is going to tell how someone gains fortune or does it show almost where the person's 'luck is'

Valens covers the Lot and its ruler in chapters 2 and 3. He takes the implications of the Lot from the planet ruling it and gives many examples of how it will pan out with the Lot ruler placed in the Ascendant.

at a more general level the Lot shows how fortunate or otherwise, your life will be. Ideally it should be configured to the Ascendant, and itsoruler should be configured to the Lot. Benefics in aspect will make for good outcomes, Malefics in aspect will make for difficulties. The Lot says something about what the gods have set in store for you. Whilst this is a type of fate (your luck) it might be influenced through prayer, and propitiating the gods, that is they can change their mind if they wish too. However, by and large you are at the mercy of your fate, and the only way that you can deal with it, is if you have a well placed ruler of the Lot (which shows that you can spot threats and opportunities which may arise) and a well placed Lot of Spirit, which indicates your ability to act in a manner that takes advantage of the opportunities or guard against the threats. Obviously you can't always win here. If you see a threat of disease through a plague that is raging, you can take certain actions but the chances are that you might well succumb.

Valens himself, probably died in the Antonine plague in the late second century CE (little is known of him after the early 170s)

CosmicBeing said:
Above you spoke about rob hand and sun and moon predominator.

Now I am using whole signs and sidereal... so would having the sun above the ascendant/descendant not always indicate a day chart vs the moon below the ascendant/descendant not always indicating a night chart?
I mean a day chart is a day chart.. but I mean like sect lord changes base ont he position you stated in that post

The Predominator is no necessarily the Sect light but being the Predominator doesn't change the sect of a chart. Valens is beginning to examine the length of life. Like all Hellenistic Astrologers, he starts by looking to see whether the Sun or the Moon is in a strong position. If the Sun is in a strong position by day then he takes that as the Predominator (which will be used in his length of life calculation) If the Sun is in a cadent place, then he looks at the Moon If both of them are cadent then he defaults to either the Ascendant or MC (virtually everyone else defaults just to the Ascendant).

Rob Hand's guide to which to take as the Predominator is nothing to do with sect. It's to do with angularity or the lack of it (though note that the seventh is not necessarily good because it's the setting place, and had a clear link to death in the original version of the twelve places.