the Beginning of Wisdom.pdf

THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

A Literal Translation of the Hebrew Text

The beginning of wisdom is the f ear of the Lord ; that is the starting-

point, for when a man refrains from following his eyes and his heart in

their tendency to satiate his concupiscence, then knowledge comes to

rest within him; furthermore, the fear of the Lord protects him from

the decrees of the heavenly bodies and from their sway as long as he

lives. Now I shall begin to discuss the decrees of the celestial bodies

with respect to the astrological judgments which the ancient generations

have investigated one after the other. When this book is finished, I shall

compile a treatise explaining the astrological reasons. And may the

Lord help me, Amen.

This book is divided into ten chapters. The first chapter deals with

the form of the firmament and with its parts, its signs, and its figures,

and with the seven wandering stars and their ascent, their celestial influ-

ence, their rotation, and their power. The second chapter treats of the

influence of the signs, their ascent, their action, the conjunction of the

stars, and their forms. The third discusses the aspects of the degrees,

and the influence of the quarters of the sphere, and the twelve houses.

The fourth tells of the conjunction of the seven planets and their influ-

ence and all that which they prognosticate for all creatures which exist

on the earth. The fifth pertains to the matter of the planets, when their

influence increases and when it wanes. The sixth describes the influence

of the planets themselves according to their position in front or in back

of the Sun. The seventh takes up the aspects of the planets, their con-

junction, their attraction, their separation, and the regulation of the

things in which is involved the influence over all that which they prog-

nosticate. The eighth relates the decision of the planets with regard to

the questions, the horoscopes, and the revolutions. The ninth refers to

the parts of the planets, the parts of the houses, and the other parts

mentioned by the astrologers. The tenth bears upon the radiation of the

light of the seven planets, the path of their course, their movement

through the degrees of the sphere, and everything pertaining to them.

Any wise man who intends to investigate this science must take into

account the rotation of the seven planets, which are hasty in their mo-

tion because they whirl around the degrees of the great circle, their

motion in their orbits, when they are opposite the superior planets which

are in the zodiac of the signs, and all the rotations which take place

around the center, or the earth, which is just like the central point of

152

TRANSLATION OF HEBREW TEXT 153

the periphery. Then he will fully realize that the action of the aforesaid

movements will vary according to the regions, even though their move-

ments be even and straight. This thing is determined by the number of

the degrees of the sphere and its northern and southern forms, by the

information about the seven planets, their common and individual

natures, and all their effects.

CHAPTER I

The sphere is divided into 360 even parts, called degrees ; and on that

point there is unanimity of agreement among all the ancients and their

successors, because that number is divisible by all integers up to 10

with the exception of 7. It is also divided into 12 parts and they are

called signs; and each sign has 30 normal degrees; and in each degree

there are 60 minutes, and in each minute 60 seconds, and so on until

the tenths. The names of the signs are : Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer,

Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces.

These are in the upper sphÃ¨re, which is the eighth one, together with

the northern and southern figures ; and they form a total of 48 figures,

and the number of their stars is 1022, according to the opinion of all

the ancients including Ptolemy. Of them there are in the figures of

the signs 346 stars. The first figure is Aries, which has 13 stars includ-

ing the horns and the stomach. In the sign of Taurus there are 33 stars,

and the Pleiades are on their back. In Gemini there are 18 stars; in

Cancer there are 9 ; in Leo 27 ; in Libra 8 ; in Scorpio 22 ; in Sagittarius

31 ; in Capricornus 28 ; in Aquarius 42 ; in Pisces 34. The southern

figures number 15 and they have 316 stars. The first one is the lion of

the sea, which some people call bear, and it has 22 stars. The second

figure is the strong dog, and it has 38 stars. The third is the river, and

it has 34 stars. The fourth is the hare, and it has 13 stars. The fifth

is the great dog, and it has 18 stars. The sixth is the little dog, and it

has 2 stars. The seventh is the ship, and it has 45 stars. The eighth is

the wild beast, and it has 25 stars. The ninth is the goblet, and it has

7 stars. The tenth is the raven, and it has 7 stars. The eleventh is the

one which carries the lion ; half its figure is that of a man and the other

half that of a horse, and it has 36 stars. The twelfth is the leopard,

and it has 5 stars. The thirteenth is the censer, and it has 7 stars. The

fourteenth is the crown, and it has 13 stars. The fifteenth is the southern

fish, and it has 11 stars. The northern figures number 21, and they have

360 stars. The first is the little bear, and it has 7 stars. The second is

the great bear, and it has 17 stars. The third is the dragon, and it has

31 stars. The fourth is the lady of the flame, and it has 11 stars. The

154 THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

fifth is the barking dog, and it has 22 stars. The sixth is the northern

crown, and it has 8 stars. The seventh is the one which goes on its

knees, and it has 28 stars. The eighth is the falling eagle, and it has 10

stars. The ninth is the chicken, and it has 17 stars. The tenth is the

one which sits on the seat, and it has 13 stars. The eleventh is the one

which carries the head of the devil, and it has 26 stars. The twelfth is

the shepherd who has the bridle in his hand, and it has 14 stars. The

thirteenth is the one which holds back the wild beast, and it has 24 stars.

The fourteenth is the wild beast, and it has 18 stars. The fifteenth is

the devil, and it has 5 stars. The sixteenth is the flying eagle, and it

has 9 stars. The seventeenth is the sea-fish, and it has 10 stars. The

eighteenth is the head of the horse, and it has 4 stars. The nineteenth

is the winged horse, and it has 20 stars. The twentieth is the woman

who had no husband, and it has 23 stars. The twenty-first is the triangle,

and it has 4 stars.

Now is finished the enumeration of the aforesaid stars, which total

1022. The ancients divided them into six degrees, because every star

whose light is great they ascribed to the first magnitude, and those whose

light is smaller they ascribed to the second magnitude; and thus they

continue getting smaller and smaller until the sixth degree, which is

the lowest of all. The stars of the first magnitude number 15, bf the

second 48, of the third 208, of the fourth 474, of the fifth 217, and of

the sixth 49, plus three dark stars which resemble clouds.

The seven planets are : Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury,

Moon. The most elevated of all them is Saturn since it is in the seventh

sphere in opposition to the earth, and after it comes Jupiter, and so on

until reaching the Moon in the first sphere which is close to the earth.

The signs are divided into four parts in accordance with the four na-

tures, with three signs to each nature. They are as f ollows : Aries, Leo,

and Sagittarius are hot and dry as the nature of fire; Taurus, Virgo,

and Capricornus are cold and dry as the nature of the earth; Gemini,

Libra, and Aquarius are hot and moist as the nature of air; Cancer,

Scorpio, and Pisces are cold and moist as the nature of water. Saturn

is cold and dry ; Jupiter is hot and moist ; Mars is hot and scorching

dry; the Sun is hot and dry; Venus is cold and moist; Mercury is

variable, for its nature corresponds to that of the satellite which accom-

panies it; the Moon is cold and moist. Some of these seven are maie

and others are female; some of these stars are diurnal and others are

nocturnal, and they are either beneficial or baneful. They are: two

luminaries, two beneficial ones, two baneful ones, and a mixed one

which varies with each nature. One of the luminaries is the Sun, which

is male and whose force is diurnal. The other one is female, namely


the Moon, and its force is nocturnal. One of the beneficial ones is male,

belonging to the diurnal stars, and it is Jupiter; and the other one is

female, belonging to the nocturnal stars, and it is Venus. One of the

bale ful ones is male, belonging to the diurnal stars, and it is Saturn;

the second one is female, belonging to the nocturnal stars, and it is Mars.

Mercury is mixed since it tends to be male sometimes and female at

other times, belonging sometimes to the diurnal stars and at other times

to the nocturnal stars, sometimes beneficial and at other times baneful

according to the nature of the star which goes together with it either in

conjunction or in aspect, as I shall explain in the proper place. The

nature of the five planets, together with the Moon, varies according to

the distance from the Sun, as I shall also explain. Furthermore, they

have another variation in ascending or in descending, since sometimes

they are near the earth and at other times they are far from it, some-

times they are to the left and at other times they are to the right. Now

when the star is in the high degree of the eccentric orbit which is not in

the center of the earth, then the star is in the point of its elevation from

the earth, and conversely when it is in the point of its declination. Their

dragon is in the place of the union of the star's circle, which resembles

the signs' circle, together with its leaning circle, and the head of the

dragon is the beginning of the north and the tail is the beginning of the

south ; and when the constellation is in the Moon together with the head

or the tail, then it will be in the elliptical orbit of the signs of the zodiac,

and in the other places it will have width either to the left or to the

right according to its distance from the two points. The planets have

power in the circle. There are the power of house, power of honor,

power of triplicity, power of limit, and power of face ; the power of

the house is 5 forces, the power of the honor is 4, the power of the

triplicity is 3, the power of the limit is 2, and the power of the face is 1.

Now when the star is in a sign, which is its house, it has power over the

whole sign, and likewise in a sign which is the house of its honor; but

the star has greater force in the degrees of the honor than in the other

degrees of the sign. I shall mention in this book all that in which there

is agreement in the opinion of the ancient Babylonians and the wise

men of Persia, India, and Greece, whose chief is Ptolemy, and I shall

recall the groups of nine and of twelve signs, the bright and the dark

degrees, those which are blank, the males and the females, the degrees

of the stars' censer, the degrees which increase grace and glory, and the

abundant places of the stars which are in the orbit of the signs, together

with their longitude and latitude and the conjunction of the largest ones,

until my book will be complete and there will be no need for any other

book besides it in the introduction to this science.


CHAPTER II

The second chapter speaks of the signs and their ascent and their

operations and the conjunction of the superior planets which are in

them.

Know that of the 12 signs 6 are to the left of the vertical line, that is,

from the beginning of Aries until the end of Virgo, and those to the

right go from the beginning of Libra until the end of Pisces.

Aries is a sign of fire, it is male, of the nature of the day, oriental, of

the warm season, and it is variable because the season changes within

it; at its beginning the day is equal to the night, and the day begins to

grow longer and the night gets shorter; its hours are longer than the

normal ; its ascents decrease, because it rises in all places less than when

it rises over the earth's equator; it is oblique; it announces absolutely

the nature of warmth, which is to increase; in it is the movement of

creatures ; it is one of the good, agreeable signs, and it indicates thunder

and lightning. Its beginning is rainy and windy, its middle is mixed,

and its end is hot with whirlwinds. If it is north it produces heat to-

gether with moisture, and if it is south it produces cold. It appears on

a figure which has four feet with hoofs, and its organs are split because

they go in oblique orbits. It shows two colors and two figures, and it

has half a voice. Its heart is oriental and also its wind. Its part of the

four elements is the fire and its heat ; to it belongs blood ; of the flavors

to it belongs anything sweet; of the colors the reddish and every kind

of saff ron ; of the animals the sheep and every animal which has hoof s ;

of the metals gold, silver, iron, and copper ; in its part are the third zone

and the land of Babylonia, of Persia, of Ardekan, and of Palestine ; of

the places of the earth there are the fields, the pasture-ground of sheep,

the places of fire, the dens of robbers, and every house constructed with

beams. According to the opinion of Ptolemy in its part there are the

houses of worship and the seats of justice. The ancients said that among

the letters the alef and the nun correspond to it; its years number 15,

its months 15, its days 37y2, and its hours 4. In its first face there will

ascend a figure of a woman, which is the radiant one, the tail of the

sea-fish resembling a serpent, the head of the triangle, and the form of

an ox. The men of India say that one finds there a head shaped like a

dog, with a torch in its left hand and a key in its right hand. Kanka,

who is their wise man, says that in the first face there ascends a Moor

with black eyes and straight eye-brows ; he is one of the giants ; he is

self-laudatory ; he is wrapped in a full white cloak; on him there is a

girdle made of rope; he is angry, and he remains standing. In the

opinion of Ptolemy there ascends in it the back of the woman who is


seated on the chair and also her knees and her left hand, the half of the

back of the spinster together with her uterus and the edges of her gar-

ment, the second fish, and some of the threads of flax. With the second

face there arise the fish, the middle of the triangle, half of the wild

animal, a woman with a comb in her hair, a bronze hauberk, and the

head of the devil. The men of India said that there then arises a figure

of a woman draped in her garments and in a mande ; she has only one

foot, and her figure is that of a mare. In the opinion of Ptolemy there

ascends the woman who sits on the seat, the head of him who carries

the devil and his right palm, the edges of the spinster's garment and

her feet, the triangle, the head of Aries and its horns, and the rest of

the threads of flax. In the third face there will ascend a young man

who is seated on a seat ; over him there is a covering, and in his hand

are statues of domestic idols ; also a man with his head bowed low, who

is crying to the Lord ; there also arise in it the stomach of the fish and

its head, the end of the triangle, and the second half of the wild animal.

The wise men of India say that there will ascend a russet man with red-

dish hair ; he is irascible and contradictory ; in his hand are bracelets of

wood and a stick; his clothing is red; he is a smith; he desires to do

good, but he cannot. According to the doctrine of Ptolemy there ascends

the bearer of Satan's head and Aries' body. He who is born in it will

have an unusual body, a long face, and large eyes, and he will look

towards the ground constantly ; his neck will be thick and his ears soft ;

he will have abundant hair, which will be curly on his head; his legs

will be weak ; his speech will be pleasant, but he will be garrulous ; he

will want to eat copiously ; he will be irascible, and fond of justice ; his

voice will not be strong. If the Moon is in this sign or if its fate should

be with one of the male stars, that points to a severe attack of scabies,

leprosy, deafness, tonsure, and alopecia frontalis. He who is born in

the first face will be reddish with a narrow stomach and little flesh, and

he will have a mark on his left foot and in the elbow of his left hand ;

he will have numerous f riends, and he will abhor evil. He who is born

in the second face will have a dark but beautiful complexion and a

strange body ; he will be aroused to anger easily, and he will not control

his ire ; he will combine high principles with perf ect comprehension and

breeding; his enemies will be numerous. He who is born in the third

face will be reddish and saffron, and isolated from mankind. The part

corresponding to this sign embraces the head, the face, the pupil of the

eye, and the ears ; his ailments include the sickness which causes one to

fall suddenly and unconsciously, ear-trouble, the pain in the nostrils,

teeth, and eyes, and the maculae which resemble wounds. In the opinion

of the wise men of Egypt, the sickness particular to Saturn is in the


chest, to Jupiter in the heart, Mars in the head, the Sun in the genitalia,

Venus in the feet, Mercury in the legs, and the Moon in the knees. The

people corresponding to this sign are the kings who practise justice and

generosity, the leaders in battles, fire, slaughter, and bloodshed, and

those who walk on the roads. The house of Mars and the dignity of

the Sun come in 19 degrees, and the shame of Saturn in 21 degrees,

and the hatred of Venus and the nadir of Mercury in 25 degrees at the

present time, namely, the year 4908. The rulers of the triplicity by day

are the Sun followed by Jupiter and by night Jupiter followed by the

Sun, and their satellite by day and by night is Saturn. The first face,

according to the wise men of Egypt and to most of the wise men of

the other nations, corresponds to Mars, the second to the Sun, and the

third to Jupiter; in the opinion of the wise men of India, the first cor-

responds to Mars, the second to the Sun, and the third to Venus. Here

are the limits according to the conclusion of the wise men of Egypt and

Babylonia: to Jupiter 6 degrees, to Venus 6, to Mercury 8, to Mars 5,

to Saturn 5 ; in the opinion of Ptolemy they are as f ollows : at the begin-

ning to Jupiter 6, the second to Venus 8, the third to Mercury 7, the

fourth to Mars 5, the fifth to Saturn 4. Its first novena corresponds to

Mars, the second to Venus, the third to Mercury, the fourth to the

Moon, the fifth to the Sun, the sixth to Mercury, the seventh to Venus,

the eighth to Mars, the ninth to Jupiter. Now the novena of the sign

is 3% degrees, and the whole novena is like the nature of the sign and

the ruler of the sign. As for the force of the twelve signs, the first

belongs to Mars, the second to Venus, the third to Mercury, the fourth

to the Moon, the fifth to the Sun, the sixth to Mercury, the seventh to

Venus, the eighth to Mars, the ninth to Jupiter, the tenth and the

eleventh to Saturn, and the twelfth to Jupiter. Nevertheless Enoch and

the ancients proportion the strength of the twelve signs in another way,

for they maintain that the first degree is according to the nature of the

sign itself, and the second degree is according to the nature of the sign

which is second to it, and the degrees 13 and 25 will retrograde accord-

ing to the nature of the sign itself. The wise men of India affirm that

f rom the beginning of the sign until 3 degrees they are medium, neither

bright nor dark, then 5 dark degrees, then 8 medium degrees, then 4

bright ones, then 4 dark ones, then 5 bright ones and 1 dark degree.

The first 7 degrees are male, then 2 are female degrees, then 6 male

degrees, then 7 female degrees, and then 8 male degrees. The Aras of

the stars are the degrees 6, 11, 17, 23. The degree which enhances grace

and glory is 19, and in it there is, among the great stars of the first

magnitude, the star which is called the end of the river; at the present

moment it is in degree 16 in the sign of Aries, and its latitude is southern

13j4 degrees, and its nature is a fusion of Jupiter and Venus.


Taurus is one of the signs of the nature of the earth, female, be-

longing to the signs of the night and to the period of heat ; it is always

stationary ; its hours increase in proportion to the direct ones ; its ascen-

sions decline ; it is oblique, and it is one of the good, pleasant signs ; it

prognosticates fructification and growth. It is a complete mixture of

hot and cold, and its moisture is greater than its aridity. Its beginning

points to winds and darkness, its middle is cold and moist, and its end

denotes tempest, fire, lightning, and firebrand. That which is towards

the north of it is mixed and towards the south of it is burning. It

appears in the figure of a quadruped with hoof s ; its limbs are def ormed

and severed, and it has only half of a voice. In its range lie the right

part of noon and the south wind. Its nature is cold, dry, and rather

mild. To it belong melancholy somewhat attenuated, the most ordinary

temperament, among the savors sweetness diluted with bitterness and

astringency, among the shades of color the green and the white, and

among the wild animals every one having four feet with cloven hoofs.

Its section of the vegetable kingdom consists of the high trees, every

tree which bears fruit, every tree which needs little water, every tree

which grows on a mountain and bears useful fruit, and every planted

tree whose scent and perfume are pleasant. Its area includes the fifth

zone, Ethiopia, Mahun, Hamadan, El Herath, Africa from Haquiroen

to Tarabulus, Kufa, Bosra, Assouan, and Egypt, and among the plains

every cultivated land on which the plowing is done with cattle and

elephants, the gardens, the orchards, the places where buds give forth

a nice scent, and every place where plants grow in hot, mixed mire. Its

letters are the dalet and samekh. Its years and likewise its months total

8, its days 20, and its hours 16. In the first face there ascends a warrior

bearing a sword in his left hand, a stick in his right hand, and two

torches on his shoulders. A large ship surmounted by a lion will also

mount up, then a naked man seated, and under the ship half of the body

of a dead woman ; there will also ascend the figure of a man. The men

of India say that it is a hirsute woman, who has a son and who wears

clothing partly burnt. In the opinion of Ptolemy there ascends the half

of him who bears the head of the devil, the tail of Aries, and the pour-

ing of the water which is at the end of the river. In the second face

there will arise a ship, in which there is a nude man carrying a key in

his hand ; there will also ascend there the other half of the dead woman's

corpse. The sages of India declare that there will go up there a man,

who resembles a ram in his face and in his body, and whose wife resem-

bles an ox ; his fingers are like goats' hoofs. That man is very hot and

gluttonous, and he does not have peace of mind ; he cultivates the earth,

and he drives the oxen in order to plow and to sow. There arises also


a beautiful figure, with a stick in his right hand and with his left hand

lifted up. In the opinion of Ptolemy there ascend the knees of the

bearer of the devil's head, his legs, his feet, the back of Taurus, his

horns, his hands, his stomach, his right paw, the head of the river, and

its middle. In the third face there will ascend the end of the body,

which resembles a head of a dog, and a man standing erect with a wild

animal in his hand ; he has two carts on which is seated a young man ;

two horses pull the carts, and the young man has a sheep in his hand.

The wise men of India affirm that there also arises a man whose feet

are white and likewise his teeth, which are so long that they stick out

beyond his lips ; the color of his eyes as well as his hair is reddish, and

his body looks like that of the elephant and the lion ; but prudence does

not reside in him, since all of his thoughts are bent on doing evil; he

is seated on a cloth. There go up also a horse and a little dog. Accord-

ing to Ptolemy there will ascend the right foot of him who bears the

head of the devil and the shoulder of him who holds in his hand the

bridle, and his head, his knees, his left hand, his horn, the end of Taurus,

and the beginning of the river. He who will be born in it will have an

erect posture, a long face, large eyes, a thick and short neck, a broad

forehead, an aquiline nose, and a shock of curly hair; he will be inco-

herent in his speech and also in his knowledge; his hair will be black,

and his limbs deformed; he will be very lustful and gluttonous, and

will have the habit of contrariness. He who is born in one of the degrees

of the Pleiades, that is, from degree 13 to degree 15, will have a pain

in his eyes. He who is born in the first face will have a short stature,

large eyes, thick lips, a mark on his neck and another on his pudenda;

he will be noble at heart; his friends will be numerous, and he will

enjoy all kinds of delights. He who is born in the second face will have

a round head, a broad stomach, beautiful eyes, and a generous soul; he

will be intelligent, and will have hair on his shoulder and a mark on his

loins ; some of them will have a pain in their veins. He who is born in

the third face will have a beautiful body and head ; there will be a mark

in his left eye; he will be a man suffering from overwork, and he will

have no luck with women. He who is born at the end of this sign will

be castrated at birth or hermaphrodite. In its anatomical part are the

neck and throat, and all the ailments which occur there, as well as

scrofula, torticollis, and goiter. In the judgment of the wise men of

Egypt the sickness caused in this sign by Saturn is in the heart, by

Jupiter in the stomach, by Mars in the neck, by the Sun in the knees,

by Venus in the head, by Mercury in the feet, and by the Moon in the

legs. It belongs to the signs of the ailments just like Aries. In its part

of mankind there are the procurers, all those longing for coition, and


those who like to eat, drink, dance, and make merry. It is the house of

Venus and the dignity of the Moon in its third degree ; the head of the

dragon of Mars, which corresponds to the house of hatred, is in the

tenth degree. The lords of the triplicity by day are Venus and then

the Moon, and by night the Moon and then Venus, and their satellite

by day and by night is Mars. The first face, in the opinion of the wise

men of Egypt and Persia, corresponds to Venus, the second to the

Moon, and the third to Saturn ; but, according to the wise men of India,

the first face corresponds to Venus, the second to Mercury, and the

third to Saturn. Here are the limits in the judgment of the learned

Egyptians and all astrologers: for Venus as many as 8 degrees, then

for Mercury 6, then for Jupiter 8, then for Saturn 5, then for Mars 3 ;

but according to Ptolemy they are: for Venus 8, for Mercury 7, for

Jupiter 7, for Mars 2, and for Saturn 6. The beginning of the force

of the novena and the second one pertain to Saturn, the third to Jupiter,

the fourth to Mars, the fifth to Venus, the sixth to Mercury, the seventh

to the Moon, the eighth to the Sun, and the ninth to Mercury. The

beginning of the force of the twelve signs corresponds to Venus, the

second to Mercury, the third to the Moon, the fourth to the Sun, the

fifth to Mercury, the sixth to Venus, the seventh to Mars, the eighth to

Jupiter, the ninth and the tenth to Saturn, the eleventh to Jupiter, and

the twelfth to Mars. From the inception of the sign until the end there

are 3 mixed degrees, then 2 clear degrees, then 2 which are blank, then

8 clear ones, then 5 which are blank, then 6 clear ones, and then 2 that

are mixed. From the beginning of the sign until 7 degrees they are

male, then come 8 female, and then 15 male. The Ara of the stars is

composed of the degrees 5, 12, 18, 24, 25, 26, the degree which aug-

ments grace and honor, which is the third, and the degrees 15, 27, and

30. In this sign of the superior planets there is the back of the leprous

one in the fourteenth degree, and its latitude is north 22 degrees and

20 minutes, and it is of the second magnitude and in the conjunction of

Venus; the devil's head is in the fifteenth degree, its northern latitude

is 23 degrees and 3 minutes, and it is of the second magnitude in the

conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. A brilliant star, called the left eye

of the ox, is in the twenty-eighth degree; its latitude is southern 5}Â£

degrees; it belongs to the first magnitude in the conjunction of Mars

and Venus ; it is one of the stars which result in death when the master

of the power of life reaches it. Among the dark stars there is in it the

star of the tenth degree^^whose northern latitude is 20 degrees and 40

minutes. Then there is another dark star like it in the twelfth degree

with a northern latitude of 70j4 degrees, and it is deadly.

Gemini is of the nature of air, male, one of the diurnal signs, occi-

12


dental, of the period of warmth ; it has two bodies ; its hours are longer

than the normal ones, and at its end the day is longer than all the days

of the year. It denotes a straight nature, which creates and increases in

number and completes all that which is useful to living beings and to

things which grow. Its whole is mixed, its beginning being moist, its

middle diluted, and its end variable. The part of it which faces north

stirs up tempests and winds, and the part which faces south causes

pestilence. It appears as a human being with perfect limbs ; it is sterile ;

in its right part is found the occident together with the west wind, and

its beginning is warm and damp; its humor is the blood, and its savor

is very sweet ; its shade of color stands for any color which is exceed-

ingly variable. Among the living it takes in man, monkey, the birds

which sing delightfully, and from the vegetable kingdom it has the

lofty trees. In its totality it indicates any high thing, for example, the

heavens, the air, and the winds. Its area covers the sixth zone, the

country of Iran, Armenia, Great India, Gilan, Birjand, Barkah, Holwan,

Barka, Palestine, Egypt, Ispahan, Kerman, and likewise every elevated

and steep mountain, the places where one catches birds, where one shoots

dice, and where one plays instrumental music. Its letters are gimel and

ayin. Its years, as well as its months, number 20, its days 50, and its

hours 4. In the first face there arises the tail of the figure whose head

resembles a dog's head, and a man with a stick in his hand. Towards

the south there will ascend two carts drawn by two horses on which is

seated a driver, and the head of the horned animal will also mount up.

The wise men of India say that there will then go up a beautiful

woman, standing in the air, who is skillful in sewing. In the opinion

of Ptolemy there will arise the head of him who holds in his hand the

bridle, his left foot, the horn of the bull, the shoulder of the dog, its

left foot, the head of the hare, and its paws. In the second face there

will ascend a man who has a golden musical instrument on which he is

playing; then there will go up a wild beast standing on a tree and a wolf

which has a mark on its paw. The wise men of India state that there

will come up a Moor with his head bound in lead, with armor in his

hand and an iron helmet on his head ; over the helmet there is a crown

of silk, and in his hand there are a bow and arrows; he indulges in

ridicule and mockery; he walks in a garden full of flowers and trees;

in one hand he carries scales, upon which he strikes and plays music

with his other hand, and he picks flowers in the garden. According to

Ptolemy there will ascend in it the palm of him who holds in his hand

the bridle and the rear legs of the bull, and the hand of Orion together

with its shoulder, head, stomach, girdle, knee, and foot, and the belly

and tail of the hare. In the third face the bewildered countenance of a


man will rise up, with a turban on his head, and in his hand a musical

instrument which has strings of gold; there will also ascend a barking

dog, the fish called dolphin, something like a monkey, a tailor's thread,

the first half of the little bear, the tail of the wild beast belonging to

the woman with a horn who is wrapped in the root of Virgo. The wise

men of India declare that there will come up a man who desires arms,

and who has a bow and a quiver ; in his hand he has a bow and clothing

and jewels of pure gold ; he wants to play music and to amuse himself

and to practice all kinds of mockery. In the opinion of Ptolemy there

will ascend in it the shoulder of the last twin, its hand, its right foot,

its pudenda, the tail of the hare, the mouth of the dog, its paw, its

right foot, the first oar of the ship, and a part of the second oar. The

man who will be born in it will be erect in stature, his stomach will be

big, the form of his body and face will be handsome, he will have a

strong voice, he will be magnanimous, his shoulders will be broad and

his eyes beautiful, the hair on his head will be curly, and he will be

crafty in his work and in all tasks. Among them there will be writers,

mathematicians, astronomers, and famous sages. He will be a truthful

man and moderate in his fear of God. He who is born in the first face

will be handsome in his body, eyes, and hair ; he will have a mark on

his head or on his cheeks; his countenance will be pointed; he will not

be irascible; he will suffer from overwork; he will be unlucky with

women. He who is born in the second face will be short in stature and

will be dark; underneath his elbow there will be a black mark; his

speech will be pleasing ; he will be well bred and well built ; he will be

noble, and will associate with kings. He who is born in the third face

will have a small countenance and small eyes ; he will be a man longing

for sexual intercourse; he will pronounce words which will not be

proper, and he will prevaricate. He who will be born at the end of this

sign will not have perf ect eyes ; to his anatomical part correspond the

neck, the arms, the hands, and his shoulders. His ailments include every

sickness due to the blood and every disease which occurs in the afore-

mentioned limbs. In the opinion of the learned men of Egypt the sick-

ness of Saturn is in the stomach, that of Jupiter in the kidneys, of

Mars in the shoulder, of the Sun in the legs, of Venus in the neck, of

Mercury in the head, and of the Moon in the feet. To its part of man-

kind correspond the kings, the magnates, the heroes, the magicians, the

sorcerers, the chiefs of household deities together with the images, the

engravings, all objects of mockery and song, handiwork, and every deli-

cate craf t. The house of Mercury and the dignity of the dragon's head

are in the third degree ; the house of the hatred of Jupiter and the place

of the aphelion of the Sun and of Venus are in degree 27 at the present


moment; the place of the nadir of Saturn is in degree 12. The rulers

of the triplicity by day are Saturn and then Mercury, and by night

Mercury followed by Saturn; their satellite by day and by night is

Jupiter. The first face, as determined by the Egyptians and the Baby-

lonians, belongs to Jupiter, the second to Mars, and the third to the

Sun ; but in the opinion of the teachers of India the first corresponds to

Mercury, the second to Venus, and the third to Saturn. The limits,

following the statement of the Egyptians and of the astronomers, are

as follows: for Mercury 6 degrees, for Jupiter 6, for Venus 5, for

Mars 7, for Saturn 6; but Ptolemy taught that for Mercury it is 7

degrees, for Jupiter 6, for Venus 7, for Mars 6, for Saturn 4. The

beginning of the force of the novena befalls Venus, the second part

Mars, the third Jupiter, the fourth and fifth Saturn, the sixth Jupiter,

the seventh Mars, the eighth Venus, and the ninth Mercury. The begin-

ning of the force of the twelve signs corresponds to Mercury, the second

part to the Moon, the third to the Sun, the fourth to Mercury, the fifth

to Venus, the sixth to Mars, the seventh to Jupiter, the eighth and ninth

to Saturn, the tenth to Jupiter, the eleventh to Mars, and the twelfth to

Venus. From the beginning of the sign until the end there are 7 bril-

liant degrees, then 3 neutral, then 7 blank, then 6 brilliant, and then 6

neutral. Likewise from the beginning of the sign until the end there

are 6 female degrees, then 12 male degrees, then 6 female degrees, then

4 male degrees, and then 3 female degrees. The degrees of the Ara are

2, 12, 17, 26, and 30. The degree which enhances grace and honor is

11. In it there is a star on the left foot of Gemini at 15 degrees; its

latitude is 31 degrees and 40 minutes south; it belongs to the first mag-

nitude of the conjunction of Mars and Venus. There is also a star on

its northern side at 5 degrees; its latitude is 17j4 degrees south; it

belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunction of Mars and Mer-

cury. There is found also the star of him who holds in his hand the

bridle; it is in the tenth degree; its latitude is 16 degrees north; it be-

longs to the first magnitude of the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.

In addition there is the great star called Alhaioc in degree 11 ; its lati-

tude is 24 degrees and 45 minutes north ; it belongs to the first magni-

tude of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. There occurs also the

center of the orbit which is in degree 15; its latitude is 24 degrees and

45 minutes south ; it belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunction

of Jupiter and Saturn. Then there cornes the right shoulder of the

Twin in degree 16; its latitude is 17 degrees south; it belongs to the

first magnitude in the conjunction of Mars and Mercury. Then there

is the right foot of the Twin in degree 24; its latitude is 11J4 -degrees

south ; it belongs to the first magnitude in the conjunction of Mars and


Venus. There is also the dog, called Alsaeri Alhabud. Finally among

the dark stars there is the prognosticating star, which is on the head

of the warrior at 12 degrees; its latitude is 13 degrees and 50 minutes

south, and it is one of the baleful stars.

Cancer is one of the vvater signs, female, north, forming part of the

signs of summer ; it is variable, since the weather changes in it ; at its

inception the day begins to shorten and the night to grow longer; its

hours are longer than the normal ones; it is straight in its ascents,

which tend to increase. In its entirety it denotes coldness and humidity,

which are mild, producing fructification and growth, and in it there are

warm and moist degrees. Its beginning is dry and destructive, its mid-

dle coincides with its conjunction, and its end is wet. When it is in the

north it heats and burns, and when it is in the south it is wet. It appears

in the form of aquatic animals; in its part falls the vertex of the left

angle and the north wind; its nature is cold and wet; it denotes the

phlegm, which exists in human beings, and every cold and wet mixture

with a bit of equalization. Its flavor is bitter and salty ; the shade of its

colors is white and the color of dust like the smoky colors and similar

ones ; to its portion of the living correspond all the aquatic animals, the

reptiles, the small fish, the wild animals on dry land, the scorpions, and

the animals that crawl on the ground. Taken as a whole it prognosti-

cates waters flowing constantly, all the vegetation near water, the rain

waters, and all calm bodies of water. Its zones include the seventh one,

small Armenia, the land beyond Samarkhand, Adrianople, the eastern

section of Kourassa, China, a part of Africa, and Balkh. In its part

occur also the ponds, every sea shore, every river bank, and the trees of

average height. Its letters are dalet and pe. Its years are 25 and like-

wise its months ; its days as well as its hours are 5. In its first face

there will arise the posterior half of Ursa Major and a whole figure

wrapped in garments close to the singing figure. There ascend also an

iron pig with a head of copper and a young virgin. Furthermore the

wise men of India claim that there goes up a good-looking young man

wearing garments with an ornament of gold or silver; he has a slight

curvature in his face and in his back; his body resembles that of a

horse or of an elephant; his feet are white; to his body are attached

delicate ornaments in the form of trees; he sits in a garden in which

grow aromatic stalks. In the opinion of Ptolemy there arise the face of

Ursa Major, the head of the anterior and posterior Gemini, the rump

and hands of the anterior twin, the little dog, the remainder of the great

dog, and the hold of the ship. In the second face there will ascend a

young girl who resembles a cloud; there will also arise the half of the

dog and the half of the ears of the northern ass. The teachers of India


posit that there will go up a girl who is very pleasing in her conversa-

tion ; on her head there is a crown of myrtle, and in her hand a wooden

wand ; she longs for wine and song. In the judgment of Ptolemy there

will ascend in it the head of Ursa Major, the posterior side of Cancer,

and the hold of the ship. In the third face there will arise a young vir-

gin sometimes facing east and sometimes facing west. There will also

go up the posterior dog, the other half of the ear of the northern ass,

and likewise the second southern ass. The wise men of India maintain

that there will then ascend a man whose foot looks like that of a wild

beast and on whose body there is a wild beast; his desire is to enter a

ship in order to go to sea to bring in gold and silver with which to

make rings for his wives. Following the opinion of Ptolemy there wm*

arise the neck and the right hand of Ursa Major, the horns of Cancer,

the head of the valiant warrior, and the end of the ship. He who is

born under this sign will have thick limbs, a wide forehead, and teeth

far apart; he will be deaf and dumb, a lover of mankind, and highly

respected. For women the horoscope augurs ill for difficult undertak-

ings. He who is born in the first face will be attractive physically; his

hair and his eyelids will be stuck together ; his nostrils will be long and

his shoulders broad; he will have a mark under his elbow or in his

right arm; he will have a good soul and many friends; he will be an

expert in fraud. He who is born in the second face will be reddish,

short in stature, and beardless; he will have a black mark in his eyes,

and he will be beloved by all creatures. He who is born in the third

face will be fat, short in stature, with hairy eyelids, a broad stomach,

and a large abdomen. He will be strong; sometimes he will be seized

with a heart attack, and he will suffer a great deal by himself. He who

is born at the end of the sign will not have good luck. His anatomical

portion comprises the breast, the mammilla, the cardiac region, the ribs,

the spleen, and the lung. To his share of ailments correspond all those

which occur in those parts of the anatomy and also heaviness in the

eyes. In degree 22 of the cloudy star it denotes soreness of the eyes

with the resulting defect. In general this sign points to pruritus, itch,

leprosy, pock-marks, baldness, and scarcity of beard. To its part of

mankind correspond every repulsive individual, the plebeians, and the

wanderers. In the opinion of Enoch it is the sign of the universe. The

teachers of Egypt declare that the disease attributable to Saturn falls

between the loins, that of Jupiter in the genitalia, that of Mars in the

cardiac region, that of the Sun in the feet, that of Venus in the hands,

that of Mercury in the neck, and that of the Moon in the head. The

house of the Moon and the dignity of Jupiter are in degree 15; the

shame of Mars is in degree 28; the house of the hatred of Saturn and


the dragon's head of Jupiter are in degree 9; the dragon's head of

Saturn is in degree 19. The rulers of the triplicity by day are Venus

and Mars and by night Mars and then Venus, and their satellite by day

and by night is the Moon. According to the Egyptians and the Baby-

lonians the first face corresponds to Venus, the second to Mercury, and

the third to the Moon; but the opinion of the wise men of India is

that the first corresponds to the Moon, the second to Mars, and the

third to Jupiter. The Egyptians and the astrologers teach that the limits

are as f ollows : to Mars 7 degrees, to Venus 6, to Mercury 6, to Jupiter

7, to Saturn 4; but in the opinion of Ptolemy they are: to Mars 6, to

Jupiter 6, to Mercury 7, and to Saturn 4. The beginning of the novena

belongs to the Moon, the second part to the Sun, the third to Mercury,

the fourth to Venus, the fifth to Mars, the sixth to Jupiter, the seventh

and eighth to Saturn, and the ninth to Jupiter. The beginning of the

force of the twelve signs corresponds to the Moon, the second one to

the Sun, the third to Mercury, the fourth to Venus, the fifth to Mars,

the sixth to Jupiter, the seventh and the eighth to Saturn, the ninth to

Jupiter, the tenth to Mars, the eleventh to Venus, and the twelfth to

Mercury. From the beginning of the sign until the end there are 7

neutral degrees, then 5 brilliant, then 2 neutral, then 4 brilliant, then 2

dark, then 8 brilliant, and finally 2 dark. From the beginning of the

sign until the end there are 2 male degrees, then 2 f emale, then 11 male,

then 4 female, and finally 3 male. The pit of the stars is found in de-

grees 12, 17, 23, 26, and 30. The degrees which enhance grace and

honor are 1, 2, 3, 14, and 15. Among the superior planets there is the

dog called Alsaeri Alhabor, which is found in the first degree at the

present time; its latitude is 29 degrees and 10 minutes south; it belongs

to the first magnitude of the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars. There

one finds also the head of the anterior twin which, at this moment, is in

the eighth degree; its latitude is 9 degrees and 40 minutes north; it

belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunction of Jupiter and Mer-

cury. There is likewise the head of the posterior twin, in the twelfth

degree at this time; its latitude is 6 degrees and 15 minutes north; it

belongs to the second magnitude of the nature of Mars alone. There

is found the dog called Alsaeri Alguemitsa, in the fifteenth degree at

present ; its latitude is 16 degrees and 10 minutes south ; it f orms a part

of the first magnitude of the conjunction of Mars and Mercury. Among

the dark stars there are also 4 which are near Ursa Major : the first one

is now in the twelfth degree, in latitude 22 degrees and 50 minutes

north; the second is in the sixteenth degree at present, in latitude 22

degrees and 2 minutes north ; the third is in the twenty-seventh degree

at this moment, in latitude 22 degrees and 45 minutes north ; the fourth


is at the end of the sign in latitude 20 degrees north. There is also one

star over its stomach in the twenty-sixth degree ; its latitude is 6 minutes

north.

Leo is one of the signs of fire, male, diurnal, east of the signs of

summer, remaining in one place because time is stationary in it; its

hours are longer than the normal ones ; it is direct in its ascents, which

are long; its nature is scorching hot and destructive; its beginning is

rather warm, its center is very destructive causing sickness, and its end

stirs up winds. When it is north it is scorching hot, and if it is south

it is moist. It appears on a figure which is quadruped and has hoofs,

and is moving; its limbs are cleft and it has half a voice; at the left

part of it is the orient together with the east wind ; its nature is warm

and dry ; its humor is the blood ; its flavor is the bitter and the sharp ;

its colors comprise saffron and russet; its share of the wild animals

includes the lions, tigers, hyenas, bears, and wolves ; its metals embrace

gold, silver, precious stones, the stone which pierces precious stones

called diamond and the stone which attracts straw called magnet, and

all work of fire. To its area correspond the fourth region, Bagdad,

Persia, Turkey as far as the end of the inhabitable land, Naisabur,

Tarsus, every place difficult to scale, every oppressed land, the royal

palaces, the strong fortresses, every mountain high and rugged, and

every place exposed to the wind. Its letters are he and qof. Its years

and likewise its months are 19, its days number 47%, and its hours 23.

In the first face there will ascend a bear and a dog with a bow and half

a ship on its back. There are also its sailors, the head of a black beast,

the head of a horse, and the head of an ass. The wise men of India say

that there will then arise a large tree on whose branches are found a

dog and a bird called vulture, and a man wearing clothing, which is

valuable although dirty, and wishing to beat his own father. There will

also go up the master of the horse which looks to the left. In the

opinion of Ptolemy there will then ascend the neck of Ursa Major and

its left hand, the head of the lion, the neck of the warrior, and a half

of the ship. In the second face there will arise a figure with his hands

lifted up; he utters loud cries, he plays music, and he dances. Then

there will come up two vessels of wine, a glass goblet, musical instru-

ments made of deer's horns, the other half of the ship, the eye of the

wild beast, half of the horse, and half of the ass. The wise men of

India affirm that there will then arise an individual with a fine nose who

wears on his head something like a crown of white myrtle and in whose

hand there is a bow ; he is angry and, in his anger, he resembles a lion ;

he is wrapped in a cloak the color of a lion. In the judgment of Ptolemy

there will go up the shoulder of Ursa Major and his right foot, the


neck of the lion, the middle of the warrior, and the bow of the ship.

In the third face there will ascend the figure of a young man whose

duty it is to lead animals; in his hand he carries a stick; he guides a

cart in which there is seated a man together with a small child; in his

left hand he carries a garment. Then there will go up the raven, half

of the black beast, the last part of the horse, and the last part of the

ass. The wise men of India teach that there will then ascend an ugly,

laborious, intelligent Moor; his mouth is full of dainty things, and he

holds meat in his hand. According to Ptolemy there will arise in it the

figure of Ursa Major, the middle part of the lion, and a part of the

strong warrior. He who is born under this sign will have a fine body;

he will be reddish ; his eyes will be like those of a cat ; he will be valiant

and irascible ; he will have a keen appearance ; his legs will be thin ; he

will be an educated and clever man, having sensuous lust; he will be

generous, impotent, peremptory in his word, very melancholy, relying

upon himself in case of danger, and tending towards contrariness. His

nature is that of wolves, very gluttonous and fond of all food. The

horoscope of women prognosticates modesty. He who is born in the

first face will have a beautiful body and countenance; his complexion

will be reddish; he will be blear-eyed; his chest and alsÃ´ his legs will

be erect; he will be sick in the upper part of the stomach; he will be

well known among men and modest while associating with kings. He

who is born in the second face will have a prepossessing body, wide

chest, small testicles and legs; he will be bald, and will be sick in his

diaphragm; he will be honored by his people, and he will be magnani-

mous. He who is born in the third face will be rather short in stature ;

hcwill have whiteness and vermilion ; his voice will be powerful ; he will

be fond of women; he will have many friends and enemies, and abun-

dant aihnents. He who is born at the end of the sign will be repulsive

and full of defects. To its anatomical part correspond the chest, the

heart, the cardiac part of the stomach, the diaphragm, the back, the

loins, the ribs, and the nape. In the opinion of the wise men of Egypt

the sickness characteristic of Saturn is that of the genitalia, of Jupiter

that of the testicles, of Mars that of the heart, of the Sun that of the

head, of Venus that of the chest, of Mercury that of the arms, of the

Moon that of the neck. It also denotes the eyesight and the pylorus.

Its diseases are those which occur in the aforementioned parts of the

anatomy. To its part of mankind correspond the kings, princes, nobles,

those who carve gold and silver and precious stones, and those who

exercise any useful trade. It comprises the house of the Sun and the

house of the hatred of Saturn. In it no planet has honor or dishonor.

There the place of the aphelion of Mars is in the twelfth degree at the


present time. The ruler of the triplicity by day is the Sun followed by

Jupiter and by night it is Jupiter followed by the Sun, and their satel-

lite by day and by night is Saturn. In the opinion of the Egyptians and

Babylonians the first face befalls Saturn, the second Jupiter, and the

third Mars ; but, according to the doctrine of the wise men of India, the

first face corresponds to the Sun, the second to Jupiter, and the third

to Mars. In the judgment of the Egyptians and astrolpgers the limits

are as follows : to Jupiter 6 degrees, to Venus 6, to Mercury 6, to Saturn

7, to Mars 6 ; but according to Ptolemy they are : to Saturn 6, to Mer-

cury 7, to Venus 6, to Mars 6, to Jupiter 5. The beginning of the

novera corresponds to Mars, the second to Venus, the third to Mer-

cury, the fourth to the Moon, the fifth to the Sun, the sixth to Mercury,

the s< venth to Venus, the eighth to Mars, the ninth to Jupiter. The

begin:iing of the power of the twelve signs belongs to the Sun, the

second to Mercury, the third to Venus, the fourth to Mars, the fifth to

Jupittr, the sixth and the seventh to Saturn, the eighth to Jupiter, the

ninth to Mars, the tenth to Venus, the eleventh to Mercury, and the

twelfth to the Moon. From the beginning of the sign until the end

there are 7 bright degrees, then 3 neutral, then 6 dark, then 5 which are

blank, then 9 bright. From the beginning of the sign until the end there

are 5 male degrees, then 2 female, then 6 male, then 10 female, and

then 7 male. The Ara of the stars comprises the degrees 7, 13, 15, 22,

23, and 28. The degrees which enhance grace and honor are 2, 5, 7,

and 17. Among the upper stars there is found the neck of the warrior,

which is in the sixteenth degree at this moment ; its latitude is 20 degrees

south ; it belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunction of Saturn

and Venus. There appears the heart of the lion, which is in the twenty-

eighth degree at the present time; its latitude is 10 minutes north; it

belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter ;

it is one of the ominous stars. There is also a star called the back of

the lion, which is at the end of the sign at present; its latitude is 13

degrees and 40 minutes north, and it is in the second magnitude of the

conjunction of Saturn and Venus.

Virgo is one of the signs of the earth, female, belonging to the night,

south of the signs of summer; it has two bodies; its hours are longer

than the normal ones ; at its end the day and the night become equal in

all zones ; it is erect in its ascents, which are long. Its nature f orecasts

destruction through its excessive aridity; nevertheless at its inception

there is moisture, and it stirs up a tempest ; its central part is variable,

and its end is dry. When it is north it gives rise to wind, and when it

is south it is changeable. It appears as a figure of a man and as a figure

of a bird, and it has a powerful voice. To the right of it is the south


with the south wind ; its nature is cold and dry ; it provokes melancholy ;

its particular odors are those of bitterness and astringency ; its shade of

colors includes white, purple, and dust-color. Its group in the animal

kingdom embraces man and birds, and in the vegetable kingdom every

small crop which is not irrigated, for example, wheat, barley, beans, and

all kinds of grains. It covers the second zone, the land of Aljeremica,

the Euphrates river, Bosporus, and Greece, and among the places every

seeded land, the harems, and the orchards. Its letters are vav and zayin.

Its years and its months are 20, its days 7, and its hours 4. In the first

face a beautiful damsel will rise up with long hair and with ears of

corn in her hand; she sits on a chair, and she feeds a small child by

nursing and by weaning. A man seated on the same chair will also

mount up. Then there will ascend the star, called the ear of corn behind

the wild animal, the raven's head, and the lion's head. The wise men

of India say that there then arises a girl wrapped in a cloak and wear-

ing old clothes, with a cruet in her hand and myrtle about her, and she

wants to go to her father's home. According to Ptolemy there will then

come up a part of the dragon's tail, the rear and the paws and the tail

of the bear, the goblet near the warrior's head, and a part of his body.

In the second face a figure will rise up, striking its palms and singing.

Likewise there will go up a man who has only half a figure, with a head

similar to that of an ox, and holding half of a nude man in his hand.

Then there will also ascend the half of a beam at the head of which

there is a harrow ; with it he plows the land. There then arises the tail

of the black beast and the central part of the lion. The wise men of

India say that a Moor, who is completely hirsute, then mounts up; on

him are three garments, of which one is made of leather, the second

of silk, and the other is a red mantle; in one hand he holds what he

needs for writing, and in the other hand he has tablets for counting.

In the opinion of Ptolemy there will then arise a part of the tail of the

dragon, the tail of the big bear, the head and shoulder of the virgin, and

the head of the raven with its beak and wings. In the third face there

will ascend the remaining half of the semi-figure, the second half of the

nude man, the second half of the beam, the tail of the lion, two oxen,

and the half of a herdsman. The sages of India posit that there will

arise a white woman, who is self-laudatory ; she wears a dyed mantle,

has leprous hands, and prays to God. In Ptolemy's opinion there will

then go up a part of the dragon's tail, the end of the big bear's tail, the

shoulder of the southern monkey with a part of its stomach, the stomach

of the raven, and the foot of the wild beast. The human being who will

be born then will be attractive in his posture ; he will have an erect and

good-looking body; he will be learned and intelligent; his hair will not


be curly; he will be an advocate of justice; he will have a powerful

voice; he will be impotent; he will have a kind soul; his face will be

pleasing; he will be a writer, and will be an expert in mathematics. He

who is born in the second face will have a winsome appearance; his

eyes will be small; his nostrils will be pretty; he will be a well-bred,

candid man endowed with magnanimity and fond of receiving compli-

ments. He who is born in the third face will have a beautiful appear-

ance; he will be educated, truly intelligent, humble, and wise. Its ana-

tomical parts include the stomach, the intestines, and the diaphragm.

The ailments allotted to it are all those which occur in the aforemen-

tioned parts and any disease due to melancholy. In the opinion of the

wise men of Egypt the sickness attributable to Saturn is that of the

testicles, to Jupiter that of the knees, to Mars that of the stomach, to

the Sun that of the neck, to Venus that of the heart, to Mercury that

of the chest, to the Moon that of the arms. Its group of mankind em-

braces the intermediaries, the writers, the sages, the mathematicians,

the geometers, the women, the eunuchs, and the most capable exponents

of mockery. The house of Mercury and likewise its dignity are in degree

15, the dishonor of Venus and the house of the hatred of Jupiter are in

degree 27, and the house of its zenith at the present time is in degree

23. The rulers of the triplicity by day are Venus and then the Moon

and by night the Moon and then Venus, and their satellite by day and

by night is Mars. According to the Egyptians and the Babylonians the

first face corresponds to the Sun, the second to Venus, the third to

Mercury; but in the judgment of the men of India the first befalls

Mercury, the second Saturn, and the third Venus. In the doctrine of

the Egyptians and the astrologers the limits are as follows : to Mercury

7 degrees, to Venus 10, to Jupiter 4, to Mars 7, to Saturn 2 ; but in the

opinion of Ptolemy they are : to Mercury 7 and to Venus 6. The begin-

ning of the novena and the second one belong to Saturn, the third to

Jupiter, the fourth to Mars, the fifth to Venus, the sixth to Mercury,

the seventh to the Moon, the eighth to the Sun, and the ninth to Mer-

cury. The beginning of the power of the twelve signs corresponds to

Mercury, the second to Venus, the third to Mars, the fourth to Jupiter,

the fifth and the sixth to Saturn, the seventh to Jupiter, the eighth to

Mars, the ninth to Venus, the tenth to Mercury, the eleventh to the

Moon, and the twelfth to the Sun. From the inception of the sign until

its decline there are five neutral degrees, then 4 bright, then 2 that are

blank, then 7 bright, and then 10 neutral; from the beginning of the

sign until its decline there are 7 female degrees, then 5 male, then 8

female and 10 male. The Ara of the stars is constituted by the degrees

2, 13, 16, 21, and 25. The degrees which enhance grace and honor are


2, 5, 17, and 20. Among the superior planets the lion's neck occurs in

the tenth degree at present; its latitude is 11 degrees north, and it be-

longs to the fÃ¯rst magnitude of the conjunction of Saturn and Venus.

There is also a star in the degree mentioned, but its latitude is 25 degrees

north and it is in the second magnitude of the conjunction of Saturn

and Venus. There are also two dark stars between the bear and the

lion; one is now in the eleventh degree in latitude 20 degrees and 40

minutes, and the other is in the same degree but its latitude is 25 yÃ®

degrees.

Libra is one of the signs of the air, male, diurnal, occidental, one of

the signs of winter, and variable. At its beginning the day and night

are equal, but the night starts to grow longer and the day to grow

shorter; its hours are shorter than the normal ones, and it is straight

in its long ascents. Its nature is warm and moist, but it is not diluted

well. It forecasts every dense air and mixture of winds and rising

cloud which destroys the living beings. In general it varies, but its

beginning and center are better than its end. When it is north it causes

winds, and when it is south it produces moisture. It appears as the

ligure of a man alone. In its part are the western heart and the southern

wind. Its nature is warm and moist, and to it belongs blood. Its savor

is sweet, and its colors are the green and the color of dust. Among the

living it has man and every bird with a big head, and in the vegetable

kingdom it has the high trees. Its area includes the fifth zone, the land

of Edom from Rome until Africa, a part of Ethiopia, the sea of Barka,

Sistan, Cabul, Tiberias, Balkh, and Hamadan. In its sphere also fall

all that which is planted on mountain peaks, every weak land, every

lofty place, and every site for markets and commerce. Its letters are

the het and the sin. Its years and likewise its days are 20, and its hours

16. In the first face there will ascend the countenance of an irascible

man, with a balance in his left hand and the book of Hagiographa in

his right hand. Behind him a man will mount up riding on a horse and

singing. There will also arise the dragon's head and the beginning of

the golden sea, which the wise men of Persia call Ursa Major. Then

there will go up a part of the ship. In the opinion of the sages of India

there will then go up a man who is in a shop in a market ; in his hand

he holds scales, and he wishes to buy and sell. Ptolemy declared that

there will then ascend the middle of the tail of the great bear, and half

of the body of the virgin, its left palm in which there is an ear of corn,

the tail of the raven, a part of the tail of the warrior, a part of the tail

of the horse, and its rear. In the second face there will arise a person

who drives a cart, in which there is a man holding a stick in his hand ;

with him there is another individual who wears silk clothing and is


seated on a bed. Likewise there will go up a small boy, half of the ship,

half of the dragon, half of the great bear, and also a fountain. The

wise men of India maintain that there then arises a man with a face of

an eagle, nude, thirsty, and eager to fly through the air. According to

Ptolemy there will then ascend the tail of the dragon, a part of the tail

of the great bear, and the fringes of the dress of the virgin. There will

arise in the third face the end of the ship, the end of the sea of gold,

and the head of the nude man with his hand over his head. There is

also a crown over the head of two individuals, and in the head of each

one are two horns. In the opinion of the wise men of India there arises

also a man whose face resembles that of a horse, and he has in his hand

a bow and arrows. According to Ptolemy there arises also a part of

the dragon's tail, its hands, its arms, its right knee, a part of the fringes

of the virgin's dress, and her feet. The general horoscope for him who

is born under this sign is that his limbs will be straight, his speech will

be pleasant, he will be a sensible and well-bred person, his hands will be

capable of plying any trade, he will be a musician and he will know how

to compose songs, he will be fond of women, he will enjoy hunting, he

will be reliable and noble, and his body will be cleaner than his face.

Some of them will be negroes. He who is born in the first face will

have a beautiful countenance, he will have a wound in his head, he will

feel a smarting pain either in his hand or in his foot, he will suffer from

overwork, and he will be humble and refined. He who is born in the

second face will have an attractive body, countenance, and stature, his

eyes and sides will be deformed, and he will be liberal and affable. He

who is born in the third face will also have a good-looking body, a win-

some countenance, and defective vision; he will be well-known and

respected by his people. He who is born at the end of the sign will be

hermaphrodite or androgynous. To its anatomical section corresponds

all that which is below the stomach near the genitalia. Its particular

ailments include astringency of the urine, hemorrhage, and amblyopia.

Its portion of human beings embraces the business men, judges, mathe-

maticians, singers, merchants, and those who deal in food and beverages.

The house of Venus and the dignity of Saturn are in degree 21, the

shame of the Sun is in degree 19, and the house of the hatred of Mars

and its aphelion are in degree 24 at the present time. In the opinion of

the Egyptian sages the sickness characteristic of Saturn is that of the

knees, of Jupiter that of the legs, of Mars that of the lower part of

the stomach, of the Sun that of the hands, of Venus that of the Joins,

of Mercury that of the heart, of the Moon that of the chest. The mas-

ters of the triplicity by day are Saturn and then Mercury and by night

Mercury and then Saturn, while their satellite by day and by night is


Jupiter. The notion of the Egyptians and Babylonians is that the first

face corresponds to the Moon, the second to Saturn, and the third to

Jupiter; but the sages of India declare that the first corresponds to

Venus, the second to Saturn, and the third to Mercury. According

to the Egyptians and the astrologers the limits are as f ollows : to Saturn

6 degrees, to Mercury 8, to Jupiter 7, to Venus 7, and to Mars 2 ; but

in the judgment of Ptolemy they are: to Saturn 6, to Venus 5, to

Jupiter 8, to Mercury 5, and to Mars 6. The beginning of the novena

belongs to Venus, the second to Mars, the third to Jupiter, the fourth

and the fifth to Saturn, the sixth to Jupiter, the seventh to Mars, the

eighth to Venus, and the ninth to Mercury. The beginning of the force

of the twelve signs corresponds to Venus, the second to Mars, the third

to Jupiter, the fourth and fifth to Saturn, the sixth to Jupiter, the

seventh to Mars, the eighth to Venus, the ninth to Mercury, the tenth

to the Moon, the eleventh to the Sun, and the twelfth to Mercury. From

the beginning of the sign until the end there are 5 bright degrees, then

5 neutral, then 8 bright, then 3 neutral, then 7 bright, and then 2 that

are blank. From the inception of the sign until the declination there are

5 male degrees, then 5 f emale, then 11 male, then 7 f emale, and finally 2

male. The Ara of the stars comprises the degrees 1, 7, 20, and 30. The

degrees which augment grace and honor are 3, 5, and 21. Among the

superior stars there is found the unarmed support, known as Samach

Alazel; it is in the twelfth degree now; its latitude is 2 degrees south;

it belongs to the first magnitude of the conjunction of Venus and Mer-

cury. There is also the lance, which is called Samach Alremach; it is

in the thirteenth degree at present; its latitude is 31J^ degrees north; it

belongs to the first magnitude of the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars.

Finally there is a brilliant star at the end of the sign ; its latitude is 44^Â£

degrees north ; it is in the first magnitude of the conjunction of Venus

and Mercury.

Scorpio is one of the aquatic signs, female, nocturnal, north among

the winter signs ; it always f ollows the same course ; its hours are shorter

than the normal ones ; it is direct in its ascensions, which are long. It

forecasts humidity, which is not definite; there is in it a variation in

quality, which is of slight use to the living. In a general way it causes

thunder and lightning. Its beginning is moist and variable ; its central

part is diluted ; its end stirs up tempests. When it is north, it is humid ;

when it is south, it is cold. It appears as a scorpion. In its domain occur

the left part of the north, the north wind, and the humor which controls

man. Its special flavor is rather salty and insipid. Its characteristic

colors are red, green, and the color of dust. Among the living beings

it has the scorpions, the wild animals, the reptiles, and the aquatic ani-


mals ; and all flowing waters, the seas, and every aquatic plant such as

coral ; and among the things that grow, the trees of average height. Its

area covers the third zone, Sheba, Arabia, Sanah, and Cyprus. It shares

in the vineyards and orchards, with the exception of any place giving

f orth a stench and every deserted spot. Its characteristic letters are tet

and sin. Its years and months total 15, its days 37, and its hours 4. In

the first face there will arise the hind part of a horse, the posteriors of

an ox, and a negro with a stick in his hand. The wise men of India

say that a form of a beautiful woman will rise up, who has a reddish

body and who is eating. According to Ptolemy there will ascend the

hand of Ursa Major, the head and right paw of the dog, and half of

Libra. In the second face there will arise a naked man, half of a horse,

and half of the ox. The sages of India maintain that a woman mounts

up who was nude when she left her home ; she has nothing on, and she

plunges into the sea. In the opinion of Ptolemy there will ascend the

hand of Ursa Minor, a part of the dragon's tail, the boreal crown, the

testicles and feet of Libra, and the crown of Scorpio. In the third face

there will go up the beginning of the horse, the bearer of the hare, and

the head of Taurus. The learned men of India say that there will then

arise a dog, two pigs, a big leopard with a white mane, and a kind of

venison. In Ptolemy's judgment there will come up the form of Ursa

Minor, the foot and shoulder and right arm of him who walks on his

knees, the stomach of Scorpio, and the head of the censer. The man

who is born in it will be rather dark, hirsute, and sometimes rubicund

according to the power of the aspect of the stars at the moment his

horoscope is cast; his eyes will be normal, but they will be small; his

legs will be long, and his feet will be big; he will be fast and agile in

his gait; his face will be large, his forehead narrow, and his shoulder

wide ; he will be homely ; he will have neither a voice nor an enunciation

pleasant ; he will have many children ; he will be destructive, deceit-

ful, irascible, a prevaricator, a calumniator, melancholy, generous, re-

fined, unreliable, and astute. He who is born in the first face will be

rather attractive ; he will have a mark on his head ; his eyes will be like

those of a cat, and he will have a wide chest. Sometimes he will have

a mark on his left foot or on his right hand. He will be an educated,

sensible man, glib in his speech. He who is born in the second face will

have a large head and a rather pretty shape ; he will have a mark on his

pudenda or on his back; he will be well bred and loquacious. He who

is born in the third face will be short in stature; his eyes will look

askance ; he will be fond of gluttony and of women, and he will be very

dejected. He who is born at the end of the sign will be a bastard or a

hermaphrodite. To its share of the indecent places correspond the


secret place and the sexual organs of males and females. It is one of

the signs of deformities since it denotes defective vision, scurvy, the

sickness called cancer, scabies, leprosy, pock-marks, and baldness. For

women its horoscope is baleful. From degree 21 to degree 24 it points

to a defect in the eyesight. Its human group embraces every perverted,

despicable man. The house of Mars and the shame of the Moon are in

the third degree, and likewise the house of the hatred of Venus. The

rulers of the triplicity by day are Venus and then Mars and by night

Mars and then Venus, and their satellite by day and by night is the

Moon. According to the teachers of Egypt, the disease peculiar to

Saturn is in the legs, to Jupiter in the feet, to Mars in the genitalia,

to the Sun in the heart, to Venus in the intestines, to Mercury in the

stomach, to the Moon in the upper part of the stomach. In the opinion

of the wise men of Egypt and of Babylonia the first face belongs to

Mars, the second to the Sun, and the third to Venus ; but the wise men

of India declare that the first belongs to Mars, the second to Jupiter,

and the third to the Moon. The limits, following the Egyptians and

the astrologers, are: to Mars 7 degrees, to Venus 4, to Mercury 8, to

Jupiter 5, to Saturn 6; but according to Ptolemy they are: to Mars 6,

to Mercury 6, to Jupiter 7, to Venus 7, to Saturn 5. The beginning of

the novena corresponds to the Moon, the second to the Sun, the third

to Mercury, the fourth to Venus, the fifth to Mars, the sixth to Jupiter,

the seventh and eighth to Saturn, and the ninth to Jupiter. The begin-

ning of the power of the twelve signs belongs to Mars, the second to

Jupiter, the third and the fourth to Saturn, the fifth to Jupiter, the

sixth to Mars, the seventh to Venus, the eighth to Mercury, the ninth

to the Moon, the tenth to the Sun, the eleventh to Mercury, and the

twelfth to Venus. From the beginning of the sign until the end there

are 3 neutral degrees, then 5 bright, then 6 blank, then 6 bright, then 2

dark, then 5 bright, and then 3 neutral. From the beginning of the sign

until the fourth degree they are male, then come 6 female, then 4 male,

then 5 female, then 8 male, and then 3 female. The Ara of the stars is

constituted by degrees 9, 10, 17, 22, 23, and 27. The degrees which

augment grace and honor are 7, 12, and 20. Among the elevated stars

the horn of Scorpio is in the seventh degree at present; its latitude is~

8J4 degrees north; it belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunc-

tion of Jupiter and Venus. There is also a star called the foot of Hydra ;

it is now in the sixteenth degree ; its latitude is 41 degrees and 10 min-

utes south; it is in the first magnitude of the conjunction of Mars and

Jupiter. Finally there is the heart of Scorpio in the twenty-eighth degree

at this time; its latitude is three degrees south; it falls in the second

magnitude of the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter.

13


Sagittarius is one of the signs of fire, male, diurnal, west of the signs

of winter, it has two bodies, and its hours are shorter than the normal

ones ; at its beginning the time of the hours of the day tends to lengthen,

and the time of the hours of the night tends to decrease in all regions ;

it is direct in its ascensions, which are long. Its nature is warm and

dry, destroying the living beings and the plants. In general it is windy ;

its beginning is damp, cold, and cloudy ; its middle is mild ; its end is as

hot as fire. When it is north it is dry, and when it is south it is moist.

It has two forms: one half has the form of a man and the other half

has the form of a horse. In its right part is the orient with the east

wind. Its savors are bitter and acrid ; it stirs up blood ; its characteristic

colors are yellow, reddish, and dust-color. Its group of living beings

includes man, the horse, the bird, the wild animals, and the reptiles.

In the metal kingdom it takes in lead and, among the stones, the one

called emerald. It covers the second zone, the land of Rages, Ispahan,

and all mountains, and it has a share in the orchards, in every place for

irrigation, in the places for horses and oxen, and every smooth stone.

Its letters are yod and tav. Its years and months are 12, its days 30,

and its hours 12. In the first face there will ascend the form of a nude

man who has turned around and who has a raven on his head. There

will also ascend there the body of the bitch and the head of a goat.

The wise men of India say that there will then go up a nude man, who

has a human form from his head to his navel and who resembles a horse

from his navel down; in his hand he has a bow and arrow, and he

shouts. In the words of Ptolemy there will arise the neck of the little

bear, a part of the dragon's tail, the rump, nape, and head of the one

that walks on his knees, the end of Scorpio, and the knots in the tail

and body of Ara. In the second face a figure will mount up, which holds

in its right hand the horns of Capricornus, followed by the wolf's head,

half of the hare, half of the ship, the first half of the fish known as the

dolphin, and half of the lizard. The sages of India declare that there

will then arise the figure of a beautiful woman, covered with hair, wear-

ing garments and ear-rings, and having in front of her an open chest

in which there are golden jewels. In the opinion of Ptolemy there will

then arise the stomach of the little bear, a part of the dragon's body, a

part of his head, the knee, foot, and left arm of the one that walks on

his knees, a part of the body of the wild animal, the arrow and its quiver,

and a part of the austral crown. In the third face there will ascend the

form of a dog, the end of the wolf's body, the body of the hare, the rest

of the lion's body, the second half of the ship, the rest of the fish called

dolphin, the lizard's tail, and half of the great bear. The wise men of

India affirm that a man will then mount up who has a golden appear-


ance ; in his hand he holds a kind of wooden ear-ring, and he is covered

with a cloak made of the bark of trees. According to Ptolemy there

will then arise the middle of the body of the little bear, a part of the

dragon's body together with its occiput, a part of the body of the fall-

ing eagle, the head, shoulder, and foot of Sagittarius, and the austral

crown. The man who is born in it will have an erect stature; he will

be ruddy; he will have long testicles and fat legs; he will be jovial,

strong, and generous ; his f orehead will be sharp, and likewise his beard ;

he will have little hair and a large stomach ; he will be agile in jumping ;

he will be fond of horses, and will be a geometer; he will be sly and

inconsistent; he will have a weak voice and few children. He who is

born in the first face will be beautiful and will have nice features; his

posture will be erect ; he will uphold what is good, and he will associate

with kings and magnates. He who is born in the second face will have

an elegant body, although his countenance will have the color of saffron

and his eyelids will be stuck together, and he will have a mark on his

chest. He who is born in the third face will be tall; he will have a

charming countenance; his eyes will resemble those of a cat; his chest

will be broad; he will be strong; he will have a mark over his left foot;

he will be modest, helpful, and well-bred. He who is born at the end

of the sign will be a libertine. In general this sign prognosticates a just

man. To its anatomical part correspond the testicles, the larynx, and

any superfluous member such as an extra finger. Its sicknesses include

blindness, fever, falling from a high place, and the diseases which are

caused by the venom of serpents and vipers or by cutting a limb ; from

degree 15 until degree 18 it denotes defective vision. Its human group

embraces the judges, servants of God, philanthropists, people imbued

with mercy, interpreters of dreams, archers, and merchants. The house

of Jupiter and the dignity of the dragon's tail are in degree 3 ; the house

of the hatred of Mercury and the place of the aphelion of Saturn are

now in degree 12 ; the place of the nadir of the Sun and of Venus is in

degree 27 at present. According to the wise men of Egypt the sickness

peculiar to Saturn is in the feet, that of Jupiter is in the head, that of

Mars is in the testicles, that of the Sun is in the heart, that of Venus

is in the genitalia, that of Mercury is in the intestines, and that of the

Moon is in the stomach. The rulers of the triplicity by day are the Sun

and then Jupiter and by night Jupiter and then the Sun, their satellite

by day and by night being Saturn. In the opinion of the Egyptians and

the Babylonians the first face corresponds to Mercury, the second to

the Moon, and the third to Saturn; but the wise men of India affirm

that the first corresponds to Jupiter, the second to Mars, and the third to

the Sun. The limits according to the Egyptians and astrologers are as


follows: to Jupiter 12 degrees, to Venus 5, to Mercury 4, to Saturn 5,

and to Mars 4; but in the judgment of Ptolemy they are: to Jupiter 8,

to Venus 6, to Mercury 5, to Saturn 6, and to Mars 5. The beginning

of the novena belongs to Mars, the second to Venus, the third to Mer-

cury, the fourth to the Moon, the fifth to the Sun, the sixth to Mercury,

the seventh to Venus, the eighth to Mars, and the ninth to Jupiter. The

beginning of the power of the twelve signs corresponds to Jupiter, the

second and the third to Saturn, the fourth to Jupiter, the fifth to Mars,

the sixth to Venus, the seventh to Mercury, the eighth to the Moon, the

ninth to the Sun, the tenth to Mercury, the eleventh to Venus, and the

twelfth to Mars. From the start of the sign until the end there are 9

bright degrees, then 3 neutral, then 7 bright, then 4 dark, and then 7

blank. Likewise from the inception of the sign until its declination there

are 2 male degrees, then 3 female, then 7 male, then 12 female, and then

6 male. The Ara of the stars is composed of degrees 7, 12, 15, 24, 27,

and 30. The degrees which enhance grace and honor are 13 and 20.

Among the dark stars the star which follows the tail of Scorpio is now

in degree 16, and its latitude is 13 degrees and 15 minutes south; the

star which is called arrow is in degree 18 at present, and its latitude is

6 degrees and 20 minutes south; then there is the star known as the

marksman's eye, which is at the end of the sign at the present time,

and its latitude is 45 minutes north.

Capricornus is one of the signs of the earth, female, nocturnal, south

of the signs of the cold days, and variable. In it the hours of the day

begin to grow longer and the hours of the night grow shorter, and its

hours are shorter than the normal ones. Its nature is cold, dry, and

destructive ; its beginning seems to be warm and damp, its middle mild,

its end rainy, no matter whether it be north or south. It is oblique ; its

ascensions are short ; it is incomplete in its operations ; it has two figures

and two natures; its first half has the form of a land animal which has

hoofs, and its other half has the form of an aquatic animal. Its humor

is melancholy; its savor is bitter and sour; its shade of color is black

and dust-color. Its group in the animal kingdom includes every quad"

ruped having hoofs, some of the aquatic animals in addition to the

worms, fleas, and Aies ; in the vegetable kingdom it has the olive-trees,

walnut-trees, carob-trees, gall-nuts, every tree bearing many thorns, and

that which grows near lagoons, such as bamboos and reeds. Its area

covers the first zone, Ethiopia, Mabcan, Amman, Sind, India, Indies,

and the end of the border of the land of Idumea. Its places are the

gardens, every irrigated land, the fountains, rivers, reservoirs, the places

for keeping dogs and foxes, prisons, servants' quarters, the place where

the fire is kindled after it has been extinguished, the pasture-ground of


the sheep, and every place of mire in which nothing grows. Its letters

are kaf and het. Its years, as well as its months, amount to 27, its days

307^, and its hours 14. In the first face there will ascend the second

half of the great bear, the figure of a woman who is playing, the head

of a large fish, a fountain of impure water, the body and head of a

monkey, and the head of a dog. The wise men of India say that an

irascible Moor will then mount up whose body resembles that of a fat

pig ; he is hirsute ; his teeth are sharp and as long as beams ; he carries

the goad for the cattle, and he is fishing. In the opinion of Ptolemy

there will ascend in it the middle part and the neck of Ursa Minor and

the last part of the body of the falling eagle. In the second face a

woman will rise up, who is sitting on a bed and who has with her a vine-

stock and half of a cart. The wise men of India posit that a black

woman will then mount up covered with a mantle and holding a horse.

According to Ptolemy there will ascend the end of Ursa Minor, a part

of the dragon's body, the right wing and the neck and head of Cygnus,

the body of the flying eagle, the horns and head of Capricornus, and the

edges of Sagittarius. In the third face there will go up the tail of a fish,

the end of the impure fountain, the end of the monkey, the second half

of the cart, and a half of the decapitated figure which holds its head in

its hand. The sages of India maintain that a woman then rises up who

is beautiful although black, capable of performing any handiwork or

work in silk. According to Ptolemy there will also arise a part of the

dragon, the last part of the body and the right foot and the left wing

of Cygnus, the fish which is called dolphin, the central part of the body

of Capricornus, and the tail of the fish. The man who is born in it will

have an attractive body and an erect stature, but he will be austere, and

he will have a small head and thick cheeks ; he will have a pointed beard,

but he will not have any hair on his chest ; his voice will be weak ; he will

be irascible and destructive; he is endowed with education, deceit, and

great sorrow ; he is addicted to sexual intercourse and fornication ; he

will have a large offspring, including twins ; his actions are futile, and he

lacks energy ; he will acquire wealth through kings ; a serious mishap will

befall him because of women. He who is born in the first face will have

a pleasing body, a wide chest, and a black mark beneath his elbow ; he

will be intelligent, modest, refined, and magnanimous. He who is born

- in the second face will be prepossessing, with large nostrils and pretty

eyes ; his intention is evil ; he will be irascible but ingratiating. He who

is born in the third face will also have a beautiful body, but his counte"

nance will have a saffron color ; he will have a mark on his left arm or

on his pudenda ; he will be easily aroused to anger ; he will abhor evil

and long for women ; he will be refined and sociable. He who is born

182 THE, BEGINNING OF WISDOM

at the end of the sign will be a bastard. In general this sign is por-

tentous for the horoscope of women. Its anatomical part is the pudenda,

with all the diseases arising there. Its characteristic ailments are scabies,

pruritus, leprosy, muteness, deafness, fever, amblyopia, and hemorrhage,

and from degree 22 to 25 it denotes a cataract in the eye. Its human

beings comprise those who till the soil, the sailors, the intermediaries, and

the shepherds. The house of Saturn and the dignity of Mars are in

degree 28; the disgrace of Jupiter and the house of the hatred of the

Moon are in degree 15 ; the head of the dragon of Mercury is in degree

26. The ruler of the triplicity by day is Venus and then the Moon and

by night the Moon and then Venus, and their satellite by day and by

night is Mars. According to the Egyptians the sickness pertinent to

Jupiter is in the neck, to Mars in the knees, to the Sun in the stomach,

to Venus in the testicles, to Mercury in the genitalia, and to the Moon

in the intestines. According to the doctrine of the Egyptians and the

Babylonians the first face belongs to Jupiter, the second to Mars, and

the third to the Sun ; but in the opinion of the wise men of India the first

corresponds to Saturn, the second to Venus, and the third to Mercury.

Here are the limits according to the Egyptians and the astrologers:

to Mercury 7 degrees, to Jupiter 7, to Venus 8, to Saturn 4, to Mercury

4 ; but in the judgment of Ptolemy they are : to Venus 6, to Mercury 6,

to Jupiter 7, to Saturn 6, to Mars 5. The beginning and the second of

the novena belong to Saturn, the third to Jupiter, the fourth to Mars,

the fifth to Venus, the sixth to Mercury, the seventh to the Moon, the

eighth to the Sun, and the ninth to Mercury. The first and second of

the power of the twelve signs correspond to Saturn, the third to Jupiter,

the fourth to Mars, the fifth to Venus, the sixth to Mercury, the seventh

to the Moon, the eighth to the Sun, the ninth to Mercury, the tenth to

Venus, the eleventh to Mars, and the twelfth to Jupiter. From the

beginning of the sign until its declination there are 7 neutral degrees,

then 3 bright, then 5 dark, then 4 clear, then 2 neutral, then 4 blank,

and then 5 clear. From the inception of the sign until the end there are

11 male degrees, then 8 f emale, and then 11 male. The Ara of the stars

is formed by the degrees 2, 17, 22, 24, and 28. The degrees which

increase grace and honor are 13, 14, and 20. Among the superior

planets the f alling eagle comes in the third degree at present ; its latitude

is 62 degrees north ; it belongs to the first magnitude of the conjunction

of Venus and Mercury. The flying eagle is in the nineteenth degree

now ; its latitude is 29 degrees and 10 minutes north ; it is in the second

magnitude of the nature of Jupiter. There are also cloudy stars between

the degrees 7 and 13.

Aquarius is one of the signs of the air, male among the diurnal signs,


occidental among the signs of winter, stationary in its position ; its hours

are shorter than the normal ones ; it is oblique in its ascensions, which

are brief. Its nature is warm, moist, and destructive; it denotes every

air annihilating the living and any devastating, exterminating wind. Its

beginning is very damp ; its middle is mild ; its end stirs up winds ; when

it is north, it produces snow, and when it is south, it produces clouds.

It appears as a man all alone ; at its left is the occident, and the sea-wind

corresponds to it. Of the four humors it has the blood; its flavor is

sweet; its shade of color is green, saffron, and dust-color. Its group

embraces man, princes, and every homely person. Its area covers the

second zone, Ethiopia, Kufa, Alhaviza, and Egypt. Its places are the

running waters, the seas, the refuse-dumps, the wine-shops, the hilly

lands, the irrigated fields, and the brothels. To it corresponds also every

vessel in which one fetches water. Its typical letters are lamed and dalet.

Its years as well as its months amount to 30, its days 75, and its hours 6.

In the first face there will ascend the head of him who drives the horse

with his hand, and a bird with a black crest which catches fish. The wise

men of India affirm that a Moor, who is a coppersmith, will then mount

up. According to Ptolemy there will also ascend the end of the tail of

Ursa Minor, the paw of Cygnus, the head of the first horse, and the

rump and tail of Capricornus. In the second face there will arise the

body of the horse and the wing of the bird which catches fish. The

teachers of India say that a very dark Moor will then rise up who has

a long beard and who holds in his hand a bow, arrows, and bags con-

taining precious stones and gold. In the opinion of Ptolemy there will

then ascend the tail of Ursa Minor, the body and head of the second

horse, the beginning of Aquarius, and half of the belly of the austral

fish. In the third face there will come up Cygnus, the rear of him who

holds the horse with his hand, and the end of the bird which catches fish.

The sages of India say that an angry, deceitful Moor will then rise up,

who has hair in his ear and over whom there is a crown made of tree-

leaves, and who moves from place to place. According to Ptolemy there

will then ascend the tail of Ursa Minor, the body of the horse, the end of

Aquarius, and the head of the austral fish. The man who will be born

in it will be short of stature ; he will have a large head, and one f oot will

be bigger than the other; he will be magnanimous, attractive, and self-

laudatory ; his sole ambition is to increase his wealth ; he will either be

impotent or will have few children. He who is born in the first face

will have a beautiful body and countenance; he will have a mark on his

chest or on his lef t f oot ; he is a refined, gregarious person. He who is

born in the second face will be tall and ruddy ; he will have a mark on

his back and below his elbow ; he will be grieved all his life. He who is


born in the third face will bave a short stature, an attractive body, a

ruddy complexion, and a mark under his elbow, and he will be fond of

women. He who is born at the end of the sign will be inconsistent in

his appearance and in all his actions. With regard to the human body

it includes the legs and all their ailments, depression, black jaundice,

hernia of the organs, and, between degrees 20 and 25, defective vision.

Its human group embraces every downcast and afflicted individual,

sailors, and tanners. It is the house of Saturn and the house of the

hatred of the Sun; in it no planet has honor or disgrace; the place of

the nadir of Mars is in the twelfth degree right now. According to the

doctrine of the Egyptians the sickness attributable to Saturn falls in the

neck, to Jupiter in the hands, to Mars in the legs, to the Sun in the intes-

tines, to Venus in the knees, to Mercury in the testicles, and to the Moon

in the genitalia. The rulers of the triplicity by day are Saturn and then

Mercury and the reverse by night, and their satellite by day and by night

is Jupiter. In the opinion of the Egyptians and Babylonians the first

face corresponds to Venus, the second to Mercury, and the third to the

Moon; but according to the wise men of India the first belongs to

Saturn, the second to Mercury, and the third to Venus. In the doctrine

of the Egyptians and astrologers the limits are as follows: to Mercury

7 degrees, to Venus 6, to Jupiter 7, to Mars 5, and to Saturn 5; but

Ptolemy claims they are: to Saturn 6, to Mercury 6, to Venus 8, to

Jupiter 5, and to Mars 5. The beginning of the novena corresponds to

Venus, the second to Mars, the third to Jupiter, the fourth and the fifth

to Saturn, the sixth to Jupiter, the seventh to Mars, the eighth to Venus,

and the ninth to Mercury. The beginning of the influence of the twelve

signs corresponds to Saturn, the second to Jupiter, the third to Mars,

the fourth to Venus, the fifth to Mercury, the sixth to the Moon, the

seventh to the Sun, the eighth to Mercury, the ninth to Venus, the tenth

to Mars, the eleventh to Jupiter, and the twelfth to Saturn. From the

beginning until the end of the sign there are 4 dark degrees, then 5

bright, then 4 neutral, then 8 bright, then 4 blank, and then 5 bright.

Likewise from the inception of the sign until its declination there are

5 male degrees, then 7 female, then 6 male, then 7 female, and then 5

male. The Ara of the stars is formed by degrees 1, 12, 17, 22, and 29.

The degrees which increase grace and honor are 7, 16, 17, and 20.

Among the elevated stars the mouth of the austral fish is in the twenty-

third degree at the present time ; its latitude is 23 degrees and 20 minutes

south; it is in the first magnitude of the conjunction of Venus and

Mercury. There is also another star called Alradaf, which is in the tail

of Cygnus and in the twenty-fif th degree at present ; its latitude is sixty

degrees north ; it belongs to the second magnitude of the conjunction of


Venus and Mercury. Finally there are 4 dark stars in the horse's head

lying between degrees 12 and 14.

Pisces is one of the aquatic signs, female, nocturnal, north of the

cold signs. It has two bodies. When it declines the day equals the

night; its hours are shorter than the normal ones; it is oblique in its

ascensions, which are short. Its limbs are severed. It gives rise to cold

and dampness, annihilating the living beings and the plants. It points to

every fetid body of water. In general it stirs up winds. Its beginning

is mild; its center is cold; its end is rather warm. When it is north it

generates winds, and when it is south it generates water. It appears

as a fish. In it are the right part of the north and the north wind which

is between the north and the west. Its nature is cold and moist. It puts

bad phlegm into the human body. Its savor is salty and insipid. Its

special shade of color is green, white, and changeable. Among the living

it has the aquatic animals, all plants which grow in the water, bdellium,

corals, and onyx stones. Its area covers the second zone, the country of

Sheba, Tiberias, and the northern territory in the land of Gira, besides

having a share in Idumea and Alexandria. Its places comprise the syna-

gogues, the banks of all rivers, and the ponds. Its characteristic letters

are mem and tsade. Both its years and months amount to 12, its days

30, and its hours 12. It is speechless, and has a large progeny. In the

first face there will arise a half of a horse which has two wings, the

beginning of the river, and the tail of the fish called crocodile. The wise

men of India say that in the first face there will ascend a man dressed

in desirable clothing, who holds an iron vessel in his hand and who is

going home. In the opinion of Ptolemy a part of the tail of Ursa Minor,

the intestines of the second horse, and the beginning of the first fish

will mount up. In the second face there will go up a half of the river

and the second half of him who moves on his knees. The learned men

of India say that a winsome white woman will then rise up, who is

seated on a ship at sea and who wishes to land. According to Ptolemy

there will then ascend the tail of Ursa Minor, the hand of the woman

who sits on the chair, the shoulder of the woman who never had a hus-

band, the head of the woman who is joined to the horse, and the tip of

the fish. In the third face there will arise the end of the river, the end

of the fish called crocodile, and the remainder of him who moves on his

knees. The wise men of India say that a nude man will then mount up ;

he has put his f oot on his stomach, he holds a lance in his hand, and he

shouts through fear of robbers and of fire. In the opinion of Ptolemy

there will then arise the end of the tail of Ursa Minor, the middle of

the back of the woman seated on the chair, the breast of the woman

who has never known a man sexually, a part of the threads of flax, and


the rear of the serpent. The human being who is born in it will have

an erect and medium-sized body, a white complexion, a broad chest, an

attractive beard, a serene forehead, and eyes that are black rather than

white. Some of the persons will have a limb amputated. He will in-

dulge f reely in sleeping, gluttony, and inebriety. He will not be peremp-

tory, but he will be irascible, polite, deceitful, and will have a weak

voice. He who is born in the first face will have a beautiful shape and

countenance, a narrow chest, and a mark under his elbow or under his

foot. He who is born in the second face will have a short stature, a

prepossessing appearance, and a black beard ; he will be hirsute ; a mark

will be below his elbow ; he will be hostile to all men. He who is born

in the third face will be auburn, and will have beautiful eyes; he will be

ill often. He who is born at the end of the sign will commit suicide.

Its anatomical part comprises the feet and toes with all their ailments ;

it results in the sickness of hemiplegy, itch, leprosy, and generally speak-

ing it is a sign of disease. Its group of human beings embraces the

outcasts and the fishermen. The Egyptians say that in it the sickness

imputable to Saturn lies in the hands, to Jupiter in the cardiac region,

to Mars in the feet, to the Sun in the genitalia, to Venus in the legs, to

Mercury in the knees, and to the Moon in the testicles. It forms the

house of Jupiter and the dignity of Venus in degree 27 and the dishonor

of Mercury in degree 15, which is the house of its odium. The nadir

of Jupiter is now in degree 23, and the dragon's head of Venus is now

in degree 26. The rulers of the triplicity by day are Venus and then

Mars and vice-versa by night, and their satellite by day and by night

is the Moon. According to the Egyptians and the Babylonians the first

face corresponds to Saturn, the second to Jupiter, and the third to Mars ;

but, in the opinion of the wise men of India, the first belongs to Saturn,

the second to the Moon, and the third to Mars. The limits given by the

Egyptians and the astrologers are as follows: to Venus 12 degrees, to

Jupiter 4, to Mercury 3, to Mars 9, and to Saturn 2 ; but in the Ptole-

maic system they are : to Venus 8, to Jupiter 6, to Mercury 6, to Mars

5, and to Saturn 5. The beginning of the novena corresponds to the

Moon, the second to the Sun, the third to Mercury, the fourth to Venus,

the fifth to Mars, the sixth to Jupiter, the seventh and the eighth to

Saturn, and the ninth to Jupiter. The beginning of the influence of the

twelve signs belongs to Jupiter, the second to Mars, the third to Venus,

the fourth to Mercury, the fifth to the Moon, the sixth to the Sun, the

seventh to Mercury, the eighth to Venus, the ninth to Mars, the tenth

to Jupiter, the eleventh and the twelfth to Saturn. From the beginning

of the sign until the end there are 6 bright degrees, then 6 neutral, then

4 bright, then 3 blank, then 3 bright, and then 2 neutral. From the rise


of the sign until its declination there are 10 male degrees, then 10

female, then 3 male, then 3 female, and then 2 male. The Ara of the

stars comes in degrees 4, 9, 24, 27, and 28. The degrees which increase

grace and honor are 18 and 20. Among the superior planets there is

the croup of the horse, at present in the eighteenth degree ; its latitude

is thirty-one degrees north ; it is in the first magnitude of the conjunction

of Mars and Mercury.

In case the superior constellations, which I have just enumerated,

should appear at the moment when the horoscope is cast in the ascend-

ing degree, or in the degree which is in the center of the heavens, that

is, the inception of the tenth house, or in a degree having the Sun by

day or the Moon by night, or in the degree of the Moon's fate called

the favorable fate, then the new-born will have a degree of a magnitude

such as his forbears never possessed nor anyone can imagine; but all

the ancients are in unanimous agreement in auguring that the individual

will meet with a terrible end, and all the more so if the omen happens

to be one of the stars in the conjunction of the baleful stars.

Now I shall proceed to a discussion of the character of the stars

which are in the elliptical orbit of the celestial sphere and in the northern

and southern figures. The ancients claimed that the stars which are on

the mouth of Aries are of a nature similar to that of Mercury and

somewhat to that of Saturn; the star which is on its paw partakes of

the nature of Mars; the one which is on its rump is of the nature of

Venus. The stars which are on the severed place of Taurus have the

nature of Venus and partake somewhat of the nature of Jupiter; the

Pleiades belong to the conjunction of Mars and the Moon; the stars

which are on the head of Taurus are of a nature analogous to that of

Saturn and somewhat to that of Mercury. In their cluster the large

star is the eye of Taurus, called Aldebaran, which by itself corresponds

to the nature of Mars, as do the stars on the horns of Taurus. Those

which are on the foot of Gemini belong to the nature of Mercury and,

to a certain extent, to the nature of Venus; those which are on the

testicle of Gemini are of the nature of Saturn. As to the two luminaries

which are in the head, the one in front partakes of the nature of Mer-

cury and the other partakes of the nature of Mars. The nature of the

stars on the feet of Cancer resembles that of Mercury and somewhat

that of Mars ; those which are in its tail are of the conjunction of Saturn

and Mercury. Those which are near its belly are considered nebulous,

and their nature is similar to that of Mars and the Sun. Those which

are on the head of Leo are by their nature comparable to Saturn and,

to a certain extent, to Mars. The stars on its neck belong to the nature

of Saturn and somewhat to that of Mercury. The bright star, called


Leo's heart, is of the conjunction of Mars and Saturn; the one in its

loins is of a nature like that of Venus ; the stars in its testicles partake

of the nature of Venus and somewhat of that of Mercury. Those which

are above Virgo's head at the tip of its right wing correspond to the

nature of Mercury and, to a small extent, to that of Mars. The nature

of those which are on the loins is equivalent to that of Venus. Those

which are on the left wing fall in the conjunction of Saturn and Mer-

cury. The star called Simac Alezal is of the nature of Venus and

somewhat of the nature of Mercury. The stars on its feet partake of

the nature of Mercury and, to a limited extent, of that of Mars. The

two stars on the palm of Libra lie in the conjunction of Jupiter and

Mercury. The asterism which is on the horns of Scorpio is of the

nature of Saturn and corresponds roughly to Mercury and Mars. The

luminous stars on the back of Scorpio have a nature equivalent to that

of Mars and somewhat to that of Saturn. The nature of its heart is

analogous to Mars and less so to Jupiter. Those which are on its tail

are, in their nature, similar to Saturn and somewhat to Venus. The

nebulous stars which are found there belong to the conjunction of Mars

and the Moon; those in Sagittarius fall in the conjunction of Mercury

and the Moon ; those which are on the back of the marksman are of the

nature of Jupiter and, in a way, that of Mercury. The hoofs of the

horse belong to the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, and the stars on

its tail correspond to the nature of Venus and somewhat to that of

Saturn. Those which are on the mouth of Capricornus have a nature

like that of Mars and a bit like that of Venus; those which are on its

belly come into the conjunction of Mars and Mercury ; those on its tail

belong to the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury. Those which are on

the shoulder and the left hand of him who draws water with a bucket

lie in the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury, while those on its nos-

trils are of the nature of Mercury and somewhat that of Saturn. Those

which are on the spurt of water are akin, in their nature, to that of

Saturn and a bit to that of Jupiter. The stars which are on the head

of the fish partake of the nature of Mercury and somewhat that of

Saturn ; those which are on its belly belong to the conjunction of Jupiter

and Mercury ; the nature of those on its tail is like that of Saturn and,

to a certain extent, that of Mercury; those which are on its stomach

towards the left have the nature of Jupiter and somewhat that of Venus ;

those which are found at the end of Pisces are of a nature similar to

that of Mars and somewhat to that of Mercury.

These are the stars which are on the northern side of the elliptical

sphere. The luminaries in Ursa Minor belong to the conjunction of

Saturn and, to a small extent, of Venus. Those in Ursa Major, or


Ayish, and its offspring, adhere to the conjunction of the Moon and

Venus. The luminaries in the dragon are in the conjunction of Saturn

and Mars. The stars of Cepheus lie in the conjunction of Jupiter and

Saturn. Those in the bed of the armed one fall in the conjunction of

Saturn and Mercury. The luminary in the boreal crown belongs to the

conjunction of Venus and Mercury. The one which moves on its knees

is of a nature similar to that of Mercury. The luminary, which is the

falling eagle, adheres to the conjunction of Venus and Mercury. The

luminous star called Cygnus, and those which are together with the

woman who sits on the seat, lie in the conjunction of Venus and Saturn.

Those which are with the rider, who carries the devil's head, belong to

the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. Those which are on its sword

are in the conjunction of Mars and Mercury. The luminary called Ayoc

comes into the conjunction of Mars and Mercury. Those which accom-

pany the bearer of the serpent are of a nature similar to that of Saturn

and somewhat to that of Venus. Those which are on its shoulder belong

to the conjunction of Saturn and Mars. The flying eagle is in the con-

junction of Jupiter and Mars. The stars of the fish called dolphin are

in the conjunction of Saturn and Mars. The luminaries in Sagittarius

lie in the conjunction of Mars and Mercury. The stars which go with

the woman who has never had a husband have the nature of Venus,

and those with the triangle have the nature of Mercury.

These are the austral stars of the ecliptic of the zodiac. The luminary

in the mouth of the southern fish is in the conjunction of Venus and

Mercury. The one which accompanies the Sun has the nature of

Saturn. The one which is on the warrior's shoulder lies in the conjunc-

tion of Mars and Mercury. The other luminaries belong to the con-

junction of Saturn and Jupiter. The stars of the river come in the

conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. The stars of the hare fall in the

conjunction of Saturn and Mars. The stars which move around the

loitering dog are in the conjunction of Venus and Mercury. Those

which are on the dog's mouth, that is, Alsaeri Alymania, are of the

nature of Jupiter and somewhat of Mars. The stars of the warrior

have the nature of Saturn and Venus. Those in the ship have the nature

of Saturn and Mars. The luminary called Kesil is of the nature of

Jupiter and Saturn. The two dark stars are in the conjunction of Venus

and Mercury. Those which are on the horse's form are in the conjunc-

tion of Venus and Jupiter. The luminaries on the throat are of the

nature of Venus and somewhat of Mars. The nature of those in the

austral crown is that of Mercury. The stars of the wolf lie in the con-

junction of Saturn and Mercury. The stars of the censer have the

nature of Jupiter and, to a certain extent, that of Mercury. Those are

the stars which the ancient scientists investigated.


CHAPTER III

The third chapter deals with the aspects of the degrees of the celestial

sphere, their amity, their animosity, all matters concerning the quarters

of the orbit, its twelve divisions, and what they prognosticate at any

moment. The aspect can be in four ways, namely, sextile, quadrature,

trine, and opposition. The degrees of the aspect are seven, to wit, the

third, fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, tenth, and eleventh. The aspect in

the third and eleventh is the sextile aspect. The aspect in the fourth

and tenth is the quadrature aspect. The aspect in the fifth and ninth is

the trine aspect. The aspect in the seventh is the opposition. The aspect

in the third, fourth, and fifth is septentrional; the aspect in the ninth,

tenth, and eleventh is meridional. The sextile aspect is the sixth part

of the sphere, that is, 60 degrees; the quadrature aspect is the fourth

part of the sphere, or 90 degrees ; the trine aspect is the third part of

the sphere, or 120 degrees ; the opposition is half of the sphere, or 180

degrees. By way of example, let us suppose that the sign of the ascen-

dant is the beginning of Aries; then its northern sextile aspect will be

in the beginning of Gemini, and its southern sextile aspect will be in

the beginning of Aquarius; its southern quadrate aspect in the begin-

ning of Scorpio and its northern quadrate aspect in the beginning of

Capricornus; its northern trine aspect in the beginning of Aries, and

its southern trine aspect in the beginning of Sagittarius ; its opposition

aspect in the beginning of Libra. The most influential of all the aspects

is that of opposition, next in influence is the quadrature aspect, which

in turn is followed by the trine aspect, and the weakest of all is the

sextile aspect. The opposition aspect is complete enmity, the quadrature

aspect is semi-enmity, the trine aspect is perfect amity, and the sextile

aspect is semi-amity. The signs among which there is neither aspect

nor conjunction are four, namely, the second, sixth, eighth, and twelfth.

Of these the weakest are the sixth and twelfth. There are some signs

which are detrimental with regard to the aspect, but which are helpful

in another way by virtue of lying within the same radius in ascensions,

in prevalence, or in the elliptical orbit : those whose ascensions are con-

stant, such as Aries, Pisces, Virgo, Libra, Taurus, Aquarius, Leo,

Scorpio, Gemini, Capricornus, Cancer, and Sagittarius; those which

have an equal influence, that is, every sign whose odd hours are the

same, such as Scorpio with Gemini, Taurus with Leo, Aries with Virgo,

Pisces with Libra, Aquarius with Cancer, Capricornus with Sagittarius.

The star which is in one of the direct signs is called the master, and

the one which is opposite its degree in one of the oblique signs is the

serf. The signs which are precisely in the elliptical orbit are always


double signs which are houses of a star : for instance, Aries and Scorpio

are of Mars, Taurus and Libra of Venus, Gemini and Virgo of Mer-

cury, Sagittarius and Pisces of Jupiter, Capricornus and Aquarius of

Saturn. Even though the Moon has a single house and the Sun has

only one, nevertheless both exert an influence, and their houses are sup-

posed to belong to the same influence. Even though Aries, Libra, Capri-

cornus, Scorpio, Virgo, Pisces, et cetera, are of a nature which f unctions

with consistency, yet there is enmity seizing them because of the

diametric aspect.

The sphere is divided at every minute of the hour into four parts,

because the quarter of the sphere which extends from the meridian of

the heavens as far as the ascendant degree is oriental, male, and direct ;

that which corresponds to it among the four elements is the air, in the

human body it is the blood, of the seasons of the year it is the spring-

time, of the four parts of the day and night it is the first one, of the

age of man it is childhood, of the shades of color it is white. The quar-

ter which extends from the meridian of the planets to the declining

degree is southern, weak as though it were female, and its motions are

retrograde ; what resembles it most closely among the four elements is

the fire, of the seasons of the year it is winter, of the four parts of the

day and night it is the second one, in the human body it is the blood,

of the ages it is adolescence, and of the colors it is the red. The-quarter

which extends from the declining degree until the degree of the abyss

is occidental, with the power of male, and it is direct; its equivalent

among the elements is the earth, of the seasons of the year it is autumn,

of the four parts of the day and night it is the third, within the human

body it is melancholy, of the ages it is about fifty years, and of the

colors it is the black. The quarter which extends from the line of the

abyss to the ascending degree is septentrional, like female, and retro-

grade ; among the elements what befalls it is the water, among the sea-

sons of the year it is the winter, of the four parts of the day and night

it is the last one, in the human body it is cold mixed with dampness, of

the ages it is the days of old age and senility, and of the colors it is the

green. The term southing denotes the meridian passage above the earth,

extending from the zenith down to the horizon; the term northing refers

to that which lies beneath the earth. Likewise the two quarters which

are male are called meridional, and those which are like female are sep-

tentrional. The half of the ascending orbit includes the two quarters

from the meridian of the celestial bodies to the ascending degree and

from the ascending degree to the line of the abyss. The half of the

declining sphere means the other half extending from the line of the

abyss to the declining degree and from the declining degree to the center

of the celestial bodies.


Every minute the sphere is divided into twelve parts, in accordance

with the number of the signs of the zodiac, and they are called houses ;

each group of four receives the same name. Houses 1, 4, 7, and 10 are

known as poles, because they look like points. Houses 2, 5, 8, and 11

all bear the same name, supports for the poles. Houses 3, 6, 9, and 12

have the common name of wanes. The poles are more powerful than

the supports, and supports are more powerful than the wanes. The

most powerful poles are 1 and 10, the most powerful supports are 5

and 11, the most powerful wanes are 6 and 9. At every minute the

houses of the orbit correspond to the four elements, and I shall give an

example with reference to the poles. When the rising sign is in Aries,

whose nature is like fire, in the meridian of the celestial bodies there

will be Capricornus, which has the nature of earth, and the declining

sign will be Libra, which is of the nature of air, and the line of the

abyss will be Scorpio with the nature of water. The same holds true

in the case of the supported houses and the wanes. These twelve houses

are fundamental in casting the horoscope of man, in the consultations

of the stars, in the selections, and also in the astrological judgments of

^he universe in general.

The first house is the one which rises at the beginning of the western

line. It denotes life, body, speech, knowledge, growth, the start of any

undertaking, and any thing which pertains to the human mind, and of

the span of life it points to the inception. The ruler of the first triplicity

prognosticates the life and character of the new-born and of the asker,

his requests, and all that which may befall him early in life whether

beneficial or baleful. The ruler of the second triplicity exerts an influ-

ence over the body, over strength, and middle-age. The ruler of the

third triplicity shares, jointly with his companions, in all that they

dominate, and, in addition, he controls the end of the span of life.

The second house forecasts wealth, the acquisition of property, the

gift, food and those who prepare it, those who obey the command, wit-

nesses, keys, and treasures. The ruler of the first triplicity points to

wealth early in life. The ruler of the second triplicity denotes middle-

age. The third refers to the end.

The third house rules over the brothers, sisters, relatives, sons-in-law,

wisdom, knowledge of the Holy Writ, jurisprudence, dreams, modesty,

advice, fidelity, epistles, notices, and approximate direction. The ruler

of the first triplicity denotes the older brothers, the second those in

between, and the third the young ones.

The fourth house serves as an augury over the father, floors, homes,

fields, regions, cultivated lands, hidden treasures, and any concealed

object. The ruler of the first triplicity points to the father, the second

to the floors, and the third to the end of anything.


The fifth house marks the sons, destiny, food, drink, raiment, pleasure,

presents, emissaries, crops, and the father's treasures. The first trip-

licity governs children and parents, the second pleasure, and the third

emissaries.

The sixth house points to any disease which is chronic, likewise to

chance, servants, maids, small cattle, prison, fraud, and calumny. The

ruler of the first triplicity determines sicknesses and defects, the second

the servants, and the third whether they will be useful or harmful.

The seventh house prognosticates women, coition, dispute, war, liti-

gation, thieves, social intercourse, and business. The ruler of the first

triplicity indicates women, the second wars, and the third social

intercourse.

The eighth house predicts death, inheritance, deposit, separation, fear,

grief, and ruin. The ruler of the first triplicity decides upon death, the

second upon anything ancient, and the third upon inheritance.

The ninth house determines circulation, distant roads, all that which

turns freely, secular knowledge, religion, the service dedicated to God,

messengers, news, dreams, oaths, prodigies, marvels, judgments, and

law-suits. The ruler of the first triplicity decides upon circulation, the

second upon religion, and the third upon knowledge.

The tenth house refers to the mother, the government, reputation,

and all professions. The ruler of the first triplicity points to the mother,

the second to reputation, and the third to professions.

The eleventh house denotes honor, grace, good reputation, hope,

friends, companions, royal princes, exchequers, and wardrobe-stewards.

The ruler of the first triplicity points to the hope in one's mind, the

second to the companions, and the third whether they are favorable or

detrimental.

The twelfth house is an omen of grief, indigence, envy, animosity,

fear, tricks, vigilance, prisons, captivity, disgrace, beatings, and the

animals which serve as a mount for man. The ruler of the first

triplicity denotes sorrow, the second prison, and the third enemies.

CHAPTER IV

The fourth chapter deals with the conjunction of the seven planets,

their influence, and all that which they prognosticate. Now I shall be-

gin by treating of Saturn, since it is the most elevated of all by virtue

of its being in the seventh sphere viewed from the earth. Saturn is

cold and dry ; its nature is very pernicious ; it denotes destruction, ruin,

death, affliction, weeping, grief, complaint, and ancient things. In the

human activity it has control of the mind, and its area covers the first

14


zone, which is India. Its group of peoples embraces the Moors, the

Jews, the natives of Barbary, the assembly of all the elders, the hus-

bandmen, the cultivators, the tanners, the cleaners of lavatories, the

servants, the outcasts, the thieves, the diggers of wells and ditches, and

the undertakers who get the mortuary shrouds. Its metals of the earth

include dark lead, iron-ore, black stones, all black marble, the magnet,

and every heavy and dark stone. Its sections of land comprise the

grottos, the wells, the prisons, every dim and uninhabitable place, and

the cemetery-grounds. Among its wild animals there are the elephants,

the camels, any big and ugly animal such as hogs, bears, monkeys, black

dogs, and black cats. As its part of the birds it has every bird with a

long neck such as the ostrich, the eagle, the vulture, every bird with

a terrible voice, the raven, the owl, and every bird that looks black. Of

the things that crawl on the ground it takes in the fleas, the lice, the

Aies, the mice, and any creeping thing within the earth which is destruc-

tive and mephitic. As for trees it has any tree with gall, the carob-tree,

tragacanth known as balot, the medlar-tree, any tree which has thorns

that hurt but which bears no fruit, lentils, and panic. Its medicinal spe-

cies are the cactus, which is called aloe, myrobalan, albalileg, and almaleg,

which are like prunes imported from India, in addition to any plant

producing a deadly poison, any bitter thing such as absinth, and in

general any black plant. Its nature is cold and dry; its savor is acrid,

drawing together the tongue, and that which does not have an agreeable

taste ; its odor is fetid. Of the kinds of spices there are alcasat or cin-

namon, cassia fistula or barks of the tree, aromatic laurel, and almaha

or gum. Its raiments are the cloak, the woolen clothing, the covers,

and any heavy garment. To its part of the nature of man corresponds

the mental faculty, paucity of words, astuteness, isolation from human

beings, the power to dominate over them, to conquer, pillage, wrath, to

be peremptory in one's word, concatenation of ideas, knowledge of

secrets, worship of the Lord, the betrayal of fellow-men, contrariness,

to be afraid, to tremble, in general to deceive consistently with little

benefit and great harm, to plow and build up the land, to extract metals,

to seek hidden treasures and to excavate, to meditate upon subjects of

death and any thing which has lasted for years. Its occupation is any

one which requires much work and which yields little reward, all menial

tasks such as chopping stones, cleaning cisterns, and any sordid job. It

denotes fathers, grandfathers, the deceased, tears, separation, wander-

ing, poverty, indigence, humiliation, distant and bad roads in which

lurks danger, and it does not meet with success in any undertaking.

Now if it is in the horoscope of a man dominating over it, it will endow

his character with all the good which will be there provided that it is


in an auspicious position with respect to the Sun, to the parts of the

orbit, and to the parts of the time, as I intend to explain; but, if it is

the opposite, then it will yield every undesirable thing. If, when it is

in an elevated degree, a favorable star should be in its conjunction, then

it will produce all its effects beneficially, provided that the favorable star

is in its greatest exaltation; but if it should be in its nadir, then the

benefit will be slight. If the baleful star is in its conjunction and both

are in their power, it will denote victory and incalculable pillage; if the

ominous star is not in its power, then it will bring him every undesirable

and vulgar thing with shame and opprobrium. I shall explain all that

in the Book of Nativities.

If Saturn is alone on the figure of man, then his stature will be erect,

his face will have a complexion between white and black, he will be

meek, beloved, strong, his hair will be black and curly, he will have hair

on his chest, his eyes will be plain and very sensitive to cold and damp-

ness. All this will occur provided that Saturn is east of the Sun, as I

shall explain later ; but if it is west, he will be thin, his hair will not be

curly, and his nature will be cold and dry. In general it indicates that

the new-born will have a very homely shape and face, abundant hair

on his body, thick nostrils, lips, and teeth, and halitosis. Its anatomical

parts include the bones, the spleen, the right ear, the place of the urine,

and the blood. Its particular ailments are insanity, imbecility, tremor,

hemiplegy, the diseases which result in a loss of speech, leprosy, the

sicknesses of the feet, any disease which lasts many days, and any cold

and dry illness due to cold weather and aridity. Of the ages of man it

takes in old age and the end. Of the cardinal points it has the east; its

shades of color are black and dusty; of the days it has Saturday, and

of the nights Wednesday; its hours are the first and eighth; its letters

are sin, ayin, and pe, while some add to them nun ; its figures are these

two. As for its years the maximum are 256, the long ones 56, the

average are 43Y*, the small ones 30, and the years of the part called

alphardar are 11. The force of its body is 9 degrees both direct and

retrograde.

Jupiter is below Saturn, for it is in the sixth sphere viewed from the

earth. It is warm and moist, and straight in its conjunction. It is the

most propitious of the planets. It prognosticates life, any increase in

well-being, productivity, development, talk of justice and righteousness.

It shares in the growing soul. Its area covers the second zone, which is

the land of Yemen or Sheba, the territory of Alchazizu, which is Assyria

and Mesia ; among the nations the Persians and the Babylonians ; among

groups of people the judges, the scholars, those who serve God, the

meek, the noble, and the just. In the mineral kingdom it shares in tin


called tutya, the stone called hyacinth, the white and the saffron, the

sapphire, the onyx, the crystal, and any shining white stone which is

useful. To it belong the synagogues, the places for divine worship, and

the clean sites. In the animal kingdom it denotes all those which have a

cleft hoof, such as sheep and deer, and every fine animal which has a

beautiful appearance and which does little harm, and among the fowl

the peacocks, chickens, doves, and in general any granivorous bird which

is useful to man. Within the earth it stands for anything which is use-

ful and not harmful, such as the silk-worm. Among the trees it has the

walnut-trees, the almond-trees, the fruit called pistachio, bendac, also

tsenobar or bean, and in general anything whose shell one must remove

in order to eat what it contains ; likewise wheat, barley, vetch, and millet ;

among the flowers the one called albahar, jasmine, sweet marjoram, and

that which is similar. Of the kinds of medicinal herbs, any one which

makes an agreeable concoction and which has a good odor and taste,

such as musc, camphor, sugar, fennel, aloe, amber, and similar species.

It has pretty raiment, such as cotton clothing and any delicate mantle.

With regard to man's nature it denotes affection, justice, peace, faith,

humility, good reputation, nobility of heart, freedom of mind in telling

the truth, reliability in keeping covenants. The person will have a smil-

ing face, loving good and abhorring evil. Ordinarily he will be opposed

to any act not in conformity with law and justice ; he will enjoy talking

excessively, and he will seek the praise of his fellow-men; his every

thought will be directed towards seeking and hoarding wealth, and

towards attempting to succeed in every endeavor provided that it be in

a legitimate way; he desires to learn law, jurisprudence, and the inter-

pretations of dreams, and to serve in synagogues. Then it also prog-

nosticates children and grandchildren. Usually it forecasts good luck,

grace, and honor, and, if it is isolated at the casting of the horoscope,

it will bring to him every honorable thing, and contrariwise if it does

not exert its influence. The planets wax or wane when they unite with

it in conjunction or in aspect; if the stars are malignant, they will

diminish its benefit, but if they are favorable, they will increase its

benefit. As for the shape of the individual, if it is east, it prognosticates

an attractive stature, a body of a white, reddish appearance, little hair,

and beautiful eyes; he will be a splendid person in all his activities, and

by its nature it will be warm and moist. If it is west, his body will be

erect, but his white complexion will not be perfect, and the hair on his

head will be just the opposite of curly for he will be bald, and perspira-

tion will develop in him. Generally it results in an individual of noble

mind, splendid ambition, excellent vision, attractive beard, and light hair.

Its anatomical region includes the liver, the left ear, the ribs, as well as


the blood. Its special diseases are all mild ailments which pass quickly.

Of the span of life it is the period between adolescence and old age; of

the colors it is the white, green, saffron, the suitable one, and every

pretty bright color ; of the cardinal points the north ; of the days Thurs-

day; of the nights the night preceding Monday; of the hours the first

and the eighth ; of the letters het, samekh, and bet, and here is its figure.

Its major years are 427, its long years are 79, its average ones are 45j4,

and the small ones are 12. The years of alphardar are 12, and the force

of its body is 12 degrees both direct and retrograde.

Mars is hot, scorching dry, harmful, and destructive ; it prognosticates

devastation, dearth, fiames of fire, rebellion, blood, massacre, war, dis-

putes, blows, separation, and, in general, anything which is not in its

usual condition and form. Of the temperaments of man, it rules over

anger. Its area covers the third zone, for example, Egypt and Alexan"

dria. Its peoples are the English, or the natives of England, and those

who worship fire. In the classifications of men, it denotes all the sol-

diers, their commanders, the thieves, the artisans of iron, the black-

smiths, the manufacturers of lances and swords, those who shed blood,

the herdsmen, and those who are like them. In the mineral kingdom its

part includes iron, red copper, sulphur, naphtha, vessels of crystal, in-

struments of war, and any red stone. To it correspond the fortifications,

the towers, and the ovens. Among the wild animals it has the hyenas,

the dogs, and the leopard, and among the birds albuziah or goshawk.

Of the creeping things it takes in any harmful one such as the serpent,

the scorpion, and all those which possess a deadly venom. Its plants are

the thorn, the briers, the one called albacam, which is a kind of wood

used for dyeing, in addition to bastard-saffron, madder, any prickly

plant, pepper, mustard, cumin, radish, leek, garlic, and alsedab or rue.

The medicinal herbs which correspond to it are spike lavender, turpeth,

spinach, orange-flower water, euphorbia, scammony, euphrasia, plantain,

any herb which causes immediate pain, and any one whose flavor is

caustic and tart and not pleasant. Its aromatic spices are bergamot mint

and zaefaran or saffron. In raiment it is skins of hares and sable and

the garments which are dyed in kermes. Its share in human character

refers to haste, strength, victory, power, disputes, combat, pillage, wrath,

insults, anathema, prevarication, calumny, debauchery, effrontery, failure

to keep one's promise, libel, assault on all that which is prohibited by

law, larceny, any wicked deed, cruelty, and great pain ; furthermore, to

wander f rom one spot to another, to run risks, to afflict people, to strike,

to incarcerate, to lead into captivity, to plunder wealth, to dig in walls,

to open gates, and to reveal any thing hidden. Generally speaking, every

thing in it is harmful and there is no good in it. It points to brothers,


brewers of quarrels, cutting the umbilical cord from the mother's pla-

centa, making a woman miscarry, any evil event which happens suddenly,

any destruction and ruin. If it has no satellite when the horoscope is

cast, it will bring all the good it can, provided that its influence is in

force and that it is in aspect with favorable stars; just the opposite

happens when its influence does not count and baleful stars rotate near

it. If it is east of the Sun, the new-born will be tall, his appearance will

be white but tending towards reddish, and he will have abundant hair

over his body; but if it is west, he will be short in stature, he will have

a reddish appearance, his face will be round, his eyes small, his hair red

but not curly, and the nature of his body dry. Ordinarily it indicates a

person with a ruddy appearance, with eyes like those of a cat, and an

ugly complexion ; he has spots and pock-marks on his face ; his acts are

done with haste, crossness, and frenzy. His anatomical section takes in

the bile, the right nostril, the nerves, the kidneys, and the pudenda, in

addition to the red humor and the burning blood ; its diseases are ague,

hot fever, the red pustules which break out on the hody, tremor, in-

sanity, contusion, and smarting pain. Of Ihe years of the span of life

it denotes youth. Its characteristic shade of color is dark red. Its car-

dinal point is west, its particular day is Tuesday, its special night is

the one preceding Saturday, and its typical hours are the first and

eighth. Of the letters of the alphabet it takes tsade, qof, and yod. Its

figure is this one, although some maintain it is another one. Its major

years are 284, the long ones are 66, the intermediate 40^2, and the

minimum 15. The years of the part called alphardar number 7. The

force of its body is 8 degrees both direct and retrograde.

The Sun is equally warm and dry; it is both useful and injurious,

doing good and harm ; to it belong clearness and the sensitive soul. Its

area covers the fourth zone as well as the land of Babylonia, Iraq, and

Palestine, and among the nations Idumea, Trachonitis, and Dilam. The

parts which correspond to it are as follows: of groups of people, the

kings, princes, and counselors; of the minerals of the earth, gold, pre-

cious stones such as the diamond, red salt, marcasite whose red color

tends towards gold, hematite, and any sparkling stone; of the places

on land, mansions and royal palaces ; of the living beings, man, horses,

lions, big sheep, lambs; of the birds, aleukevan or lammergeier, and

sparrow-hawk; of the reptiles, the large, deadly ones; of the trees, the

date-trees, the vines, the olive-trees, the apple-trees, the mulberry-trees,

havalmeloc or cherry-trees, quince-trees, and fig-trees, in addition to the

rose, kidney-bean, and silk; of the kinds of spices, spikenard, kermes,

lac, any spice of the warm variety with a tart taste, and any favorite

concoction ; of human qualifies, knowledge, intelligence, majesty, beauty,


vigor, the ambition to reach high positions, the attachment to wealth,

garrulity, power of repartee, and excessive desires; of the craftsmen,

the beaters of gold and silver, and the manufacturers of crowns. In

addition to all these, it denotes laws, precepts, the union of society,

fathers, and half-brothers. Participation in its nature will be in pro-

portion to its influence; if it is alone in the figure, the new-born will

be fat with a white complexion, ordinary eyes, thin hair, and a beautiful

face. Its anatomical part extends over the heart, the right eye by day

and the left eye by night, the brain, the ducts, and the right half of the

body. It also refers to blood and to all the diseases which originate in

the mouth. It shares, among the ages, in the period of adolescence. Its

shade of color is pure red and saffron. Its special flavor is the acrid.

Its cardinal point is east. Its letters of the alphabet are alef, dalet, and

lamed. Here is its figure. Its day is Sunday; its night is the one fol-

lowed by Thursday; its hours are the first and the eighth; its major

years number 1461, its great years 120, the average 39}4, the short 19,

and the years of alphardar amount to 10. The force of its body is 15

degrees both direct and retrograde.

Venus is cold and damp, mixed, favorable, and direct; it is a good

and well-regulated planet. To it correspond the lustful mind, fructifi-

cation, and growth. Its area covers the fifth zone, which is Spain and

a part of the land of Idumea. Its peoples are the Arabs and all those

who believe in the Mohammedan religion. Its groups of human beings

are the young, the eunuchs, the women, the leaders in play, the musi-

cians, and the composers of liturgical poetry. Its part in all that there

is in the bosom of the earth takes in the saffron copper, lapis lazuli,

magnesia, litharge, sal ammoniac, mercury or vitriol, orpiment, and all

ornaments, jewels, and rings for women. Its domain on the land in-

cludes the orchards, the gardens, the places where myrtle grows, the

buds, the places reserved for women, the dramshops, and the beds. Its

animals are the deer, the hinds, and any beautiful animal; its birds are

alchayagil or partridge, turtle-doves, and sparrows, while its insects are

the spider and the ants. In addition it denotes frogs and, among the

trees, the apple-trees, pomegranate-trees, and any fruit which has a nice

scent and an agreeable taste. Within its domain lie balsam, anything

that has a sweet perfume, and anything that is succulent and oleaginous.

Its raiment comprises any embroidered work and all pretty clothing.

Among human qualities it rules over cleanliness, love, mockery, laughter,

joy, dancing, pleasant conversation, lust, carnal intercourse, gambling

with dice, philanthropy, excessive desire for everything, false testimony,

inclination towards inebriety, incessant longing for coition both legiti-

mate and illegitimate, love of children, fondness for markets, and ordi-


narily a devotion to justice and to the temples of divine service. Among

the trades it denotes anything connected with dyeing and sewing. It

also indicates eating and drinking, the mother, the daughters, and the

younger sister. Its characteristics will apply in proportion to its influ-

ence at the moment of casting the horoscope. If it is isolated at the

casting of the horoscope and is east, then the new-born will be fat, his

complexion white, his shape charming, his eyes black, and he will be

tall; but if it is west, he will be short in stature, the white complexion

of his face will not be pure, his hair will not be curly, and in fact he

will be bald. In general it forecasts that every person will have an

attractive shape, with a round face and black eyes, and will be a gam-

bler. Its anatomical part extends over the flesh, the marrow, the liver,

and man's semen. Humidity corresponds to it. Its diseases include all

those which arise in the loins and in the genitalia. In the span of life

it controls youth, and, in general, any time after the age of thirteen.

Its special color is white with a slight tinge of green. Its characteristic

flavor is sweet and insipid. Its cardinal point is the east. Its particular

letters of the alphabet are tet and dalet, and here is its figure. Of the

days it governs Friday, of the nights the one which is followed by

Tuesday, and of the hours the first and the eighth. Its major years

number 1151, the long years 82, the average 45, and the short 8, while

the years of the part known as alphardar amount to 8. The force of

its body is 7 degrees both direct and retrograde.

Mercury is mixed and variable, since it changes in conformity with

the nature of the other planets and also with the nature of the signs.

Its nature tends somewhat towards coldness and aridity. To its prog"

nostic correspond the following influences: the soul of man and the

power of comprehension; the sixth of the seven zones; of the nations

Gog and Magog and the natives of India ; among men the philosophers,

the learned, the doctors, the scribes, the mathematicians, the geometri-

cians, the merchants, and the artisans of any profession related to etch-

ing and painting; in the metal kingdom mercury, all coins, and stones

used as seals ; of the places the markets, the educational institutions, all

workshops, fountains, rivers, and abodes for the exiled; in the animal

kingdom man, foxes, wild donkeys, and any animal light in jumping;

among the birds the starling, the bees, and any bird agile in flying; of

the things that creep on the ground the worms; in the vegetable king-

dom the citrus with a share in the pomegranates, walnuts, reeds, cotton,

flax, in addition to every variety of gum, ginger, gandabadastar, which

is called the testicles of the animal having a tail like a fish and which is

found in England, pyrethrum, malobathrum, asarum, schoinuanthos,

zedoary, schitarach, gentian, and anything that tastes bitter ; for raiment


all clothing of flax and all those which have embroidery; of human

characteristics speech, thought, education, wisdom, astrology, sorcery,

any kind of magic, precise enunciation, accuracy in expression, rapidity

in conversation, ability in homiletics, talent for composing poetry,

knowledge of concealed secrets, prophecy, pity, affection, avoidance of

evil, to know how to play musical instruments, to be fond of any small

thing, to lend, to donate, to argue verbally without resorting to blows,

any kind of astuteness, trickery, and forging of false documents. His

hand is trained to perform any trade, and he will be very eager to do

any work, to acquire wealth and to squander it. The nature of the

new-born will vary in the case of each individual. It also denotes the

small brothers and small children. Its nature will manifest itself accord-

ing to its influence. If it is isolated in the figure of the individual and

is east, the person will be short of stature with a small head and beau-

tiful eyes; if it is west, his complexion will be half-way between black

and white, he will be delicate, he will have small eyes, and dryness will

predominate in him. Ordinarily it forecasts a person with a very promi-

nent forehead and large nostrils, lean of flesh, lacking a beard, having

long fingers, and endowed with refinement and education. Its anatomical

part extends over the tongue, mouth, nerves, and participates in the

blood. Its ailments include psychic disorders, such as a plethora of

worries, grief, and all kinds of suspicion. Of the span of life its age

is childhood. Its special color is bluish purple and any color of different

shades. Its characteristic flavor is bitter. Its cardinal point is the North.

Its letters of the alphabet are the waw, taf, resh, mem, and the letters

of the prolongation. Here is its figure. Its particular day is Wednesday,

its night is the one followed by Sunday, and of their hours the first

and the eighth. Its major years are 480, its great years 76, the inter-

mediate 48, and the short 20, and the years of the part called alphardar

are 13. The force of its body is seven degrees both direct and retrograde.

The Moon is cold and damp, but there is a little heat in it. It makes

all bodies putrid and mouldy. When it is in opposition to the Sun, it

ripens all fruits. In its section resides the force of nature. Its area

covers the seventh zone, which is the very limit of the inhabitable world,

and the nation of Tsabuma. Its categories of men embrace the oarsmen,

the vagabonds, the messengers, and the servants. In the mineral king-

dom it includes silver, crystal, onyx, and lime, in addition to the seas,

rivers, and ponds. In the animal kingdom it comprises mules, donkeys,

cattle, hares, and fish ; of the birds every white bird ; of the reptiles any

one which is white. In the vegetable kingdom it refers to willows near

torrents, peach-trees, all varieties of leek, gourds, water-melons, and

cucumbers, in addition to alcarpa or cinnamon, long peppers, laurel, and


any thing of a cold, moist species which tastes salty and which has a

white color mixed with a bit of green. Its variety of aromatic spices is

the galangal. Its kind of raiment takes in clothing and cloaks. Its

human traits are excessive introspection, meditation in a mind lacking

knowledge, amnesia, phobia, indifference, revelation of secrets, love of

pleasure, victory, skill in magic, knowledge of stories, prevarication,

calumny, and plenty of food. In general it varies according to the na-

ture of each individual. It points to the years of suckling, to the mother,

to her sisters, the older sisters, the women, and every pregnant woman.

Its nature will manifest itself according to the influence it exerts at the

moment of casting the horoscope. If it is isolated at the casting of the

horoscope, the subject will have an erect posture, a white complexion

with a tint of yellow, a round face, and eyelids which seem to come

together ; he will be hasty in his motion and in his gait. From the begin-

ning of the month until the middle it denotes whiteness, and then from

the middle until the end it indicates a bit of blackness. Its anatomical

part is the left eye by day and the other eye by night, the lung, the

throat, the cardiac region, the chest, and the left side of the entire body.

Its characteristic ailments are all those which are due to excessive

phlegm. In the span of life its age is infancy during the period of

suckling. Its special color is dust-color and green, and its taste is salty.

Its direction is South-West. Its letters of the alphabet are zayin and

ayin, and here is its figure. The day which corresponds to it is Mon-

day, its night is the one followed by Friday, and of their hours the first

and the eighth. Its major years number 520, its long years 108, the

intermediate 39>4, and the short 25. The years of the part called

alphardar amount to 9. The force of its body is 12 degrees both direct

and retrograde.

chapter v

The fifth chapter treats of the beneficial and baleful influence of the

planets, their strength and weakness. If one of the planets is in con-

junction with a favorable star or on its sextile, quadrate, or trine aspect,

and the harmful stars are neither in aspect with it nor together with it,

or else if a planet should separate from a beneficial star and enter into

conjunction with another beneficial star, or else if a planet should be

midway between two beneficial stars or in conjunction with the syzygy

or with the Sun or with its trine or sextile aspect or with the aspect of

the Moon while the Moon is with favorable stars, or if the planet should

be hasty in its action or if its brilliancy and number should increase,

or finally if it be in one of the places of its influence such as in its own

house, in the house of its dignity, in the house of its triplicity, or in its


limit, its face, in the place of its zenith, or else in a bright degree,

whether it be received or whether it stay in its own figure. When the

two luminaries are in the place where favorable stars are in power, then

they must be considered as though they themselves were in power. The

same is true of the lucky stars when they are in the point of power of

other lucky stars. When one of the planets is in the positions which I

have enumerated, then its nature will be in power and it will denote

only good in conformity therewith. If the opposite of what I have

mentioned takes place, then its nature will exert a weak influence. Fur-

thermore if two, three, or more circumstances adhere to the good, then

the good which it prognosticates will be greater and more intense. The

favorable influence of the planets is of three kinds: one is double,

another is complete, and the third is intermediary. The double influence

occurs when two or three favorable circumstances join the planet in

the same sign of the zodiac; by way of example, if Mercury should be

in the sign of Virgo, then there would be two favorable influences, one

because it is in its house, the other because it is in the house of its dig-

nity; and if it is in its limit, then there will be three lucky influences.

The complete lucky influence is when the planet is in its house wherein

its nature is adjusted, as for instance Saturn in Aquarius, Jupiter in

Sagittarius, Mars in Scorpio, Venus in Taurus, Mercury in Virgo, and

the two luminaries in their houses. The intermediary influence is exerted

when the planet is in its house wherein its nature is not adjusted, as for

example Saturn in Capricornus, Jupiter in Pisces, Mars in Aries, Venus

in Libra, or Mercury in Gemini. The force of the planet is when it

rises towards the north or when it rises in the epicycle of its zenith and

its nadir, whose eccentricity causes it to deviate from the center of the

earth; or when it is in its second station, which is the place wherein it

starts to adjust itself ; or when it comes forth from beneath the rays

of the Sun ; or when it is in one of their poles or supports ; or when the

three superior planets, namely, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, are east of

the Sun, and if they rotate with it over the sextile aspect, then it will

be in their favor ; or when they are in one of the male quarters and in

the male signs, and likewise the Sun when it is thus unless it is in the

sign of Libra. The force of the three inferior planets, namely, Venus,

Mercury, and the Moon, is when they are west of the Sun or in the

female quarters. The weakness of the planet sets in when it is retarded

in its course or when it is in the first station or when it is retrograde;

this retrogression is more detrimental to the inferior planets, and all

the more so if they come within the hot rays of the Sun. It also sets in

when the planet rotates beneath the solar rays, or in the dark degrees,

or in the part opposite its figure, or in the house of its dishonor; or


when it declines southward or meridional, or in one of the falling houses,

or in the path of the scintillation which extends from the nineteenth

degree of Libra to the third degree of Scorpio; or when it is in the

house of its hatred; or when it is in conjunction with another planet

that is retrograde ; or when it is in the house of its hatred, or in a fall-

ing house ; or when the planet is not received, or when it is isolated in

its place. It is even more difficult if no planet forms a visual angle with

it, or if the three elevated planets are west of the Sun, or in one of the

female quarters, or in the female degrees. The same is true of the Sun

unless it is in the sextile house, which is the house of its happiness.

The weakness of the planets obtains when they begin to be in the East

or when they are in one of the male quarters. The sinister influence of

the planet occurs when it is in conjunction with unfavorable stars, or

in opposition with them, or in an aspect quadrate, trine, or sextile. Be-

tween it and the bale ful object the distance is shorter than the limit

of one planet, either when there is a harmful object in the limit or in

its house, or else when one of the pernicious objects is high over it in

the tenth or eleventh house measured from the place of the planet.

It is worse if the ominous object does not receive the planet and when

the ominous elements are in conjunction, quadrature, or opposition with

the Sun, or when the planet happens to be with its own dragon's head

or tail, or with the dragon's head or tail of the Moon. Less than twelve

degrees lie between them. The harm befalling the Moon is great when

it is in that position; the harm comes to the Sun when the distance

measures four degrees in direct or retrograde motion. The ancients say

that the nature of the dragon's head tends to increase, while the nature

of the tail tends to wane. Now in case the favorable stars are with the

head, then their boon will wax greater ; if the injurious stars are there,

then their harm will get worse. If the favorable stars go with the tail,

then their boon will decline; if the baleful stars are there, then their

influence will be less harmful. In this connection a wise man of India

once said that the head is beneficial with the beneficial planets and

malignant with the malignant planets, and that the tail is malignant with

the beneficial planets and beneficial with the malignant planets. The

weakness of the stars sets in when the star is midway between two

harmful elements or in aspect, as I intend to explain further on.

The sinister influence of the Moon obtains in eleven circumstances.

The first one is when it is eclipsed. The second one is when it moves

beneath the rays of the Sun at a distance from it of at least twelve

degrees, either moving towards it or away from it. The third is when

the Moon is separated from the Sun diametrically by the same number

of degrees either in front of the opposition or behind it. The fourth


refers to its position in conjunction or in aspect with the detrimental

Ã©lements. The fifth is when it lies in the force of the twelfth of Saturn

or Mars. The sixth is when it lies with the head or tail at a distance of

less than twelve degrees. The seventh occurs when it is in the south

or declining in it. The eighth refers to its moving in the path of the

scintillation. The ninth when it is at the end of the sign, because the

limits of the baleful planets are located there. The tenth when it is

retarded in its course ; that you may know is when it moves one day

behind its normal course as calculated in the ephemerides. The eleventh

takes place when it is in the ninth house, for it is diametrical to the

house of its joy.

CHAPTER VI

The sixth chapter offers a discussion dealing with the planets con-

sidered independently and with their relationship to the Sun. The matter

of the planets treated separately can be of many kinds. The reason for

that is that a planet may be in the center of its epicycle; that occurs

when it is ninety degrees distant from its zenith either to the right or

left, or when it is ascending or declining in the sphere of the elevation,

or when it is at the beginning of the elevation or declining from the

center of its sphere to its nadir, or when it is ascending from its nadir

to the center of its orbit, or when it occupies the position of its nadir;

it may also occur when its course is accelerated, its light becomes more

brilliant, and the force of its body is strengthened ; in addition that may

happen when it is waning in all those circumstances, when it remains

intermediate neither waxing nor waning, when its volume is either en-

hanced or diminished, when its total is enhanced or diminished or

remains normal; when its latitude is north either on the upgrade or

downgrade or south either ascending or declining, whether its latitude

be extensive or not, or even when it has no latitude at all. If a planet

is ninety degrees distant from its aphelion, it will be direct in its course,

and its operation, its brilliancy, and the power of its body will be one

half. If a planet is less than ninety degrees distant from its aphelion

and is rotating towards it, then it is ascending and will slacken its pace,

will dim its brilliancy, and will weaken the force of its body. When it

reaches the position of its aphelion, then the decrease is absolute. When

it declines from the beginning of its aphelion to the half of its orbit,

then it is increased in its course, in its brilliancy, and in the force of its

body. When it declines from the half of its orbit to the position of its

nadir, then there is a complete increase. When it lies in the position of

its nadir, then it waxes throughout. The statements concerning the

Moon apply likewise to the superior planets, for when it is twelve


degrees distant from the Sun it is said to enhance its light until it falls

in opposition with the Sun, and from that point until the moment when

it enters into conjunction with the Sun once more, its light diminishes.

Now if you care to know when the volume of a planet is enlarged,

notice when you make the rows of straight degrees coincide with its

volume; if it is the first it grows, but if it is the second it wanes; if

there is no volume at all, then it neither waxes nor wanes. When you

add the total of the equation of the planet to its middle point at the

end of its equation, then it is said to be enlarging its total. If you sub-

tract the equation, that will decrease its total. If you neither add nor

subtract, then the planet is in the elliptiÃ§al orbit of the sphere. If you

subtract the equation of the Sun from the mean course and there is no

remainder, or if one hundred and eighty degrees remain, then Venus

will coincide with the Sun in the same degree. If the course of the

superior planets should some day be greater than their normal course,

then it is accelerated in its course ; if it is less, it is retarded. But notice

whether the course of Venus and Mercury is less than the average course

of the Sun, because then they are retarded; if it is more, then they are

moving faster; if it is equivalent to the average speed of the Sun, then

they are neither slow nor fast. When the latitude of the planet is in-

clined towards the north, and that does happen when it moves between

the dragon's head and ninety degrees, then it is north ascending; from

there down to the tail, it is north declining ; from the tail down to ninety

degrees, it is south declining ; from ninety degrees to the dragon's head,

it is south ascending. When it is in the longitude of ninety degrees

from the dragon's head or tail, there is its entire latitude. In proportion

as it approaches the head or tail, its latitude gets smaller. When it is

parallel to the head or tail, then it is in the elliptiÃ§al orbit of the sphere.

The action of the planets with respect to the Sun is varied, for as

soon as the three superior planets unite with the Sun, each part being

opposite its corresponding part in the same degree until they are in

opposition with the Sun, they are to the right of it. From the time of

the opposition until they enter into conjunction with it, they are to the

left of it. Nevertheless Venus and Mercury are to the right of it from

the time they depart from the Sun and retrograde back until they assume

a direct course, move behind it, overtake it, and unite with it; they are

to the left of it from the moment that they separate from it, move in a

direct course, and go towards the west until they take up their own

station, retrograde back, are overtaken by the Sun, and enter into con-

junction. Likewise the Moon from the moment that it departs from

the Sun until it is in its opposition is at the left, and from the opposition

until the moment of its conjunction it is at the right.


You should realize that the three higher planets undergo variations

with respect to the Sun in sixteen ways. One occurs when the planets

are with the Sun, degree for degree and minute for minute ; then it is

called the united planet, on condition that it be less than sixteen minutes

away, because if the distance should be greater than that it would scin-

tillate. When it is united, it prognosticates success in all endeavors. If

the planet should be at a greater distance than the number of minutes

just given and as much as six degrees away and is in the east, then it

scintillates. That applies in the case of Saturn and Jupiter. Mars, how-

ever, is not said to scintillate until it is ten degrees away; that is the

second way. When they are at a distance of six degrees or Mars be-

tween eleven and fifteen degrees, they are said to be underneath the

brilliancy; that is the third way. When a planet is consumed, its force

is spent. Upon leaving the end of the scintillation and moving beneath

the brilliancy, force will come back to it; the more it moves away, the

better it will be. The wise men of bygone days claimed to have observed

that, when Mars is eighteen degrees distant, it comes out from beneath

the light, and then the planets have mediation of force in all their

actions; they are said to be due east until they are separated from the

Sun by a sextile aspect; then the planet will exert its maximum influ-

ence ; that is the fourth way. From that point until they are separated

from the Sun by a quadrature aspect, the effect of their rays will

diminish; that is the fifth way. From that point until its first station

starts to wane is the sixth way. When it is in its first station, its entire

force will be scattered; that is the seventh way. In the eighth way it

retrogrades until it enters into opposition with the Sun and exerts abso-

lutely no influence. In the ninth way it is in opposition with the Sun;

it prognosticates confusion and hope which will be frustrated. The

tenth way starts at the moment when they depart from opposition with

the Sun; then the planet exerts a slight influence until it reaches its

second position. When this occurs, all its force comes back to it; that

is the eleventh way. From that point until it is ninety degrees distant

from the Sun and it is in the west, its force will wane; that is the

twelfth way. From that moment on it tends to grow weaker until it is

separated from the Sun by a quadrature aspect; then all the force that

it still has is less than a third; that is the thirteenth way. The four-

teenth way occurs when it is fifteen degrees removed from the Sun;

in that case it no longer has any force at all. When it is below the bril-

liancy, it is the fifteenth way. When it is below the scintillation, it is

the sixteenth way.

Venus and Mercury, however, operate differently. The reason is that

when they are together with the Sun in one or even less than one


minute of the number of minutes just given, and are in the east, you

must count two ways, since they scintillate until the distance between

them and the Sun is seven degrees. When they are distant from the

Sun as much as twelve degrees, they are beneath the light. From that

point on their force increases until they are in the first station; that is

the fifth way. Then their force wanes until they approach the Sun and

there are twelve degrees between them and it ; then they will be beneath

the light. If there is a distance of seven degrees, then it will be in the

limit of the scintillation until they are in conjunction with the Sun.

When they separate from it and are in the west, they are in the limit

of the scintillation until seven degrees; from that point until twelve

degrees, they are beneath the light. Their force will increase when they

leave the light, as long as they move in a straight path, until they resume

their position and retrograde back ; then their force will disappear until

they come within fifteen degrees of the Sun; from that point they will

be beneath the light and afterwards beneath the scintillation.

The Moon has sixteen ways with respect to the Sun. One occurs

when it is in conjunction with it, or in front of the Sun, or behind it

within 16 minutes; that constitutes the first way. The second way is

when it is 6 degrees distant and is in the west; then it will start to

exert its force somewhat. The third way is when it is 12 degrees away ;

from that point until the distance measures 45 degrees, its force will

increase ; then it will be in its bright quarter. Af ter that, until it reaches

90 degrees, its force will increase; then it will be in its bright half.

From that point, until 135 degrees will be between it and the Sun, it

will be three quarters bright. From then on until its distance from the

opposition of the Sun measures twelve degrees, it will be in power; at

the moment of opposition it will have its maximum power. The tenth

way occurs when it is 12 degrees distant from the opposition until it is

45 degrees distant from it; then it will lose one quarter of its light.

After that, until it is 90 degrees distant from the opposition, half of its

light will remain in its body. From that point, until 45 degrees separate

it from the Sun, it will still have one quarter of its brilliancy. From

there, until the distance measures 12 degrees, it will enter beneath the

light, and within 6 degrees beneath the scintillation. Note that when

you deduct twice beneath the light and twice beneath the scintillation,

there still remain 12 ways. They are called the keys to the Moon, and

they are very necessary in order to forecast the phenomena of rains.


CHAPTER VII

The seventh chapter deals with the circumstances of the planets,

which are thirty, as follows : the application, conjunction, fusion, aspect,

separation, isolation, feral position, displacement, union, return of bril-

liancy, communication of ascendancy, communication of influence, com-

munication of one nature, communication of two natures, directness,

obliquity, prohibition, improvement, deterioration, interference, accident,

ruin, distribution of brilliancy, pleasantness, recompense, reception,

liberality, similarity, mediation, and the dignity of the planet.

Application occurs when two stars are in the same sign, when they

move in a straight line, and when the degrees of the light star are less

than the degrees of the star heavier than it; as long as its degrees are

less, it is said to be approaching. When it is in the same degree with

it, its application is complete. The beginning of the application occurs

when less than 15 degrees separate them. The fewer the number of

degrees, the more effective is all that which it prognosticates over it

and over this way. In that way the application is in the rays of the

light, which are the seven aspects, as we have indicated above.

Conjunction takes place when two stars are in the same sign and each

one is in the force of the other's body; then they are said to be in con-

junction; when they meet at the same minute, then their force is com-

plete in all that which they prognosticate. If one is in the force of the

other's body, and the second is not in the force of the body of the first,

only about one half of that which it foretells is perfect. To illustrate,

suppose that the distance between the Moon and Saturn be 8 degrees

forward or backward; then each one of them will be in the force of

the other's body. If 10 degrees separate them, then Saturn will be in

the force of the body of the Moon without the Moon's being in the

force of the body of Saturn. As long as the light planet moves in con-

junction with the heavy one, it will have more force than when it sepa-

rates from it even though it be in the force of its body. If the two

planets should be in two signs and each one of them should be in the

force of the other's body, they must not be said to be in conjunction,

because they are in diffeient signs. That is the opinion of the ancient

scientists, but I, Abraham, the compiler of this book, disagree with

them; I shall reserve my explanation for the Book of Nativities. Nor

did the ancients mention how great is the measure of the force of the

body of the superior planets, with the single exception of Dorotheus

Sidonius who stated that it is the fourth part of one sign. The opinion

of those who make careful observations in this science is that it corre-

15


sponds to the measure of the force of the planet, whether the superior

planet belongs to the first magnitude or the second. The reason for the

conjunction is that when two or more stars are in conjunction the orbit

of each one of them is lower than the orbit of its satellite; if both of

them should be separated by one degree and one minute measured f rom

the orbit of the signs, then the light one will prevent the heavy one

f rom being seen with the naked eye by having passed beneath it, unless

they are separated by the latitude of the elliptical orbit. I shall discuss

this matter again.

Fusion happens when one star is in conjunction with another, both of

which are planets; then there is produced out of their double nature a

third nature as, for example, Saturn and Mars, both of which are bale-

ful. The ancients declared that, when they join together, they exert a

good influence. The truth is that each one vitiates the action of the

other, and thereby the new-born is saved from harm. There fore they

really prognosticate no good except the good of doing no harm. Jupiter

with Saturn is the great conjunction because both of them are superior;

according to the force of whichever one it happens to be, their nature

will be in effect. Mars and Venus produce a mild conjunction, as I shall

explain. The conjunction of the planets with the Sun is detrimental to

them, the worst of all being the one affecting Venus and the Moon.

Saturn and Mars likewise exert a harmful influence with respect to the

Sun when they enter into conjunction with it. Jupiter with Venus do

good and do not do harm. Mercury, because of the multitude of its

movements and because it is always near the Sun, will do a little harm

to it when it is beneath the rays of the Sun or beneath the limit of the

scintillation. In the opinion of the ancients, when the planet is joined to

the Sun it has a great force ; they maintain their contention to the extent

that, when such is the case with Mercury, there are two Mercuries in

the firmament; but Ptolemy contradicts them, and he is right. The

conjunction of the Moon with Saturn and Mars is harmful. If the

conjunction of Saturn and the Moon happens when the moonbeams are

dim, then that is even worse; if its moonbeams become bright, the harm

will be alleviated ; just the opposite is true in the case of Mars. If the

Moon is in power, they will lessen its ascendancy without doing it

much harm.

Aspect means the beginning of the aspects, whether they be sextile,

quadrate, trine, or diametrical, as I have already explained in the third

chapter, and also when it is 12 degrees removed from the aspect.

Ptolemy says 6, and he is right. Now I shall give you an example. If

a planet is separated from another by 54 degrees, that is the force of

the sextile aspect. When the distance between them is 60 degress, it is


in a perfect aspect, and it signifies completion of all that which they

prognosticate. The same is true of the other aspects.

Separation results when the light planet passes beyond the heavy

planet one degree either in conjunction or in aspect; that can happen

in two ways. If the light one separates and unites with another planet,

either in conjunction or by way of one of the aspects, then its fusion

will be with the other planet. If it does not unite nor enter into aspect

with another planet, and if there was less than the force of its body

when it and the heavy planet were in conjunction, it will still be in its

fusion. More than that will happen if the fusion dissolves. You must

always take into acount the degrees which are even in their ascensions.

For example, suppose that one star is 10 degrees from Aries and another

is 20 degrees from Pisces ; then they are both equidistant from the path

of Jupiter, and consequently they must be treated as thought they were

in conjunction. The other way refers to their position in the same degree

but with their hours uneven as, for example, degree 16 in Leo until

degree 14 in Taurus ; the reason for that is because their distance from

the head of Cancer is even; the same holds true if their distance is

measured from the head of Capricorn. Those whose distance from the

head of Aries or of Libra is even are called straight conjunction ; those

whose distance is the same from the northern or southern extremity,

which are the head of Cancer and the head of Capricorn, are called

diametrical conjunction.

Isolation sets in when a planet separates from its satellite 15 degrees

either in conjunction or in a sextile aspect, and it does not enter into

conjunction with any other planet as long as it is in this sign, and no

planet enters into complete aspect with it as long as it stays there, regard-

less which aspect it may be.

The feral position is when a planet is in a sign and no other planet

enters into aspect with it as long as it is there, and it does not depart

from any planet. That can happen only to the Moon because of the

speed of its motion.

Displacement works in two ways. One is when the light planet sep-

arates from the heavy planet, and enters into conjunction or in aspect

with another planet; then it will transfer the ascendancy of the heavy

planet to the third planet. The second way is when a light planet joins

with another one heavier than itself ; then the light one will transfer half

of its brilliancy to the heavier one.

Union occurs when two or more stars enter into conjunction with

another star. In that case the heaviest star absorbs everything.

The return of brilliancy is noticed in two ways. One way is that a

planet does not enter into conjunction with another and that neither


planet is in aspect with the other, but rather that both of them are in

conjunction or in aspect with a different planet which, in turn, is in

aspect with the house it needs or with the planet it seeks; then its

brilliancy will return to the one it seeks. The second way is when the

ruler of the ascending sign is not in conjunction with the ruler of the

quest, or when one is not in aspect with the other, or else that one is

drawing away from the other; if the brilliancy of one planet is trans-

ferred between them, then that is also considered as though it were a

conjunction.

The communication of ascendancy takes place when a planet is in its

house, or in the house of its dignity, or of its triplicity, or in its limit,

or in its face, and when it enters into conjunction or into aspect with

another planet ; then it will communicate its own ascendancy to the other

planet.

The communication of influence is effected when a star is in an aspect

of perfect amity or of partial amity with another star; then the fusion

of both of them will be straight.

The communication of one nature happens when the planet is in con-

junction with the ruler of the sign that is there, or with the ruler of

the house of its honor, or with the ruler of its limit, or with the ruler

of its triplicity, or with the ruler of its face; then it will communicate

its nature to the other planet.

The communication of two natures occurs in two ways. One is when

the star is in a sign in which it possesses dignity, or is joined to another

star which possesses dignity in the sign, or f orms a visual angle with it,

as, for instance, Venus with Jupiter in Pisces. The second way is when

the star is in conjunction with another star of the same nature: rulers

by day with rulers by day, and rulers by night with rulers by night.

Directness, with reference to the planet which is in the magnitude of

its degree, will occur when it is in one of the points of intersection of

the ecliptic with the meridian or in one of the supports.

Obliquity occurs when the star is in one of the falling houses.

The prohibition happens in two ways. One occurs when three stars

are in the same sign, but their degrees are different, with the heavy one

being in a higher degree ; then the middle one hinders the light one,

which is in a lower degree, from uniting with the heavy one until it has

gone by ; for example, Saturn, which is in Aries in degree 20, Mercury

in degree 15, and Venus in degree 11 ; now Mercury will hinder Venus

from uniting with Saturn until it has gone by; afterwards, Venus will

enter into conjunction with it. The second way, with reference to the

aspect, is when two stars meet in the same sign, the light one entering

into conjunction with the heavy one, and a third star forming a visual


angle with the heavy star in any aspect whatsoever. Now then, the star

which is together with it, will hinder the one which forms the visual

angle, and will nullify its action, provided that its degrees be even; on

the other hand, if the degrees of the one in the visual angle approach

doser to the aspect, then the one that enters into conjunction will be

unable to hinder the action of the one in the visual angle.

By improvement, understand that the improvement is as follows: a

star enters into conjunction with a star which is beneath the rays of the

Sun or in aspect with it ; then the star, because of its weakness, will not

be able to receive light, and consequently it will turn back. Still another

way is for it to enter into conjunction with a retrograde star, and then

it will restore to it all that it has received. The improvement can come

about in three ways. The first one is when the one which retains the

force, which has been restored to it, should receive the donor. The

second is when the light star moves in a straight path, and the heavy one

scintillates, or is underneath the brilliancy, or is retrograde. The third

means that the star which caused the retrogression should be in one of

the falling houses, and that the star, whose brilliancy has been restored

to it, should be in one of the points where the orbit intersects the

meridian or in one of the supports.

Deterioration is just the opposite of the three aforesaid ways.

Interference sets in when the planet is in the force of the body of

another, and, before it is parallel to it in the same part, it turns back.

The accident happens when three stars are in the same sign, the first

one light and with many degrees, the second one heavier than it and

with few degrees, the third one lighter than the first and in conjunction

with the heavy one; then the first light one, which has many degrees,

retrogrades, and enters into conjunction with the heavy one.

Ruin results when a planet is about to enter into conjunction with

another planet in the same sign, but, before the conjunction can take

place, the heavier one moves out of the sign, and then another planet

unites with it.

The distribution of brilliancy is carried out in three ways. One is

when a light planet is about to enter into conjunction with one heavier

than itself, both being in the same sign and another light planet being

in the next sign; if, before the first light planet can enter into con-

junction with the heavy one, the planet in the second sign should retro-

grade, and pass into the sign where the heavy planet is and join with

it, then it will take away the brilliancy of the first planet. The second

way refers to the conjunction of a light planet with a heavier planet in

the same sign; this heavy planet will in turn join with another planet

even heavier than itself, and, before the first reaches the second, the


latter will enter into conjunction with the third, will outdistance it, and

will eut off the brilliancy of the first. The third way is when a planet

enters into conjunction with another planet unnecessarily.

Pleasantness stands for the position of a star in its pit or in its nadir

when another star enters into conjunction with it, or when it enters

into conjunction with another star which is its friend or the ruler of its

house, or else when it wields a certain influence in that sign; in that

event the other star will draw the first star out of its pit or nadir, and

will spread pleasantness over it.

Recompense is seen when the star, which drew the first one out of its

pit or nadir, moves into a visual angle with the one it drew out, and

itself falls into the pit or into the site of the nadir; then the first star

will draw out the other one.

Reception is noticed when a planet enters into conjunction or into

aspect with a planet which is the master of its house, the master of the

house of its honor, the master of the house of its triplicity, its limit,

or its face, and it receives that planet. Likewise when one planet enters

into conjunction with another planet, and the latter is in a house which

communicates force or in the house of its honor, that again is reception ;

on the other hand, if it is in the house of its triplicity, or in its limit,

or in its face, it will not receive a perfect reception. If two influences

join together, the triplicity with the limit or the face, and the trine aspect

with the sextile, that is also a reception. Again that is so if they should

be in the degrees of signs which are equal in their ascent. The lucky

planet receives the lucky one because their nature is straight. Mars and

Saturn receive one another if they are in conjunction or in sextile or

trine aspect, but not in the other aspects. The reception may be strong,

moderate, or weak. The strong reception always applies to the Moon

with the Sun, because the former receives it from any sign and because

its beams come f rom the Sun ; f rom the opposition, however, it will be

in pain and sorrow; if it should be in a sign lacking all power, then there

are two receptions, as in the case of Mercury when it receives the planet

in the sign of Virgo, because that is its house and the house of its honor;

therefore, that reception is perfect. The reception of the house is mod-

erate. The reception of the triplicity, or of the limit, or of the face,

is weak.

Liberality means that each of two planets is in the house of its com-

panion, or in the house of its honor, or in any of its influences, and,

even though they do not enter into conjunction or aspect with each

other, still there will be reception between them.

Similarity applies when the male star is found by day above the earth

in a male sign and in male degrees, and the female star is above the


earth by night and beneath it by day in a female sign and in female

degrees. If the opposite is true, then all that which the planet may prog-

nosticate becomes inapplicable.

Mediation occurs when a star separates from one baleful star and

joins with another baleful star either in conjunction or in aspect, or

when a star, either beneficial or harmful, is in a sign ahead of it and

another star is in a sign behind it; if the Sun forms a visual angle with

the star situated midway between the two portentous ones, it will thereby

attenuate the harm greatly.

Dignity means that if the three superior planets should be east of the

Sun from the time when it begins to be visible to the naked eye, then

they remain in their excellent dignity until there is between them and

the Sun a sextile aspect; from that point until the quadrature aspect

the degree of their dignity will diminish, and from there until the second

station they will have no dignity at all. If those planets are east of the

Sun and west of the Moon, that dignity will be as exalted as possible.

The dignity of the three inferior planets will start at the moment when

they are observed in the west after the setting of the Sun. The force

of the dignity of Venus and Mercury lasts until the moment when they

retrograde. If they are east with respect to the Sun when they are west

with respect to the Moon, that dignity reaches the acme. The dignity

of the Moon lasts until full moon. Ptolemy said that, if the proportion

of the sign containing the planet is to the sign containing the Sun or

Moon as the proportion of their houses is to each other measured by

the distance separating them, then the planet will exert a great force.

CHAPTER VIII

The eighth chapter contains generalizations. The prognostics in horo-

scopes, rotations, and consultations amount to 120.

1. Because the Moon is near the earth and accelerated in its course,

it increases the conjunction of planets by communicating its force to

them without ever receiving any force from them ; it transfers brilliancy

from one to the other ; it corresponds to the new-born in that its beams

develop gradually until they are full, and afterwards it declines gradually

until it is no longer visible and disappears from the world. That is why

the ancients said that it influences every deliberation and the beginning

of any task. If it is in its ascendancy and its circumstances are favor-

able, any thing which one may start at that moment will meet with

success, and contrariwise if it is in the unfavorable circumstances. They

added that, for the asker, you should observe the ascending sign with

its rulers, and for the request, the seventh sign with its rulers, and

always put the Moon in contact with it.


2. If the Moon is moving by itself, that indicates any futile thing,

and it signifies that any thing which the asker requests can not possibly

occur.

3. The planet which enters into conjunction or into aspect with the

Moon prognosticates every future thing and anything which the asker

will expect; if the planet is favorable, it will be a boon; if the planet

is unfavorable, it will bring harm.

4. The separation f rom the Moon denotes things which have passed ;

if it separated in conjunction or in aspect with a helpful planet, it was

beneficial, and with a harmful planet, it was sinister.

5. If the asterism, which receives its force from the Moon, is in its

ascendancy, then the thing will be done properly; just the opposite, if

it should be weak.

6. Likewise, in the case of any constellation which communicates

force to another one, the event will take place according to the power

of the recipient.

7. On the day when the Moon is with the baleful planets, nothing

which one may ask will be completed properly if there is a planet in the

ascending sign ; if the Moon should be in one of the poles of the meri-

dian, then it is worse, because it forecasts fear in mind and sickness in

body; if it should be in the falling houses, it indicates fear but not

sickness.

8. The planets move in two faces, one helpful, the other harmful;

no matter where you find the planet to be favorable, predict good; for

the opposite position, predict the opposite.

9. The favorable direct planets are use ful whether they receive or

not. If they receive, so much the better. The unfavorable planets are

destructive by their very nature, but if a planet should be received by

it, its malignant influence will be attenuated. The same holds true

whether the visual angle formed with it is a sextile or a trine aspect.

10. A planet should not be considered harmful until the rays of the

harmful planet dominate it in proportion to the force of its body; if it

is less than that, then it will f orecast only slight harm ; af ter it departs

in aspect one degree from the new-born, and relatively more if it goes

further away, it will provoke fear which will not have any practical

consequence. That is the procedure of the favorable planet. If the

planet, which prognosticates all that which is to happen, does not form

a visual angle with the ascending sign, the hope of the petitioner will

not materialize.

11. If the beneficial planets are in aspect with the baleful planets,

the influence of the latter will be less harmful.


12. The favorable always prognosticate a boon, and the unfavorable

prognosticate harm. Nevertheless if the unfavorable one should be in

its exaltation, the effect will be good, although it will involve pain and

sorrow.

13. If the helpful planets should be in a position opposite to their

character, in the house of their dishonor, in the house of their hatred,

or in the falling houses, and if no aspect lies between them and the

ascending sign, then it will exert absolutely no influence.

14. Likewise if the unfavorable are in that position, their harm will

be slight.

15. If the favorable asterism is in its ascendancy and if it alone

exerts an influence over the new-born, then its good influence will

increase.

16. If Jupiter is in aspect with the favorable planet, it will make its

nature favorable. Venus can not modify the nature of Saturn except

with the aid of Jupiter. Jupiter nullifies the harm of Saturn, but Venus

nullifies the harm of Mars even more than does Jupiter.

17. If both the favorable and unfavorable planets are in a bad posi-

tion, or if they scintillate, they prognosticate something vile; yet they

can not cause good or harm because of their weakness.

18. If a baleful planet should be east of the Sun, in a sign wherein

it exerts an influence, and if no other unfavorable planet is in aspect

with it, then it is better than the favorable one which scintillates or is

retrograde.

19. If the baleful are in control of the thing requested, and if the

ruler of the ascending sign joins in conjunction with them, and if the

Moon is in a quadrate aspect or in opposition, then, should the request

be granted, its end will be detrimental.

20. If the baleful is in an ascending sign and has within it any power,

its influence will be less harmful; if it is retrograde, it will heap evil

on evil.

21. If the baleful is in quadrate aspect or in opposition, it will lose

its favorable influence.

22. If the baleful should be in the position of its power and in one

of the poles or one of the supports, its force is to be considered equiva-

lent to the force of the favorable planets.

23. If the baleful is estranged in its position, then its influence will

become more harmful.

24. If the baleful is in one of the poles, or if it harms the star of the

quadrate aspect or opposition, then its evil influence will be complete;


all the more so of it is more powerful than the star. If, however, it is

in a trine or sextile aspect, the evil influence will be attenuated.

25. If the baleful should be in control of the thing requested, it indi-

cates delay in the matter, and it means that it will not materialize but

by grief and worry.

26. If the baleful should communicate its force to another ominous

one, then it will heap evil upon evil; if a favorable one gives its force

to another favorable one, then it will result in more luck; if a baleful

gives its force to a favorable, then the fate will change from evil to

good; the opposite will have an opposite effect.

27. If any beneficial or injurious constellation is in its house or in

the house of its honor, it will always result in a boon.

28. Any planet at the beginning of a sign is considered weak until

it is five degrees away. Likewise, if the planet should be less than five

degrees away from one of the houses, it will be considered to be in the

force of the house; if it is further away, then it falls beyond the force

of the house.

29. Any asterism between the beginning of the house and fifteen

degrees possesses great power.

30. If the planet is with one of the poles of the baleful and it departs

from its aspect by one degree, it will cause fear but it will not have any

practical result.

31. If the constellation is in the house of its dishonor, it prognosti-

cates grief, anguish, and distress.

32. The planet which retrogrades denotes rebellion and the destruc-

tion of any project.

33. The planet, which is in its first station, is like a man who does

not know what he will do, and its result is bad; if it is in its second

station, it is like a man who expects something and whose hope will not

be in vain.

34. If a star should be delayed in its course, it will delay the thing

either fortunately or unfortunately ; if Jupiter or Saturn should be in

the variable signs, they will hasten the thing.

35. If the planet is at the end of the sign, its force will be lost for

the first sign, and all its force will pass to the sign into which it is to

enter. If the planet is in the twenty-ninth degree of the sign, its force

stays in the sign where it is, because the planet exerts force in three

degrees: in the degree in which it is, in the preceding degree, and in

the subsequent degree.

36. If a star is about to enter into conjunction with a second star


but, before the conjunction is consummated, the second star leaves for

a different sign, and the first star pursues it and overtakes it, and if,

before overtaking it, no other star unites with it, then the thing requested

will be accomplished after the despair.

37. If a star is in aspect with another star, which then moves from

its position before the lighter star reaches it, no harm will result, because

the aspect does not interfere with the conjunction of celestial bodies.

38. If an asterism is in a sign which corresponds to its nature, its

power will increase; if it is in a sign contrary to its nature, its power

will weaken as, for example, Saturn in a house that is cold and dry.

39. If the planet, which is received, is favorable, then its force in-

creases; if it is detrimental, then its harm is lessened.

40. If the planet is not in one of the places of its influence, but is

in the sixth or twelfth house, it will not result in a boon.

41. If a planet is beneath the brilliancy and is one of the superior,

it will exert no influence; the same is true of the inferior. If they

retrograde, their influence is worse than any.

42. If the star, which serves for the prognostic, is retrograde, but

later its motion follows the order of the signs, that indicates that the

thing will be fulfilled partly. Likewise if it is beneath the rays of the

Sun and then departs from there.

43. If a constellation, assuming that it is favorable, is in one of the

censers, it will lose its good influence; if it is un favorable, its influence

will become worse.

44. If the favorable planet is in the eighth house, it indicates neither

good nor bad; if one of the unfavorable is there, that prognosticates

complete harm.

45. If the planet is about to reverse its motion, it forecasts unsuc-

cessful consultation, difficulty, and destruction; if its motion becomes

direct, it will better the luck in the matter, its strength, and its

uprightness.

46. If the power of the planet should be twelve degrees in an auspi-

cious position, that will exert a better influence.

47. If the planet is in a fixed sign, it forecasts anything which will

be constant and firm ; if it is in a variable sign, the thing will vary ; if

it is in a sign with a double body, it augurs that one part of the thing

will remain constant or that the thing will be modified twice.

48. If the receiving star is in an unfavorable position, it portends evil.

49. If the ruler of the ascending sign is in the house of its hatred,

it can not control completely the thing requested.


50. If the planet enters into conjunction with the favorable or un-

favorable, the nature of the stronger of them is to be considered.

51. If the ruler of the ascending sign communicates force to the ruler

of the consulted house, the thing will be desired very strongly; but if

the ruler of the thing sought communicates force to the ruler of the

ascending sign, then the thing will materialize without any difficulty.

52. If there is an obstructing planet between them, it prognosticates

an individual who will put an obstacle between it and the thing sought.

53. If the master of the ascending sign separates from the master of

the thing sought, his desire will disappear.

54. If no planet is in aspect with the Moon, that indicates indolence.

55. If many stars are in aspect with the Moon, those which assist in

fulfilling the object will be numerous.

56. If an asterism transfers from the ruler of the ascending sign to

the ruler of the thing requested, then the thing will be accomplished

through an intermediary.

57. If the ruler of the ascendant is in the house of its triplicity, and

if the rulers of the signs of the triplicity are in aspect with it, those

near to it will help it.

58. If the planet moves in the path, to which we referred for the

return of brilliancy, the thing will take place after despair.

59. If the prognosticator is in a position to communicate force, that

means that the thing will be accomplished exactly as he wishes.

60. If the prognosticator is about to communicate influence, that

augurs that the thing will reveal another.

61. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in the act of communi-

cating the nature, that denotes great joy in the affair.

62. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in the act of communi-

cating two natures, that points to the joy of the petitioner and of the

one consulted.

63. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in a direct manner, that

indicates a good outcome in anything desired.

64. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in an oblique manner,

it means that he will abandon the project.

65. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in the position of prohi-

bition, it augurs that the affair will be destroyed after having been

expected.

66. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in the manner of the

return of light to evil, it shows that the asker will repent his request.


67. If the testimony of the prognosticator corresponds to interfer-

ence, it portends that events will arise which will destroy the thing.

68. If the testimony of the prognosticator is in the phenomenon of

the accident, something will happen to it which will put an end to the

consultation.

69. If the testimony of the prognosticator coÃ¯ncides with ruin, the

petitioner will seek other counsel.

70. If the testimony of the prognosticator is analogous to the elimi-

nation of brilliancy, it points to an individual who will destroy his own

consultation.

71. If the testimony of the prognosticator refers to pleasantness, it

marks a man to whom it has done some good.

72. If the testimony of the prognosticator falls in the phenomenon

of recompense, it forecasts that it will do good to others also.

73. The testimony of the mutual reception of the prognosticators

predicts things which are preparing something that has not yet come

to mind.

74. If the testimony of the prognosticator corresponds to liberality,

it augurs that the solicitor and the adviser will love one another.

75. If the testimony of the prognosticator is taken at the time of

similarity, it marks every good which is in the process of formation.

76. If the testimony of the prognosticator occurs in the evil media-

tion, it refers to the prisoners and the unfortunate, but if it occurs in

a good one, it refers to the maximum benefit.

77. If the testimony of the prognosticator coincides with the dignity,

it is an omen of every high rank.

78. The seven planets in their respective positions in the ecliptic

offer prognostics. If a star is in its house, it is an example of a man

in his home.

79. The star in the house of its honor is like a man in the pinnacle

of his rank.

80. The star at its limit is like a man in his seat.

81. The star in the house of its triplicity is like a man with his

relatives.

82. The star in its face corresponds to a man with his ornaments

and clothing.

83. The star in its aphelion is similar to a man astride his horse.

84. The star in its form is like a man in a situation suitable to

himself.


85. The star, which is in the reverse of its form, is like a man in

a situation unsuitable to himself.

86. The star in the house of its hatred is like a man dissatisfied

with himself.

87. The star in a position over which it does not predominate corre-

sponds to a man who is not in his country.

88. The star in the house of its perihelion is similar to a man who

falls from his greatness.

89. The star which moves beneath the rays of the Sun is like a

man in prison.

90. The star which scintillates is analogous to a man who is on the

verge of death.

91. The star, which is about to assume a retrograde motion, is like

a man bewildered and trembling at the misfortunes which will befall

him.

92. The star which retrogrades is like a twitching and rebellious

person.

93. The star in its second station is like a man who expects good

luck.

94. The star, which is delayed in its course, corresponds to a man

exhausted and lacking strength to go on.

95. The star accelerated in its course is like a young man running.

96. The eastern star is kindred to a person happy to fulfill his desire.

97. The western star is like an indolent man.

98. The star in conjunction with the Sun is like a person who sits

with the king on his throne.

99. The star in aspect is similar to an individual who seeks what he

desires.

100. The departing star is like a man who is repentant about the

thing.

101. The star at a pole of the meridian resembles a man who stays

at his post.

102. The star at a support is like a man who is hopeful.

103. The star in a falling house is like a man who changes his

position.

104. The stars in conjunction correspond to two companions.

105. The stars in a sextile aspect are like two individuals who seek

each other's love.


106. The stars in a trine aspect resemble two persons of similar

temperament.

107. The stars in a quadrate aspect are similar to two people each

one of whom seeks control for himself.

108. The stars in opposition are kindred to two men fighting each

other fiercely.

109. The star in the ascending sign is like the new-born child that

comes out of the womb of its mother or like a thing which occurs at

the right time.

110. The star in the second house is the same as the person who is

in the house of his assistants.

111. The star in the third house harmonizes with the man who visits

his brothers.

112. The star in the fourth house corresponds to a man in the house

of his forbears or in his land.

113. The star in the fifth house is in affinity with a person in his

business and in his pleasure.

114. The star in the sixth house is equivalent to a weak man running

away.

115. The star in the seventh house is the same as a man prepared for

battle.

116. The star in the eighth house is related to a person beset with

fear and terror.

117. The star in the ninth house refers to a man leaving his place

to go into exile or a man who has lost his high rank.

118. The star in the tenth house stands for a person in his power,

in his dignity, and in his profession.

119. The star in the eleventh house is in conformity with a man at

the home of his friends.

120. The star in the twelfth house is akin to a person in prison.

CHAPTER IX

The ninth chapter of this book enumerates the 97 fates of the planets

and of the houses.

The fate of the Moon: subtract the position of the Sun in its sign in

direct degrees from the position of the Moon in its sign; then add the

remainder to the ascending degree; the place wherein the fate will fall

will be called the favorable fate. That is the way to do it if the child

was born by day; but, if it was by night, then subtract the position of


the Moon from the position of the Sun, and add the remainder to the

ascending degree ; there will be the auspicious fate. That is the opinion

of the teachers of yore. Ptolemy, however, takes issue with them, for

he says that you must always subtract the position of the Sun from the

position of the Moon, whether it be by day or by night; he is right,

because the ratio of the ascending sign is to the Sun as the ratio of

the good fate is to the Moon ; therefore it is called the Moon's ascendant.

A wise man of India, known as Mashallah, states in his Book of Experi-

ments, that the fate of the nocturnal mystery is more cogent than the

auspicious fate; thus he reiterated the opinion of Ptolemy without

realizing it. This lucky fate rules over the body, life, possessions, profit,

good reputation, the start of any undertaking, and anything which comes

to one's mind.

The fate of the Sun : subtract the position of the Moon by day from

the position of the Sun, and add the difference to the ascending degree ;

then you will find the position of the fate, which is called the fate of

the secret ; if he was born by day, subtract the position of the Sun from

the position of the Moon, and add the remainder to the ascending de-

gree; then you will find the fate. That is the doctrine of the ancients.

Ptolemy says that it is the same both by day and by night; that is the

truth. This fate rules over the soul, divine service, and every occult or

concealed thing.

The fate of Saturn: take the distance lying between the location of

Saturn and the degree of the auspicious fate; add it to the degree of

the ascendant if the horoscope is cast by day, and vice-versa if by night.

This fate is an augury over the depth of thought, the tilling of the soil,

loss, theft, poverty, incarceration, captivity, and death.

The fate of Jupiter: take by day the distance extending from the

fate of the secret to Jupiter, and add it to the ascendant; there will be

the fate; by night, do the reverse. This fate has control over truth,

pity, science, honor, good reputation, and possessions.

The fate of Mars: by day, take the distance measured between it

and the favorable fate, and add it to the ascendant; by night, do the

opposite; there will be the fate. It prognosticates force, power, anger,

rapidity, tricks, and deceptions.

The fate of Venus: by day measure the distance between the auspi-

cious fate and the fate of the secret, doing the opposite by night; add

it to the ascendant ; there will be the fate. It predicts love, joy, delight,

food, drink, concupiscence, and coition.

The fate of Mercury: by day take the distance separating the fate

of the secret from the lucky fate, but by night do the reverse, and

add it to the ascendant; that will give the fate. It forecasts poverty,


hatred, a spiteful character, giving, receiving, invention, instruction, and

knowledge.

Now come the fates of the houses. The first house has three fates.

The first is the fate of life; by day it is calculated by the distance sepa-

rating Jupiter f rom Saturn ; by night, just the opposite ; it is cast f rom

the ascendant. The second is the fate of support and beauty; by day,

it is taken f rom the favorable fate to the mysterious fate ; by night, the

opposite obtains ; it is cast f rom the ascendant ; this fate corresponds to

that of Venus. The third is the fate of knowledge and speech; by day

it is taken f rom Jupiter to Mars ; contrariwise by night ; it is cast f rom

the ascendant.

The second house has three fates. The first is the fate of wealth;

both by day and by night it is measured from the ruler of the second

house to the beginning of the second house according to the latitude of

the earth ; it is cast from the ascendant. The second is the fate of lend-

ing ; it is taken both by day and by night from Saturn to Mercury, and

is cast from the ascendant. The third is the fate of finding; by day it

is counted from Mercury to Venus, and the reverse by night ; it is cast

from the ascendant.

The third house has three fates. The first is the fate of brothers;

both by day and by night it is figured from Saturn to Jupiter ; it is cast

from the ascendant. The second is the fate of the number of brothers ;

it is taken by day and by night from Mercury to Saturn, and is cast

from the ascendant. The third is the fate of the death of brothers ; by

day it is measured from the Sun to the degrees in the center of the

heavenly ecliptic equated according to the latitude of the earth, by night

the reverse, and it is cast from the ascendant.

The fourth house has seven fates. The first is the fate of the father ;

by day it is taken from the Sun to Saturn, by night just the opposite,

and it is cast from the ascendant. If Saturn is beneath the rays of the

Sun, it is measured by day from the Sun to Jupiter, and by night the

reverse; it is cast from the ascendant. The second is the fate of the

death of the father ; it is taken by day from Saturn to Jupiter, and con-

versely by night; it is cast from the ascendant. The third is the fate

of the grandfather ; it is calculated by day from the ruler of the house

of the Sun to Saturn; by night in reverse order; it is cast from the

ascendant; if the Sun is in its house or in one of the houses of Saturn,

it will be taken by day from the Sun to Saturn, contrariwise by night,

and will be cast from the ascendant; if it is beneath the rays of the

Sun, do not let that bother you. The f ourth is the fate of noble lineage ;

by day it is computed from Saturn to Mars, conversely by night, and

it is cast from the ascendant. The fifth is the fate of property; both by

16


day and by night it is taken f rom Saturn to the Moon, and is cast f rom

the ascendant. The sixth is the fate of the cultivation of the soil ; it is

taken both by day and by night f rom Venus to Saturn, and is cast from

the ascendant. The seventh is the fate of posterity; by day and by

night it is taken from Saturn to the ruler of the house of the conjunc-

tion of the luminaries if the child was born in the first half of the

month, and to the ruler of the house of the opposition if he was born

in the latter half ; it is cast from the ascendant.

The fifth house has nve fates. The first is the fate of the son; it is

taken by day from Jupiter to Saturn, and conversely by night; it is cast

from the ascendant. The second is the fate of the time when the child

will be born ; whether it be a boy or girl, and both by day and by night,

it is calculated from Mars to Saturn, and is cast from the ascendant.

The third is the fate of male children ; by day and by night it is taken

from the Moon to Jupiter, and is cast from the ascendant. The fourth

is the fate of girls ; by day and by night it is measured from the Moon

to Venus, and is cast from the ascendant. The fifth is the fate of the

consultation; in the case of both male and female it is taken by day

from the ruler of the house of the Sun to the Moon, and is cast from

the ascendant.

The sixth house has three fates. The first is the fate of diseases and

deformities; by day it is taken from Saturn to Mars, and conversely

by night; it is cast from the ascendant. The second is the fate of ser-

vants ; by day and by night it is figured from Mercury to the Moon ; it

is cast from the ascendant. The third is the fate of prison and cap-

tivity ; by day it is taken from the ruler of the house of the Sun to the

Sun, and by night from the ruler of the house of the Moon to the

Moon; it is cast from the ascendant.

The seventh house has thirteen fates. The first is the fate of sexual

relations for both men and women; it is taken by day and by night

from Venus to the setting degree, and is cast from the ascendant. The

second is the fate of copulation in the horoscope of men ; according to

Hermes, it is taken by day and by night from Saturn to Venus, and is

cast from the ascendant ; in the opinion of Ibn al-Alam, it is measured

by day and by night from the Sun to Venus, and is cast from the

ascendant. The third is the fate of the period of coition ; it is taken by

day and by night from the Sun to the Moon, and is cast from the

ascendant. The f ourth is the fate of excessive copulation; it is calcu-

lated by day and by night from the Sun to the Moon; it is cast from

the degree of Venus; the fate will be there. The fifth is the fate of

female modesty; it is taken by day and by night from the Moon to

Venus, and is cast from the ascendant. The sixth is the fate of female


prostitution; both by day and by night it is reckoned from Venus to

Saturn, and is cast from the ascendant. The seventh is the fate of the

deceit of men ; it is taken by day and by night from the Sun to Venus,

and is cast from the ascendant. The eighth is the fate of the deceit of

women; both by day and by night it is computed from the Moon to

Mars, and is cast from the ascendant. The ninth is the fate of forni-

cation by men ; it is taken by day and by night from the Sun to Venus,

and is cast from the ascendant. The tenth is the fate of carnal knowl-

edge ; it is counted by day and by night from the Moon to Mars, and is

cast from the ascendant. The eleventh is the fate of love; it is taken

by day and by night from the Moon to Mars, and is cast from the

ascendant. The twelfth is the fate of disputes; it is taken by day and

by night from Mars to Jupiter, and is cast from the ascendant. The

thirteenth is the fate of sons-in-law ; it is measured by day and by night

from Saturn to Venus, and is cast from the ascendant.

The eighth house has five fates. The first is the fate of death; it is

taken by day and by night from the degree of the Moon at the begin-

ning of the eighth house equated according to the latitude of the earth ;

it is cast from the position of Saturn ; that is the place of its fate. The

second is the fate of the deadly star; it is taken by day from the ruler

of the ascending degree to the Moon; conversely by night; it is cast

from the ascendant. The third is the fate of the year of peril; it is

taken by day and by night from Saturn to the ruler of the house of the

conjunction of the luminaries, if the child was born in the first half of

the month, or to the ruler of the house of the opposition, if the child

was born in the other half of the month; it is cast from the ascendant.

The fourth is the fate of sickness; it is measured by day from Saturn

to Mars; contrariwise by night; it is cast from the position of Mer-

cury; the fate is there. The fifth is the fate of distress; it is taken by

day from Saturn to Mercury, and just the opposite by night; it is cast

from the ascendant.

The ninth house has seven fates. The first is the fate of the trip ; it

is taken by day and by night from the ruler of the ninth house to its

inception equated according to the latitude of the earth ; it is cast from

the ascendant. The second is the fate of a trip by water; it is calcu-

lated by day from Saturn to the fifteenth degree in Cancer; by night

it is the opposite; it is cast from the ascendant; if Saturn is in the

degree just given, the fate will be in the ascendant. The third is the

fate of modesty; it is taken by day from the Moon to Mercury, and

vice-versa by night; it is cast from the ascendant. The fourth is the

fate of intelligence; by day it is taken from Saturn to Jupiter, and in

the reverse order by night ; it is cast from the position of Mercury ; the


fate is in that place. The fifth is the fate of knowledge ; it is computed

by day from Saturn to Jupiter; the opposite by night; it is cast from

the ascendant. The sixth is the fate of the stories; by day it is taken

from the Sun to Jupiter; by night the reverse; it is cast from the

ascendant. The seventh is the fate of the matter as to its being true or

false ; both by day and by night it is taken from Mercury to the Moon ;

it is cast from the ascendant.

The tenth house has eleven fates. The first is the fate of royalty ; it

is taken by day from Mars to the Moon, and conversely by night; it is

cast from the ascendant. The second is the fate of victory; it is taken

by day from the Sun to Saturn, and the opposite by night; it is cast

from the ascendant. The third is the fate of advice ; it is taken by day

from Mercury to Mars; by night in the other way; it is cast from the

ascendant. The fourth is the fate of liberality; it is reckoned by day

and by night from Mercury to the Sun; it is cast from the ascendant.

The fifth is the fate of the sudden rise to power; by day it is taken

from Saturn to the favorable fate, and conversely by night; it is cast

from the ascendant. The sixth is the fate of the work; it is taken by

day and by night from Saturn to the Moon ; it is cast from the ascen-

dant. The seventh is the fate of manual labor; by day it is taken from

Mercury to Venus, and the opposite by night ; it is cast from the ascen-

dant. The eighth is the fate of the task which is to be accomplished ;

by day it is taken from the Sun to Jupiter; by night in the opposite

way; it is cast from the ascendant. The ninth is the fate of merchan-

dise ; by day it is measured from the fate of the secret to the auspicious

fate; by night the reverse; it is cast from the ascendant. The tenth is

the fate of greatness ; by day it is taken from the Sun to the degree of

its honor, and by night from the Moon to the degree of its honor; if

the Sun is by day in the degree of its honor or the Moon by night in the

degree of its honor, the fate will be found in the degree of the ascendant.

The eleventh is the fate of the mother; it is taken by day from Venus

to the Moon, and conversely by night; it is cast from the ascendant.

The eleventh house has ten fates. The first is the fate of the beloved ;

by day it is taken from the good fate to the fate of the secret ; by night

the opposite; it is cast from the ascendant. The second is the fate of

the element of certainty in human intelligence; by day it is calculated

from the favorable fate to the Sun ; by night conversely ; it is cast from

the ascendant. The third is the fate of prosperity; by day it is taken

from the auspicious fate to Jupiter; the opposite by night; it is cast

from the ascendant. The fourth is the fate of hope; by day it is taken

from Saturn to Venus; by night in reverse order; it is cast from the

ascendant. The fifth is the fate of the happy abundance at home; it is


taken by day and by night from the Moon to Mercury, and is cast from

the ascendant. The sixth is the fate of the freedom of mind ; by day it

is counted from Mercury to Jupiter, and the opposite by night; it is

cast from the ascendant. The seventh is the fate of praise; by day it

is taken from Jupiter to Venus, and conversely by night ; it is cast from

the ascendant. The eighth is the fate of concupiscence; by day it is

taken from the beneficial fate to the fate of the secret, and by night

in the opposite way; it is cast from the ascendant. The ninth is the

fate of instability; both by day and by night it is taken from the fate

of the secret to Mercury, and is cast from the ascendant. The tenth is

the fate of friends ; it is measured by day and by night from Mercury

to the Moon, and is cast from the ascendant.

The twelfth house has two fates. The first is the fate of enemies;

both by day and by night it is calculated from the ruler of the twelfth

house to the beginning of that house equated according to the latitude

of the earth; it is cast from the ascendant. The second fate, in the

opinion of Hermes, is taken from Saturn to Mars, and the reverse by

night ; it is cast from the ascendant. The total of the fates of the houses

enumerated amounts to 71.

The independent fates amount to 9. The first is the fate of longevity :

notice if the child was born in the first half of the month, calculate the

distance between the degree of the conjunction of the luminaries and

the Moon at the moment of the horoscope, and cast it from the ascen-

dant; if the child was born in the second half of the month, take the

distance between the opposition of the luminaries and the Moon, and

cast it from the ascendant. The second is the fate of a bodily defect;

by day it is taken from the favorable fate to Mars, and conversely by

night; it is cast from the ascendant. The third is the fate of delay; it

is taken by day and by night at the inception of the third house equated

according to the latitude of the earth; it is cast from the ascendant;

Hermes says that the most proper method is to measure it from the

fate of love and to cast it from the position of Mercury, and thereby

determine the fate. The fourth is the fate of fraud; it is taken from

Mercury to the fate of the secret by day, and the reverse by night; it

is cast from the ascendant. The fifth is the fate of the place sought;

both by day and by night it is calculated from Saturn to Mars, and is

cast from Mercury. The sixth is the fate of ambush ; by day it is taken

from Mars to the Sun, and the opposite by night; it is cast from the

ascendant. The seventh is the fate of truth ; by day it is measured from

Mercury to Mars, and conversely by night ; it is cast from the ascendant.

The eighth is the fate of force ; it is taken by day from Saturn to the

Moon, and the opposite by night; it is cast from the ascendant. The


ninth is the fate of massacre; by day it is taken from the ruler of the

ascendant to the Moon, and the reverse by night; it is cast from the

ascendant.

These fates are necessary in the revolution of the year of the maxi-

mum conjunction in order to determine, when speaking of kings, how

long they will reign. The fate, which applies to them in the years of

the world, is the one called the fate of the kingdom ; it is taken by day

from Mars to the Moon, and it is cast from the ascending degree in the

revolution of the year of the conjunction, which prognosticates the

exodus of the people. Some determine this fate in another way: by

taking the distance between the ascending degree in the revolution of

the year of the conjunction and the degree of the conjunction, and then

casting it from the ascending degree in the annual revolution. Others

determine it by another method ; by taking the distance from the degree

of the celestial diameter opposite the position of the Sun to the celestial

diameter opposite the annual revolution, and then casting it from the

position of Jupiter.

The fate of the number of days, with reference to kings, is taken, in

the year of the king's ascent to the throne, from the Sun to the fifteenth

degree of Leo, and is cast from the position of the Moon. It is also

taken from the position of the Moon to the fifteenth degree of Cancer,

and is cast from the position of the Sun. Notice that these two fates

will always come forth in houses corresponding to a star; if one fate

should come forth in the house of a luminary, the second fate will

come forth in the house of the other luminary. The fate revealing the

year of the king's ascent to the throne is taken from Jupiter to Saturn

by day, and the reverse by night; it is cast from the ascending degree

in the annual revolution. If Jupiter is in a sign which has two bodies,

when the revolution is diurnal, and if Jupiter is in a falling house, it is

taken from Saturn to Jupiter ; then add 30 degrees to the distance, and

cast it from the ascendant. If Saturn is opposite Jupiter and both are

in falling houses, take half of the distance separating them, and cast it

from the ascendant. If Jupiter is in the house of its honor when the

revolution is nocturnal, measure the distance from it to Saturn, and

cast it from the ascendant.

There are two great fates. For the first of them, notice during the

year of the king's ascent to the throne where falls in that year the posi-

tion of the conjunction of the triplicity which took place before the

ascent of the king ; assign one year for every 30 degrees and one month

for every 2j>Â£ degrees ; when you will know to which degree that meas-

urement will correspond, in that place you should work out the first

fate. Determine the revolution of the year of the king's ascent to the


throne ; observe whether Saturn or Jupiter is east of the Sun ; calculate

the distance which there is between it at the start of the annual revo-

lution and the degree which I have given, because from that point you

will equate the fate ; then cast the remainder from the ascendant at the

beginning of the annual revolution, and that will give you the fate.

For the second fate, observe whether Jupiter or Saturn is west of the

Sun at the time of the annual revolution; take the remainder which

there is between it and the degree already given, by which you deter-

mined the first fate ; then cast that remainder from the ascending degree

in the annual revolution.

The fate of rain. Measure by day the distance extending from the

degree of the conjunction of the luminaries to the degree of the Moon,

and by night from the Moon to the degree of the conjunction, and cast

it from the ascending sign in the morning or in the evening ; regardless

of the place in which the measurement will be completed, there the fate

will be. Now, if one of the inferior planets is with this fate in one of

the poles, notice that when the Moon reaches the position of that planet,

rain will fall. That will happen in any country controlled by the sign

in which is the Moon. Hermes says that the distance should be meas-

ured every day from the position of the Sun to the position of Saturn,

that the result should be cast in the morning from the position of the

Moon, and thereby you will determine the fate; upon experimentation

that proves to be accurate. If the fate comes out in one of the houses

of Saturn, it will be cold; if in one of the houses of Jupiter, it will be

windy; if in one of the houses of Mars, it will be warm; if in one of

the houses of Venus, there will be rain or mist; if in one of the houses

of Mercury, there will be strong winds; if in the house of the Moon,

there will be clouds or rain; if in the house of the Sun, the air will

be pure.

The fate of a thing to determine whether or not it will happen. Take

the distance lying between the Sun and the ruler of the hour, multiply

it by the complete odd hours which have elapsed by day or by night,

and carry the total. Then take the course of the sign, containing the

ruler of the hour, according to the latitude of the earth, multiply it by

70, divide the result by 12, add the quotient of the division to the total,

and cast the final amount from the position of the ruler of the hour;

the fate will fall there.

Here are the fates in any revolution in order to determine whether

anything is valuable or insignificant. You must do as follows: observe

the position of the fate which dominates over the house; if you notice

that its motion is retrograde, or if it scintillates, or if it is in a house

which is falling from the poles with respect to the ascending degree in


the annual revolution, then anything which the fate will prognosticate

in that case will be insignificant. If the ruler of the house of the fate

is in power, and all the more so if it is in the celestial diameter, then it

will be precious. When the ruler of the house of the fate arrives at

the house of its honor, it wilf be even more valuable; but if it travels

to the house of its dishonor, the reverse will be true. If one of the

beneficial planets is in aspect with the fate, then what the fate prog-

nosticates will be abundant; if the inauspicious planets are in aspect,

it will be slight, and it will disappear.

The fate of water is taken from the Moon to Venus. The fate of

wheat from the Sun to Mars. The fate of barley from the Moon to

Jupiter. The fate of peas from Venus to the Sun. The fate of lentils

from Mars to Saturn. The fate of beans from Saturn to Mars. The

fate of cream from the Sun to Venus. The fate of honey from the

Moon to the Sun. The fate of millet from Jupiter to Saturn. The fate

of olives from Mercury to the Moon. The fate of grapes from Saturn

to Venus. The fate of cotton from Mercury to Venus. The fate of

water-melons from Mercury to Saturn. The fate of acrid flavors from

Saturn to Mars. The fate of sweet flavors from the Sun to Venus.

The fate of rancid flavors from Mars to Saturn. The fate of sour

flavors from Mercury to Saturn. The fate of medicinal herbs, both

bitter and purgative, from Saturn to Jupiter. The fate of salty medic-

inal herbs from Mars to the Moon. The fate of deadly poison from

the dragon's head to Saturn. All these fates must be cast from the

ascending degree.

The ancients determined the fates, which we have just enumerated,

for two reasons. The first is because the fusion of planets with each

other, both in conjunction and in aspect, may occur in many ways ; con-

sequently through their fusion the favorable or malignant effect is

renewed in any place and at any time. The strength of the fate, which

is more evident, is the one which is determined by two stars which

denote the same thing, such as Saturn and the Sun, both of which denote

parents; therefore, we must know the distance between them at any

moment in order to investigate the matter of parents. The second reason

is because anything, which the planets prognosticate, needs two or three

testimonies; as a result the testimony may be treated with suspicion

when one planet belongs to the nocturnal constellations and the other

belongs to the diurnal constellations, because in that case the second

will be more powerful than the first. Again it may happen that one

points to the beginning of the matter, while the other indicates the end ;

because of that, it behooves us to determine the fates.

The fate is in three ways, two of which are always stationary while


the third is variable. The first of the stationary ones is the one from

which the fate is taken, while the other is the one for which the fate is

taken; the third is the one which comes forth opposite the ascending

degree, and it is variable since it changes every minute. We must cast

these fates from the ascending degree, because it denotes the start of

activities. One also casts them from the beginning of the house which

predominates over the affair, and one deduces these fates in even degrees

because the planets follow the path of the zodiac; when one says that

a certain star is in a certain sign and in a certain degree, and also that

a certain ascendant belongs to a certain sign, all are in even degrees;

that is why they have drawn those fates in even degrees. Because the

degrees of the ascensions are the degrees of the great ecliptic which is

above the epicycle of the signs as it rotates around the epicycle of the

signs at the two poles, one counts all the aspects in even degrees oppo-

site the epicycle of the signs. In the same way the ancients have experi-

mented in the matter of horoscopes, consultations, and selections when

the Moon communicates force to one of the planets in degrees equal to

the force of the aspects; as a result they observed that their opinions

were accurate at any moment in the quadrate, trine, or sextile aspect.

Using the same method, we have also carried out experiments, and we

were successful.

CHAPTER X

The tenth chapter of this book is devoted to the aspects and the

directions. Notice that the aspects and their directions work in two

ways. One way is the aspect of light in proportion to the hypsometrical

measurement of the signs in each and every country. The second way

concerns the measurement of the degrees of the signs, and they are the

same in all countries. If the planet is in the ascending degree, you

should direct it in conformity with the ascension of the signs in that

place. If it is in the beginning of the seventh house, you should direct

it conversely from the degree of the planet and the reason of the sign

which is opposite its degree. If it is at the beginning of the horizon of

the firmament or at the beginning of the fourth house, you should direct

it in the ascensions of the signs in the sphere of perpendicularity. That

is the opinion of Hermes. The second way, according to the doctrine

of all astrologers, is that you should direct any planet or fate, which

you need to direct in any place whatsoever in the sphere, in even degrees

opposite the circle of the signs, and not opposite the circle of perpen-

dicularity. They have made experiments of this phenomenon innumer-

able times, and they have found it to be exact. Now the aspect of the

opposition will always be 180 degrees, the trine aspect 120, the quadrate


aspect 90, and the sextile aspect 60, and all the degrees are equal. That

holds true provided that the planet does not have the latitude of the

orbit of the sphere's ecliptic; if it does have that latitude, its influence

will be somewhat baleful. That is what Albattani said in his book, and

all those who came after him. The reason of these directions betokens

the time when you lead a star or a degree to an astral body, or to an

aspect of its light, in order to determine how many years elapse between

them. By means of directions one may predict all the good and harm

which will befall kings, and the conquest of the kingdom of one nation

by another, and the transformations of evil to good or of good to evil

which are effected in the world both in public and in private.

The directions fall into five categories. The object of the first is to

forecast worldly affairs in a universal manner as, for instance, deluge

and drought which ravage the world, or else national affairs such as

wars and repeal of laws. Now the world will be under the power of a

sign 1000 years. The part of a year in this direction amounts to 1

minute and 48 seconds.

The second direction is less than the direction of the thousands. It

prognosticates everything that will happen to each one of the nations

and at every cardinal point. In this case the world will be under the

sway of each sign 100 years. The part of one year in this direction is

equivalent to 18 minutes.

The third way is less than the direction of hundreds. It prophesies

the development in every country and in every race. Here the world

will be under the domination of each sign 10 years, and likewise each

person will be under the domination of the sign 10 years until the end

of 120 years, and the part of each year in this direction is 3 degrees.

The fourth category is the direction called alphardar. They take it

likewise with regard to worldly affairs. They begin with any planet

which has the house of its eastern honor opposite the sign of Aries,

but, in the case of a child born by day, they begin with the Sun, and

by night they begin with the Moon. The total duration of the time of

alphardar is 75.

The fifth class is the direction of the units in respect to worldly

events in an effort to discover everything that will happen year by year.

The new-born will also be under the influence of a sign every year. It

is called the sign which makes a complete circuit. This direction is

finished in 12 years. The part of one year lasts for 30 degrees, which

are as many as the degrees of one sign.

In the same manner you should direct the great conjunction until the

moment when Saturn and Jupiter transfer from one triplicity to another


and resume their original position. That will take 960 years. The part

for one year is 22 minutes, 16 seconds, and 5 thirds.

Furthermore you should direct the mean conjunction, which refers

to the transposition of the planets just mentioned f rom one triplicity to

another. That will last 240 years. The part for one year is 1 degree,

9 minutes, and 4 seconds.

You should also direct the minor conjunction in the transposition of

the aforementioned planets from one sign to another in the houses of

the triplicity. Each one will be 20 years in round numbers. The part

of one year amounts to 28 degrees approximately.

Finally there is another direction in the horoscope of the individual

and in the revolutions of the year of the world. It is the one which you

should take from the ascending degree to the body of the planet, to the

aspect of its light, to the known sign, or to the known degree, counting

one degree per year. The direction of the fates is the reverse of the

signs, as Ptolemy mentioned in the Book of Fruit.

Here end the ten chapters. Praise be to the Creator of all beings,

who has given the author the necessary strength. He finished it in the

month of Tammuz in the year 4908.

Explicit. Thanks be given to God Eternal.

THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM,

An Astrological Treatise by Abraham ibn Ezra

AN EDITION OF THE HEBREW ORIGINAL OF 1148

BY

FRANCISCO CANTERA

CatedrÃ¢tico de Hebreo,

Universidad de Madrid

the Beginning of Wisdom.pdf

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